words by Noor Hindi, photos by Soumaya Hindi
Okay, fine, I admit it. I was probably the jerk kid that told your child Santa isn’t real. I didn’t mean to be such a Grinch; I’m sorry. In my defense though, my parents wouldn’t let me believe in Santa. I was mildly bitter. It was kindergarten. Santa wouldn’t let me choose a gift from his bag. I called him a fake. So I destroyed the hopes and dreams of 15 fragile children during the most wonderful time of the year. No big deal.
Look. I’ve changed since that incident. I love Christmas. No, really, I do. Never mind the whole Muslim thing. Never mind the whole not-believing-Jesus-is-the-son-of-God thing. Trust me, I love Christmas now. Archie the Snowman? Love the dude. Santa? We’re BFFs now. Jesus? He’s okay.
In fact, I like Santa so much that I’ve compiled a list, for you, of the top 10 weird and quirky gifts you should buy this year from Northside Market. Consider it my apology.
And remember: The only thing better than Santa is shopping small businesses. Also, Happy Holidays. Joking. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
1. leaf. $20
2. Taylor Soap CO, Handmade Artisan Soap. $8.99
3. Urban Buzz. $22
4. Native. $35
5. Dirty River Bicycle Works. $184
6. Tiny Circuits. $49.95
7. Rubber City Clothing. $1.25
8. leaf. $50
9. Rubber City Clothing. $39.99
10. sweet bean | small batch candies. Four pieces, $8, Twelve pieces, $24
For a full list of Northside Marketplace vendors, visit downtownakron.com/go/northside-marketplace.
Featured photo courtesy of Northside Marketplace.