Jackie Hall, owner of A Rose is A Rose Flower Shop in Cherry Valley, said she will be holding an open house on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. She said the whole village is ``doing it.’’

``It is always very well attended, and it is a good time to start or get ideas for holiday decorating or gift giving,’’ Hall said.

Hall said she will not have a specific item that will be featured for the open house. Instead, she said she will be offering many unique holiday creations and gift items such as snowmen, candles, Santas, and wreaths. Hall said all of the wreaths sold in her shop are made with an assortment of fresh greens, not just the flat balsam as the supermarkets sell. "We also do custom decorating," she said.

``I’m trying to keep things really affordable, because we all know fuel cost is a big issue this year,’’ Hall said.

Shoppers do not have to travel to shop at A Rose is a Rose. They can go online and buy items on the shop’s Web site aroseisaroseflowers.com.

Store hours are Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and many evenings by chance during the holidays.

Every year, the Cooperstown Cookie Company partners with the educational staff of the National Baseball Hall of Fame by participating in their holiday program that features the Pathfinder Village Bell Choir. Pati Drumm Grady, president and founder of the Cookie Company, said her shop offers cookie samples, and displays products at the event. She said it is also a chance for her and her staff to listen to what people have to say about the company.

Recently, the Cookie Company partnered with the Baseball Hall of Fame once again. Grady said the two businesses have teamed up to develop a new series of products under the name, ``Baseball ... anyone can play.’’ She said baseball trivia questions are illustrated on mugs and tee shirts in English, Spanish and Japanese, and profits from sales of the tee shirts and mugs will go to support Pathfinder Village.

``We are excited to be offering some new things this season,’’ Grady said.

Grady said the Cookie Company’s Ballpark Bunt Boxes, which were introduced during the summer, make excellent stocking stuffers or teacher appreciation gifts. The Ballpark Bunt Box is an animal cracker style box that contains nine bite-sized ``Bunt’’ cookies. According to Grady, the box is ``whimsically’’ decorated with a trivia picture find and a write-in scoreboard. The Ballpark Bunt Box is available in classic shortbread and mudville mudball chocolate chip.

Minor League Baseball has just named the Ballpark Bunt Box ``one of the newest and most innovative products in baseball,’’ and will showcase them at the upcoming winter meetings and Baseball Trade Show, the largest annual baseball industry meeting, in Nashville, said Grady.

The company’s holiday gift towers, which combines some of the shop’s most popular products, are also very popular for the holidays, according to Grady.

People can order items from the Cooperstown Cookie Company online at CooperstownCookie.com or Baseballanyonecanplay.com. The Cookie Company is strictly an internet-based business, so hours are 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 365 days a year. Products however are available in a number of local shops in Cooperstown and surrounding areas. A list of retailers appears on the Cookie Company’s Web site. The Cookie Company can ship orders anywhere, said Grady.

Rick Gibbons, of Riverwood on Main Street in Cooperstown, said everything at the shop sells well during the holidays.

This year, the store has lots of very unique and educational items, said Gibbons. He also said the store has lots of new games, puzzles, toys and a possibly robotic sculpture created and produced in Cherry Valley.

Riverwood does have a Web site, but it is new and originally set up to sell bluestone baseball plates, according to Gibbons. He said he will be adding products to riverwoodgifts.com as soon as possible.

Normal store hours are seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but hours will be extended for the holiday shopping season. Call 547-4403 for current hours.

Brewery Ommegang, which is located on County Highway 33 in Cooperstown, will host its annual St. Nik festival on Dec. 8.

The Belgian Santa will arrive at noon along with his side-kick, Zwarte Piet (Black Peter), in a holiday wagon drawn by a pair of magnificent Belgian draft horses.

According to the brewery’s Web site, 100 people come out for the event. The Web site said St. Nik and Black Peter will spend several hours letting kids sit on their laps for pictures, telling folk tales, and entertaining both youngsters and adults. Kids can color pictures, sing songs, enjoy the decorations and marvel at the gingerbread replica of the brewery.

The Web site also said St. Nik will bring food, live music, and gift bags for the kids, and he will oversee the serving of Belgian waffles, Clementines, Belgian Speculoos cookies, hot chocolate, hot cider, and candies.

Adults and kids can ride the brewery grounds on Santa’s wagon. Adults can take brewery tours and enjoy tastings.

Tara Aitchison, store, tour and event director, said the brewery offers gift baskets filled with a selection of Belgian chocolates and some beers for the holidays.

``We have our 19th anniversary Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence stout for sale,’’ said Aitchison. ``This beer is a lush decadent stout with real Belgian chocolate in the brew.’’

The brewery’s Web site is ommegang.com. People can shop on the online store, or call the brewery and place a phone order. Brewery Ommegang is open daily from noon to 5 p.m. It will be closed Christmas day and New Year’s Day.

This weekend, the Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard will hold its third annual Gift Basketing Workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mill gift basket experts will be on hand to provide their skills in creating gifts, according to a press release sent by the Mill. Workshop participants _ "Basketeers" _ can bring their own basket or box to the Mill or can purchase one at the mill. There will be a wide-array of sauces, salsas, marinades and specialty foods to fill baskets with, according to the press release. Basketeers may also bring along items from other local sources or form home in order to personalize a regional basket that will remind someone of home.

"We invite visitors to be creative in their basket ideas. Regional products from our local breweries or a special item from one of our museum shops, plus some flavorful Fly Creek Cider Mill products, will produce a gift that says a lot about all the flavors of the Cooperstown area," said Bill Michaels, co-owner of the Mill.

The workshop cost is limited to only the items purchased, and registration is not required, the press release said.

During the workshop, Basketeers may sample hot holiday wassail, and learn how to make it at home with Fly Creek Cider Mill cider, the press release said.

Wassailing Weekends continue through Dec. 16, when the Mill closes for the season. The Mill is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is located three miles from Cooperstown.

If being at the Cider Mill is a problem, it is possible to make a basket from home, online at www.flycreekcidermill.com. After filling a cart with selected basket items, click the "create-your-own basket" option from the Gift Basket category, and Mill basket experts will create an arrangement from your selections, according to the press release. Use the promo code BUTTER during the gift basket workshop weekend to receive one free jar of apple butter to add to a gift basket.

Additionally, the Cider Mill will offer free UPS Ground Shipping on all baskets of $150 or more created during the workshop at the mill store or on the online store (promo code is BASKET).

The online store will be open year-round.