All Over Albany

Holiday gifts: Rachel Person

Gifts and giving are on most everyone's mind this month. So we thought we'd ask a few people to share some thoughts on presents, past and present.

Today's gift giver is Rachel Person.

Rachel is the events and community outreach Coordinator at Northshire Books in Saratoga. Rachel is an Albany High Alum who spent six years working at Symphony Space in New York City as the Associate Director of the NPR program Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story. Today she's the Events and Community Outreach Coordinator at Northshire Books in Saratoga.

What gift would you like to receive this season?

This is the hardest question! Trying to think of an answer I'm realizing that I must be one of those annoying people who is really hard to shop for. Ultimately, what I covet most right now is time off -- an art class or a weekend away -- anything that would be a short respite from responsibility.

What gift would you like to give?

Most years I wind up having one book that I give to more than one person on my list -- because it blew me away and I think everyone should read it. This year that's going to be The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. It's coming out in paperback soon, but I splurged on a few hardcovers. (They're gorgeous, and my staff discount comes in very handy!)

I'm also in the market for gadgets that will make travel easier. My husband travels a lot for work, and anything that can make that easier for him is something I want to buy.

What charity would you like to support?

Among others I'll be supporting is Wellspring, which is the new name of Domestic Violence Rape Crisis of Saratoga County. They do incredible -- and vital -- work on a tiny budget.

What was your most memorable holiday gift from childhood?

A dollhouse modeled after a big old Victorian house. It was a raw frame of the house, with lots of work left to be done. I remember spending a lot of time after I got it painting and wallpapering, adding trim, putting on roof shingles, even building the porch. I loved doing that.
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More holiday gifts:
+ Brandon Jones
+ Katie O'Malley Maloney
+ Elizabeth Zunon
+ Sean Rowe
+ Heather LaVine
+ Lecco Morris