Where to shop
Here are the gift shops mentioned in our story that carry religious gifts for the holidays and year-round. It’s best to call ahead for specific hours:
St. Mark Bookshop, 123 E. Third St., Dayton (937) 223-3611, and 895 S. Main St., Centerville, (937) 439-0227
Faith Christian Bookstore, 4 E. Main St., Fairborn, (937) 878-1073
Beth Abraham Synagogue, 305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood, (937) 293-9520
Beth Jacob Synagogue, 7020 N. Main St., Harrison Twp., (937) 274-2149
Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Road, Washington Twp., (937) 435-3400
Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Drive, Dayton, (937) 496-0050
Puzzles Plus, 1273 N. Fairfield Road, Beavercreek, (937) 320-1679
For the right person, a religious gift can be a thoughtful way to mark the holiday season and underscore the true spirit of the celebration.
“In Olde English, Christmas means Christ-Mass, which means a celebration of Christ’s birth,” says Bill Kiefer, owner of St. Mark Bookshop in Centerville and downtown Dayton.
His shops stock a variety of Catholic gifts — from rosaries and crucifixes to Nativity scenes and jewelry. A Bible, he says, is always a lovely gift.
“It’s especially nice for newlyweds because there is a place to record family history,” he explains. His shops carry a wide variety of other religious books, including books for the kids. An Advent calendar makes for a colorful family gift.
Rosary bracelets are extremely popular, says Kiefer, and some are made locally by Kelly Harrison of Centerville, who creates the bracelets out of colorful glass beads.
Lynn Berry has owned Faith Christian Bookstore on Fairborn’s downtown square for decades.
“I think religious gifts tie people to daily life and give them strength for their daily walk as a Christian,” he believes.
Berry says he’s had a “wealth of requests” for the Bible on compact disc and MP3.
Other traditionally popular holiday gifts include daily devotion books, cloth calendars with religious sayings and decorative throws with Bible verses. The shop carries 150 to 200 different Bible cases.
Hanukkah was not traditionally a gift-giving holiday, but has become increasingly so, especially in America. The eight-day holiday began Friday, Dec. 11, at sundown.
“Hanukkah is not just the Jewish Christmas,” reminds Rabbi Judy Chessin of Temple Beth Or. “The Jewish festival’s main focus is maintaining our heritage even when we are a minority culture and even under difficult circumstances. Therefore the real spirit of the Jewish festival is best maintained by celebrating our faith in the nature of the presents we give and the customs we observe.”
Synagogue gift shops are a great place to find Jewish gifts ranging from unusual menorahs and dreidels (little tops spun in a holiday game), to beautiful candles and holiday books that relate the Hanukkah story. In our area, shops include Beth Jacob Synagogue’s in Harrison Twp., Temple Israel’s in Dayton, Beth Abraham’s in Oakwood and Temple Beth Or’s in Kettering.
Keep in mind that for both Hanukkah and Christmas, religious gifts don’t need to be limited to the winter holidays. So, at Hanukkah, for example, other appropriate religious gifts might include Sabbath candlesticks, a seder plate for Passover or a Challah board.
Religious gifts are available at many other locations in town ranging from jewelry shops to bookstores. Puzzles Plus in Beavercreek, for example, stocks 50 puzzles with religious themes and more than 100 Christmas puzzles.
“Some of them are collections of information or events, such as The Miracles of Jesus, The Parables of the Bible and Great Events of the Bible,” says owner Sandy Woodruff. “Others have close-up pictures of Jesus, and there are several of The Last Supper. Some depict people praying or show tranquil settings with churches.
Noah’s Ark puzzles come in all sizes and there’s a 3-D, 96-piece puzzle ball of the ark as well.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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