A Craft Fair With Special Seasoning

Consider the word ubiquitous. It’s a funny, seldom-spoken word that describes anything that seems to be everywhere at once. It is, in fact, the definition of holiday craft fairs.

They’re everywhere: in malls, parking lots, even elementary schools. You can’t escape the rows of booths, where cheery elves sell wreaths, plastic Santas, triple-dipped candles.

No, you can’t escape. But if you must browse through holiday craft fairs, at least let us direct you toward one that’s a little different.

For instance, how would you like a piece of jewelry set with Roman glass, unearthed in Israel? What a great conversation starter. You could show your bauble to friends and say, “A drunken, loutish Roman soldier sucked on a wine bottle 2,000 years ago and smashed it to pieces just before he sacked the countryside.”

Maybe your friends wouldn’t like that. You could say, “This glass was carried by Roman traders 2,000 years ago across the vast, hot plains, taken in friendship to faraway tribes.” That would be nice.

Either statement could be true. That’s the nice thing about history: The smallest object can be infused with any one of dozens of meanings. Except a little plastic Santa, which seems to have only one meaning, at most.

It’s doubtful you’ll find any plastic Santas at the Long Beach Jewish Community Center’s 26th annual Gift and Craft Show. And that, quite frankly, is one of the reasons you should go.

You will find painted wooden brooches from Russia, silver jewelry from Israel, batik cloth, decorated jackets, stained glass and other festive items.

Around the Community Center, they refer to this event as the annual Hanukkah Gift and Craft Fair. But for official purposes, they leave off the “Hanukkah,” invite everyone and keep their doors open through Dec. 24, even though Hanukkah begins Wednesday and ends the 16th. That’s friendly.

So if you go to this craft fair and you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, buy a chocolate sucker shaped like a dreidel or a Star of David anyway, slip it in your kid’s stocking and tell him about the way different religions celebrate holidays.

But save the story of the Roman soldier for your friends.

The Long Beach Jewish Community Center is at 3801 E. Willow St. They’re open Sunday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Information: 426-7601.

As for the ubiquitous craft-fair-in-the-parking-lot, you’re on your own. But we hear the wilted mistletoe in shrunken plastic bags is always a big hit with your Aunt Martha.