Hycroft for the Holidays Fills a Shaughnessy Mansion

The house, and what is for sale

Hycroft was built between 1909 and 1911 for the businessman and politician Alexander Duncan McRae, and the club says the parties held there, especially the New Year's Eve masquerade balls, were legendary. Later it served as a veterans' convalescent hospital before club members spent years restoring it.

For these four days it fills with handmade gifts from the artisans, pieces by the Hycroft Knitters, holiday decor made from the Hycroft Garden at the McRae Shoppe, and treats from the Coach House Shop, including Hycroft Kitchen Creations.

Thursday night is the one to pick

The opening runs 6pm to 9pm on Thursday. Trumpeter and flautist Gabriel Mark Hasselbach plays jazz in the McRae Lounge from 6pm, and singer Bobby Bacchus takes over at 8pm with pop standards, so a gift run turns into an evening out. Friday and Saturday run 11am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm, with piano, violin and carollers in the Drawing Room and the vintage vocal trio Beauty Shop Dolls on Friday at 3pm.

Tickets are sold on the Eventbrite listing at $22.73 to $28.07, and none are refundable, so settle on your day before you buy.

Making a date of it

A market in a mansion suits a couple who like old houses as much as shopping, and it is a gentle way to start the season together. It is not a quick in-and-out errand: give it an hour, agree on a budget at the door, and try picking one small gift for each other without conferring. For dinner, Delhi 6 on West 7th and Akbar's Own on West Broadway are both about a kilometre away, so eat early before Thursday's 6pm start or go for a late lunch on the weekend.