Connecticut holiday gift guide
Unless you’re that extraordinary person who for months ponders the perfect holiday gifts for your family and friends, you likely could use some ideas right about now. Well, you’ve come to the right place! We spent all year scouring our state for great gifts to suit many tastes, from outdoorsy to indoorsy, practical to sentimental, learning-loving to fun-loving, and everything in between. And unlike other holiday gift guides, our picks have a notable Nutmeg State vibe with many either made in Connecticut, sold here or themed to our state. So enjoy our holiday gift to you!
Home + Garden
Monarch Butterfly Ornament The real thing will be in Mexico, but you can hang this hand-painted, glass-blown ornament from your tree this winter. $24.99, Old World Christmas. The Historical Christmas Barn, Wilton.
Connecticut Melamine Platter A whimsical depiction of the Nutmeg State highlighting major cities and tourist attractions. $32, Galleyware. Blue Star Bazaar, Wilton.
Odonata Box Files Handmade from canvas and wood, these three organizing files fit inside each other and are ideal for desks and shelving. $75, OKA, Westport.
Frida Guest Towel — Featuring scallops of cotton lace trim, these garment-dyed, linen towels are available in 19 colors. $117, Bella Notte Linens. The Linen Shop, New Canaan.
Keepsake Box — Includes a removable lid, select art papers, black walnut trim, and a cherry hardwood bottom. $65, MineHill Woodworks. Brookfield Craft Center.
Dammit Dolls — Forget a stress ball, these fabric dolls are built to withstand lots of slamming against any surface. $13.95, Dammit Dolls. Totally Awesome Goods, Guilford.
Lavender Wand — Handwoven from real lavender, these wands release the sweet scent of lavender when the bulb is gently squeezed. $12, Lyric Hill Farm, Granby.
Funny Blue Bird — Made from fused glass, this artful piece won’t fly the coop. $22, Thomas O’Connell. Spectrum Art Gallery and Store, Centerbrook. spectrumanytime.com
Custom Recipe Plate — Handwritten recipes and photos are fired onto pottery to make a keepsake that is both beautiful and functional. $45 and up, ArtSmith, Somers.
Woven Basket — Made from seagrass and topped with leather handles. $18.95 and up (three sizes), Creative Coop. Black Swan Fireside Hearth & Home, Newtown.
Gear Hooks — Hang coats, purses, hats, dog leashes and more, from these tow hooks, which have random vintage numbered brass tags. Set of 3, $60; set of 5, $85, Urban Wood and Steel, Hamden.
Lunar Eclipse Clock — Made from reclaimed redwood from old wine barrels from Pennsylvania and salvaged white cedar from the Great Dismal Swamp. $38, Nic and the Newfie, Guilford.
Gatsby Billiard Fixture — With a Tiffanystyle, stained-glass display, this four-light fixture adds vintage personality. $895, Z-Lite. Encore Billiards & Gameroom, Milford.
Pot de Creme Hummingbird Feeder — Made from recycled glass with two perches for hummingbirds to feed. $42.99, Par-a-sol. The Bowerbird, Old Lyme.
Ceramic Bell — High fired, made to look like metal, and can be used outdoors. $750, Frank Kara. The Hen’s Nest Gallery, Washington.
Rainbow Pakkawood Spurtle — This laminated hardwood utensil is ideal for scooping, stirring and scraping edges of jars, pots and pans. $13.99, Wilshire Industries. The Spice and Tea Exchange, Guilford and Mystic.
Art, Supplies & Books
The Glass House Coloring Book — Experience Philip Johnson’s modernist home in New Canaan with three dozen black-andwhite illustrations, each with the photo that inspired it. $34.95, Pointed Leaf Press. The Glass House, New Canaan.
Many Queens Tarot Cards — Created to help define a more inclusive definition of femininity, beauty and body image. $50, Lettie Jane Illustration. Mountain Hollow Crystals, Waterford.
Animals Washi Tape — Made from rice paper and featuring fun designs, and can be used for journals, artworks, cards and more crafting purposes. $5—$5.25, Block21Prints, Unionville.
Eames Classic Designs Jigsaw Puzzle — This 1,000-piece Ravensburger puzzle is a masterful montage of Charles and Ray Eames’ mid-century modern design. $25.98, Necker’s Toyland, Simsbury.
LEGO® NASA Apollo Saturn V — Shoot for the moon with this majestic, meter-high brick model with 1,969 pieces (get it?). $119.99, The LEGO Group. The LEGO® Store, West Hartford, Danbury.
New Wave Palette — With a three-point ergonomic design finished in a natural nonporous stain, this board is ready to take all colors. $54.95, New Wave Fine Art Products. De Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Old
Lyme.
Stamp Bugs Stamp Kit — Includes 25 wood-backed rubber stamps and all manner of buggy bits to create your favorite insects. $24.95, Princeton Architectural Press. Sammy + Nat, Ridgefield.
Classic Paperbacks Notebook — This lined journal features artist Richard Baker’s paintings of vintage paperback books from Emily Dickinson to Herman Melville. $18.95, The Mark Twain Store, Hartford.
Bookshelf Books
Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better — Local psychologist Wookyoung Ahn offers strategies to respond to the challenges we face as individuals and in society at large. $28.99, Macmillan. River Bend Bookshop, Glastonbury.
Seasons of the Striper — Lifelong fisherman and author Bill Sisson takes us on a journey to fish the finest striped bass waters along the Atlantic coast. $55, Rizzoli New York. RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison.
Graduate Hotels — A photo collection of boutique hotels in college towns, including New Haven, designed to evoke the glory days of college culture. $55, Rizzoli New York. RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison.
50 Ways To Draw Your Beautiful Ordinary Life: Practical Lessons in Pencil and Paper — Flow magazine illustrators share techniques to teach the creatively curious how to draw. $24.95, Workman Publishing Company. New Britain Museum of American Art Museum Store, New Britain.
Food + Alcohol
Custom Holiday Gift Baskets — Make your own gift basket with many options. Pictured: Grow a Christmas tree kit, soy candle, cinnamon pine cone, apple fritter Soberdough mix, pure maple syrup. $50 and up. Our Green House, Sandy Hook.
Pink Pepperberry and Star Anise — Pink pepperberry comes from the baies rose plant in Brazil, and has a sweet-hot flavor with an exotic edge. 1 oz. $7.89, 4 oz. $29.99, 0.9-oz. shaker $11.99. Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of a small Asian evergreen tree with a strong licorice flavor. 1 oz. $6.29, 4 oz. $23.89. The Spice and Tea Exchange, Guilford and Mystic.
BUDMO! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen — “Cheers!” in Ukrainian, Budmo! Is a fresh approach to traditional Eastern European cuisine. By Anna Voloshyna. $39.95, Rizzoli New York. RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison.
Avocadomania: Everything About Avocados from Aztec Delicacy to Superfood: Recipes, Skincare, Lore, & More — This cookbook from the avocado’s native Mexico celebrates the beloved fruit. By Déborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena. $39.95, Rizzoli New York. Elm Street Books, New Canaan.
Hazelnut Toffee Bites: These bite-size, buttery toffee pieces are covered in chocolate and roasted chopped hazelnuts. Milk or dark chocolate. 8 oz. $17.95, Bridgewater Chocolate. Sweet Pierre’s, Wilton; Bantam Bread, Bantam.
The Honey Connoisseur Tasting Kit —
A deluxe gift box filled with 12 honeys produced from 12 different botanical sources. $75, Red Bee Honey, Weston.
Litchfield Distillery Bottled Cocktail Gift Box — Pick three small-batch, ready-todrink varieties (old fashioned, Manhattan, cosmopolitan and espresso martini) to create a customized gift set. $84.95, Litchfield Distillery, Litchfield.
The Gracious Gourmet
Hatch chile pesto with green roasted peppers, garlic, cilantro and onions. Roasted red pepper artichoke tapenade with sweet red bell peppers, onions, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. Balsamic caramelized onion spread with balsamic vinegar, sugar and a blend of spices. $11.75 each, The Gracious Gourmet, Bridgewater.
Flavored Olive Oil — Condimento Tradizionale is a traditional, 18-year-aged balsamic from Modena Italy. Tuscan Herb is infused with a blend of Italian herbs, sundried tomatoes and garlic. $11 each, Millpress Imports. Nutmeg Olive Oil, New Milford.
Single-Origin Asoprosierra Coffee — Grown and harvested by the Asoprosierra Women’s Collective in Colombia, this fairtrade coffee brings bright notes of chocolate. All sales go to ending forced labor worldwide. $14, Grace Farms, New Canaan.
Jewelry
Peach Blossom Czech Glass Ring — Made from a pale peachy-pink vintage Czech glass button and set in a sterling silver scalloped bezel. Sized to order. $110, Verdilune, Bristol.
Rainbow Sea Glass Bracelet — Sterling silver with 16 multi-colored pieces of aqua, pink, lavender and seafoam green sea glass with mint-colored freshwater pearls and colored beads. $160, Sea Glass Designs, Niantic; Silver Papillon, Mystic.
Amethyst Hoop Earrings — Natural rose-cut gemstones set in sterling silver. $120, Lydia Tucci, Wilton.
Erté La Duchesse double-sided necklace — The front of the pendant depicts a woman with Roman-inspired curls, and the back displays Erté’s distinctive signature. 22K gold leaf. $378, Evocateur. Henry C. Reid & Son Jewelers, Fairfield; Cellini Jewelers, Orange.
Insect Brooches — Handmade and embroidered with glass beads, sequins and coiled wires, and available as a tiger moth, beaded blue dragonfly, and a blue banded bee. $68 each, Trovalore. The Blue Dodo, Hamden.
SUNRISE moonstone & pearl bracelet — A gilded freshwater pearl dangles from this shimmering moonstone stretch bracelet. $48, Carrie Whelan Designs, North Haven.
Pamper
Large Pink Pastel Comb — Made in Italy in a wide-toothed style that detangles and smooths hair. $35, AERIN. Saks Fifth Avenue, Stamford.
Gin & Rosewater Hand Cream — With extracts of Japanese green tea and moisturerich shea butter. 2.3 oz. $22, TokyoMilk. Idiom Boutique, New Haven.
Argan Avocado Face + Body Oil — A lightweight blend of plant-based oils, made in small batches in Colchester. $20, Treefort Naturals, Colchester.
Shave Set — Includes a multicolored ceramic bowl and shave brush made from badger hair. $58, Spiral Arts Studio. Isankofa, Willimantic.
Better Brow Powder and Brush — Finely milled powder can be used wet or dry. Available in four shades. The brush bristles are beveled to assist placement and distribution of color. Powder: $26; brush: $14, TuSay. Pilar BLLaC Beauty Studio, Washington Depot.
Little Bee Body Salve — A blend of natural oils and pure beeswax to soothe and condition skin. $13 each, Little Bee of Connecticut, Southbury.
Matte Red Red Rose Lipstick — Highly pigmented, long-lasting and infused with Vitamin E. Paraben- and gluten-free. $18 each, The Lulu Face Co., Litchfield.
Lifestyles & Accessories
Knit Home Beanie — Cuffed, 100 percent cotton yarn, and available in two patterns. $29.50, The Two Oh Three, Fairfield.
Custom monogrammed clogs — These high-heel clogs come in various leather, suede and felt colors, as well as heel heights and material. $160-plus, Tessa Clogs. Nantucket Monogram, New Canaan.
Collegiate Zip Pouches — Featuring a woven design, and ideal for cash and credit cards, keys, cosmetics and more. $35, catstudio. Splurge, Greenwich.
Slim Card Holder — Made from real leather, and featuring two card slots and a larger pocket for more cards or a few bills. $40, Blackkat Leather, Chester.
Celtic Weave Hair Stick — Sporting a Celtic weave knot made with cotton hard-laid cord. $10, Mystic Knotwork, Mystic.
Van Gogh Starry Night Sheer Scarf — Featuring the master’s most iconic work, this soft scarf is made from polyester. $30, Galleria. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford.
Patches — An assortment of embroidered patches let you send a message:Book Smeller $6.99, Frog & Toad Press; Keep Going $10.99, Culture Flock; In Nature We Trust $7.99, Culture Flock; LGBTQ+ Resist Fist $7.99, gaypin’. Strange Ways, New Haven. strange-ways.com
Big Copper Belt Buckle — Royston ribbon turquoise stone set in repurposed copper with a funky blue green patina. $875, Blupit Jewelry, Clinton.
This article originally appeared in Connecticut Magazine. Follow on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag.