THE LITTLE CAROLER
Tom Caruso of Smithtown snapped this photo while in Port Jefferson on Nov. 27. He writes, ‘It was nighttime and my wife and son were strolling down the streets in the village taking in the holiday sights. I spotted this doll in a shop window and the lighting perfectly painted the doll’s face against the darkened store’s interior. I couldn’t resist it.
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Singer Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, the great-great granddaughter of William K. Vanderbilt II, has just collaborated with fashion designer Malan Breton on a new duet version of the classic I’ll Be Home for Christmas. The pair performed the song in a music video shot recently at her ancestor’s Centerport estate, Eagle’s Nest, home of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
The video was released on November 30. Proceeds will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Vanderbilt Museum.
Costin is also a composer, songwriter, designer, actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. She has recorded five Top 10 singles on the Billboard Dance Club Songs charts and her music has skyrocketed on numerous international charts.
British Vogue has called Breton “the most influential designer you’ve never heard of.” He is also a film and music video director, columnist, costume designer, pop-music performer, and a television and film producer and actor.
For the backdrop of her new video, Costin selected the Vanderbilt Mansion and Estate, a place with personal resonance. “Coming to the Vanderbilt Museum always makes me feel so connected to my family legacy,” Costin said. “Willie K., my great-great grandfather, was such an incredible voyager.
“It always astounds me how he had the foresight to preserve all the extraordinary artifacts in the museum. He lived such an adventurous life, and I only wish I had had the chance to meet him.
“The Vanderbilt Museum has stretched way beyond my family to become a place of love and discovery for generations of other families, which is the most amazing gift imaginable.Costin has recorded five Top 10 singles on the Billboard Dance Club Songscharts and her music has skyrocketed on numerous international charts. Costin recently became a tech entrepreneur when she successfully launched her digital platform SoHo Muse. She describes her venture as a place “where creatives can help creatives find jobs, find support and stay connected, network and sell their wares on the site’s newly created Marketplace.”
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Eagle’s Nest was built on 43 waterfront acres on Northport Bay. Designed by the architects Warren & Wetmore, who created Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan for Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroad, the Estate was built in stages from 1910 to 1936. William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) bequeathed his Estate, Mansion, and Museum to Suffolk County. The Museum was opened to the public in 1950.
On Dec. 11, officers from Harbor Country Day School’s Student Council visited Long Island Elite Limousines in St. James to drop off toys donated to the Suffolk County Toys for Tots program. The toys were donated by Harbor Country Day School students as part of their annual toy drive.
Given the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, more than ever, there was a tremendous need for donations.
Because visitors are not permitted to Harbor Country at this time, and due to social distancing requirements, both the result of COVID-19, this year’s toy drive looked different than in years past. Historically, Harbor Country Day School was a local drop off point in the community and donated toys were picked up by the Marine Corps. This year, Harbor students and faculty loaded toys onto the Harbor Country Day School bus to bring to Long Island Elite Limousines where they were subsequently delivered to Suffolk County Toys for Tots.
Harbor has contributed to the Toys for Tots drive since 1998, when former Harbor employee and former Marine Mike Guido instituted the program. Now retired from the school, the St. James school continues this tradition begun by Mr. Guido.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the Toys for Tots drive and to work … on such a wonderful program,” said John Cissel, Head of School for Harbor Country Day School.
Following the success of her recent single “Optimist,” which went to #50 on Mediabase’s Top 40 Radio chart and was featured by Just Jared Jr. and American Songwriter, 15-year-old singer/songwriter and Broadway alumna Ava Della Pietra has released a live performance of “Christmas Tonight,” her beautiful and uplifting song about the magic of the holiday season. “As we near the end of an extraordinary difficult year,” Ava explains, “I hope this song will remind us of some of the little joys that are still available to us – a fresh snow, shimmering lights – and the hope of friends and family coming together next year to celebrate once again.”
Named one of Tiger Beat Magazine’s “Best Holiday Songs” alongside Alessia Cara, Jonas Brothers, and Liam Payne, “Christmas Tonight” was written with the help of producing partner Will Hicks (Ed Sheeran, Jamie Lawson), who said “it has all the ingredients of a new Christmas classic.” The song was streamed more than 32k+ times in just a week after its release, leading Newsday to call Ava a “Rising Star.” One of fifty songs that Ava has written, and the first of ten already produced, to be released in the coming months, the live performance of “Christmas Tonight” is a fitting follow-up to “Optimist,” an inspiring new song about keeping a positive mindset that Just Jared Jr. called “perfect for the time we’re in right now.”
“I wrote ‘Optimist’ because there are a lot of problems that face society today,” Ava told American Songwriter. “No matter how hard it gets, we need to realize that we are one community, and together, we can have hope for a better future. With all the adversity, we must take action, rise above, and know that we will be alright. We all need a little optimism right now.”
“Optimist” will be featured on Ava’s debut EP, slated for release later this year. Featuring material she collaborated on with producers Will Hicks, Justin Gray (Avril Lavigne, Mariah Carey), Adrian Gurvitz (Andra Day, Jesse McCartney, Cheetah Girls), and Brian Malouf (Michael Jackson, Sabrina Carpenter), the EP will also feature songs like “Forgotten,” dedicated to the people of Puerto Rico suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and “Home,” inspired by the devastating stories of families torn apart on the southern border.
A multi-instrumentalist who plays piano, bass, guitar, violin, and ukulele, Ava began performing at age four and writing songs at age five. She performed on the national tours of Les Misérables and White Christmas before joining the original cast of Broadway’s School of Rock, and has been featured on Good Morning America, Sesame Street, the Tony Awards, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and more. Ava has performed at the Sundance Film Festival, the Great South Bay Music Festival, the New York Tennis Open, and at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 Knicks fans, as well as at My Father’s Place in Roslyn, New York, and in front of a sold-out crowd at NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall. Most recently Ava was featured on the soundtrack for Secondhand Lions: A New Musical, and also launched “Talking Tunes with Ava Della Pietra,” a new music column with Teen Kid News, where she is reviewing popular hits.
A supporter of both local and national charitable organizations, Ava is dedicated to advocating for young people, inspiring others to believe in themselves and follow their dreams. For more information on Ava Della Pietra, please visit https://www.avadellapietra.com/
Photo by Tom Caruso
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport has extended its very popular Bright Lights event for an additional five nights before and after Christmas.
The Museum will welcome visitors on Dec. 22, 23, 27, 29 and 30. Tickets can be purchased for admission at 5, 6 or 7 p.m.
Evenings include holiday lights, themed light-up displays and classic holiday songs playing throughout the estate. (No costumed actors will participate.) Hot pretzels will be available for purchase.
Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director of the Vanderbilt Museum, said, “We’re excited to offer more evenings of our festive Bright Lights celebration. The decorated Estate grounds are a winter wonderland with family fun for all.”
The Vanderbilt Mansion walkways, courtyard and gardens are decorated for the season. The Museum is presenting the event in collaboration with Redmax Events. The initial weeks of the event were a fundraiser (with higher ticket prices) for the Museum and included Santa Claus and various friends portrayed by costumed actors, as well as vendors of foods and gift items, and a performance of The Nutcracker by the Posey School of Dance of Northport.
The extended evenings of Bright Lights are a public holiday event and do not include Santa and friends, vendors, or The Nutcracker. Admission for these evenings, for all ages: $5 for members, $8 for non-members, children under 2, free.
For everyone’s safety, all visitors must adhere strictly to all current public health and safety guidelines and practices, including social distancing. All guests must wear a mask when unable to maintain six feet of social distance.
To purchase tickets, please visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org
Stony Brook Christian Assembly at 400 Nicolls Road, East Setauket, hosted its 12th annual free live nativity event, a tradition that brings well over a thousand people to the church.
Compared to other events that have had to change to being COVID-friendly in the pandemic age, the Drive Through Live Nativity has always been a first. Since its inception more than a decade ago, it allows families to go back in time to witness the scenes of Bethlehem and experience the true meaning of Christmas firsthand.
“Christmas kind of gets lost during the holiday season,” the Rev. Troy Reid said. “It’s nice to be reminded, take a breath, a pause and really remember its true meaning.”
The event starts off with cars waiting in line down Route 347 to head into the event’s seven scenes. Four at a time, the cars drive up the south driveway where people meet a crazy professor who tells them they’re going to teleport into the past and witness something great.
Families drive through the first station, watch a short film about the birth of Jesus and then are “shot back in time” to B.C. Bethlehem to follow Joseph and Mary’s journey, and the birth of her son.
Reid said that in each scene, the actors talk and interact with visitors in the cars who watch the mini play.
“More than 50 people help make this happen,” he said.
Heidi Reid, the pastor’s wife, said those 50 people are church volunteers.
“Our church is relatively small, so it’s cool that such a small church can pull this off,” she said, adding that the volunteers begin setting up the scenes in October.
The Rev. Reid said that they host four live nativities the first two weekends of December to kick off the holiday season. This year, heavy rain and wind forced the church to cancel the first showing on Saturday, Dec. 5, but the following day more than 600 cars showed up.
“On average we have between 1,800 and 2,000 people visit,” he said.
The last two nights, Dec. 11 and 12, had hundreds of people smiling in their cars as they stopped at the last scene, the Holy Land, to say “Happy Birthday” to baby Jesus.
Comsewogue Public Library, along with Elwood-based culinary school The Baking Coach, hosted a special Hot Chocolate and Cookies to Go! event Friday, Dec. 11. Staff delighted in how the event brought joy to the members and visitors who took part.
“I saw a lot of ‘smiling eyes’ that day,” said Adult Services Librarian Jennifer Quirk-Senyk, referring to the fact that all were wearing masks. “And so many people expressed their sincere thanks and said things like, ‘what a great idea.’”
This event was planned by library staff to be as pandemic-safe as possible. Participants practiced social distancing while picking up their goodies. Nothing was consumed on premises and everything was packaged to go. The hot chocolate part of the giveaway was “add your own hot water at home” but definitely included the marshmallows. The delicious, individually-wrapped iced snowman cookies were made by The Baking Coach, as were the hot chocolate cup and contents ensembles. To add to the fun, the Library gave out a limited number of Snickerdoodle baking kits to those who visited between the hours of 2 and 4:30 p.m., while supplies lasted.
To find out about more of the Library’s programs and services, visit www.cplib.org or call 631-928-1212.
By Deniz Yildirim
It’s safe to say that many of us are looking forward to the end of 2020, no one more so than teachers. Last school year was disrupted by COVID-19 and this school year had a challenging start for the same reason. Teachers had to think outside of the box to reinvent every part of their day to accommodate safe practices like social distancing; could you imagine story time without gathering your class on a carpet or learning your students names without seeing their faces?
Despite all of these challenges, Comsewogue schools are making it work, and are creating some much needed cheer for the holidays. For the past six years Terryville Road Elementary School has hosted a door decorating contest and produced some truly genius and show stopping doors. Since classes have been split into two groups, the obvious theme was “We are seperate together.” This year students worked “together” to decorate pieces which they applied to the door. With the help of teachers and aids, classes created delightful and creative doors like Jackie Dunn’s 4th grade class. They decorated both doors and included the space between them to make a mountain landscape with a zipline which students are riding into each others’ room.
Even virtual students were able to participate. Annemarie Sciove, the Terryville elementary principal, compiled pictures of finished school doors and included pictures from virtual students which was then presented to the school during an in school virtual assembly.
“It’s very important to remember we are together even if we can’t see each other.” Sciove said.
In keeping with that mindset, the school donated over $1,000 to families in need during this difficult time. Superintendent Jennifer Quinn makes a point to visit every school during this hectic time and this year her nephew has joined the Terryville family. She said, “Terryville never ceases to amaze me! The doors are a visual representation of what we are doing with our hearts.”
By Barbara Beltrami
If you haven’t wanted to go into crowded stores because of COVID-19, you’ve gotten so frustrated with the internet or items being out of stock that you’re ready to throw your computer out the window or you’re at your wits’ end trying to think of gifts that will say you’re thinking of those you can’t be with, take heart. It’s not too late to tie on your apron and make some gifts in your kitchen. Here are a few ideas and recipes for cooking some favorites, putting them in sealed, sterilized jars and processing them in a boiling water bath. Make your own labels or have the spouse or the kids help you, wrap the jars in cellophane and tie with a pretty bow. Go ahead, do it and delight friends, neighbors or family.
Pepper Relish
YIELD: Makes about 5 half-pint jars
INGREDIENTS:
9 or 10 medium bell peppers (assorted colors)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 packet Certo liquid pectin
DIRECTIONS:
Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water or dishwasher. Cut peppers open and discard seeds, then chop very finely. Drain and press out about half the juice. Measure two cups of peppers and juice into a large saucepan; add vinegar and stir. Add pectin to peppers and mix well. Place over high heat; stir mixture till it comes to a full rolling boil. Stir in sugar immediately, then boil hard one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
With metal cooking spoon, skim off foam, then ladle quickly into jars, leaving 1/8 inch on top. With wet paper towel wipe rims and threads of jar, place dome lids on top, then screw on lid rings, but not too tightly as heat will cause them to expand. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Upon removal or shortly thereafter you will hear lids pop which means a vacuum seal has been achieved Sometimes a firm tap with your finger will nudge the lids that haven’t popped. (If they don’t pop and there is no slight depression in the center of the lid, they have failed to seal. Refrigerate them and use them within one to two weeks if this happens.) When cool enough to handle moderately tighten rings on all jars.Let cool, then affix labels. Suggested serving: with cold cuts, hamburgers, cold sliced meat or meat loaf.
Peach Chutney
YIELD: Makes 6 half-pint jars
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound brown sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup shredded fresh peeled ginger root
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
3 pounds peaches, washed, pitted and chopped
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot combine the sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. Heat to a rolling boil; stir constantly. Add onions, green pepper and peaches; heat to rolling boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until very thick.
Meanwhile sterilize jars and lids. Ladle chutney into hot jars to within 1/2 inch of tops. With a damp paper towel wipe rims and threads of jars, then put lids and screw bands on. Tighten bands but not hard. Process in boiling water bath 5 to 10 minutes; remove and wait for lids to pop and jars to cool as in recipe above for green pepper relish. Suggested serving: with roasted meat or poultry.
Apple-Pear Jam
YIELD: Makes 4 half-pint jars
INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups pared, cored mashed apples and pears
6 to 6 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 packet Certo liquid pectin
DIRECTIONS:
Sterilize jars and lids. In a very large pot combine all the ingredients except pectin. Over high heat, bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard one minute; immediately remove from heat and stir in pectin. Stir and skim for 5 minutes. Ladle into hot jars within 1/8 inch from the top. With damp paper towel, wipe tops and threads of jars. Put lids and screw bands on jars and tighten but not hard. Process in boiling water bath for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove, wait for lids to pop and jars to cool as in recipe for pepper relish above, then affix labels. Suggested serving: with toast, croissants, English muffins or scones.
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