Those in the habit of blasting through their holiday gift list at the mall might find that holiday shopping in Harvard and surrounding towns offers a more leisurely experience, one that actually allows the senses to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the holiday season. And you don’t have to travel far to find a surprising array of gift ideas.
In Harvard, Westward Orchards offers Christmas trees and wreaths outside and inside, the cozy farm store features a diverse mix of country-style gifts, stocking stuffers, and baked goods. Wood-look resin sheep and snowmen, and miniature kitchen tools are among the many ornaments that adorn miniature Christmas trees throughout the store, and a Christmas train that runs around the store on a track mounted on overhead beams adds to the holiday feel of the place. For the cook on your gift list, there are cookbooks, stoneware mixing bowls, and brightly colored dishes. For holiday hostesses, there are scented votive candles, hand-dipped tapers and note cards boasting country themes. There are even toys and trinkets for the children, including locally made wooden train sets. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through the end of December, except for Christmas Eve, when it closes at 3 p.m., and Christmas Day and the day after, when it is closed.
 |
| In addition to exotic knitting, crocheting, and weaving materials, The Fiber Loft sells many unique finished products. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz) |
For the fiber hobbyist on your gift list,
The Fiber Loft in the center of Harvard offers all manner of supplies for knitting, felting, weaving, and spinning, including books, looms, spinning wheels, and crochet hooks and knitting needles in every size. There are kits for children and adults alike, including an all-inclusive spinning kit with a drop spindle. Store owner Reba Maisel said the staff will even custom-make kits upon request. The store has a surprising variety of yarns—nubby, hairy, furry, shiny—in just about any color imaginable, and to accessorize sweaters and vests, it has an extensive collection of buttons and clasps. The store also carries hand-woven, knitted, and crocheted items made by Maisel and her staff. These will be featured at the store’s open house Sunday, Dec. 16, from 1 to 4 p.m., along with creations by Sharon Chandler (and refreshments by Chef Paul).
Fruitlands Museum has a gift shop stocked with an assortment of items that capture the spirit of the museum: Native American silver jewelry, CDs of Shaker music, early American games and books for children. The shop, which also carries jams and jellies, candles, porcelain, silk scarves and estate-style jewelry, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 23.
For those not intent on giving something shiny and new shipped in from China this year, Treasures in the Attic on Ayer Road offers interesting alternatives, in the form of antiques and pre-owned furnishings. The inventory in this consignment shop is constantly changing, but shoppers are apt to find anything from antique bottles, crocks, and jugs to estate jewelry, china, glassware, dolls, antique furniture, and assorted retro décor. The store is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Shoppers too busy with shopping to think about cookies and pies can find help at Abbe Alpert’s Gingersnap Bakery. Alpert takes orders for a whole line of holiday goodies, including decorated cookies, gingersnaps, and pies to tempt the strictest dieter, including maple pumpkin and bourbon pecan. Alpert said that orders for Christmas should be placed by Dec. 21—and the sooner the better. Orders can be called in at 978-456-6892 or by e-mail at abbealpert@charter.net.
There are several holiday shopping opportunities that can be found along the byways of nearby Bolton, including places to buy Christmas trees, for those who didn’t put one up the day after Thanksgiving.
At the east end of Route 117 is Bolton Spring Farm, which not only sells Christmas trees, wreaths, roping, and kissing balls outside, but also draws shoppers inside with the scent of hot mulled cider and freshly-made apple dumplings wafting in the breeze. Inside, shoppers can shake off the wintry chill with hot cider or coffee, sample the dumplings and other goodies from the bakery, and explore the Christmas shop, which is decked with ornaments, Santa and snowman figurines, and scented Yankee candles. The store is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of December, except for Christmas Day and an early closing on Christmas Eve.
Further west on Route 117 is Great Brook Farms, a garden center with a gift store and an inviting sandwich shop. The garden center offers Christmas greenery, while inside, the store is bright with poinsettias and miniature trees sporting twinkling glass ornaments. The shelves are stocked with a variety of Smith and Hawken home accents, Stonewall Kitchen lotions and soaps, and more. The store is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nashoba Valley Winery, just off Route 117 on Wattaquadock Hill Road, is a wine connoisseur’s delight. It offers more than a dozen varieties of fruit wines and all manner of wine paraphernalia, such as ice buckets, wine racks, corkscrews, wine glasses, and wine bags. In addition, it sells an assortment of fruit brandies and at least three kinds of micro-brewed beers, including the current seasonal offering, “Imperial Stout.” The store also sells a variety of “go-withs,” including private-label condiments such as smoky mozzarella bread spread and roasted tomato-basil bread dipper, and assorted Stonewall Kitchen condiments and jams. In an effort to support local artisans, the store also features hand-crafted goods such as pottery, jewelry, soaps, note cards, and wooden pens made by members of the Bolton Artisans Guild.
There are a number of shopping opportunities in Clinton, but one of the most unique is at Sunrise Boutique, a cozy shop on High Street filled with an eclectic mix of women’s clothing, jewelry, handbags, New Age accessories, trinkets for children, and more. Those wishing to make a statement at upcoming holiday fêtes can choose from among the colorful, flowing dresses and crinkly “broomstick” skirts from India, as well as the one-of-a-kind capes and fringed shawls. For a more casual look, the shop offers a variety of jeans, and cotton blouses from Indonesia, along with sweaters made in Peru and a collection of shoes, slip-ons, and clogs from Israel. Shop owner Cynthia Cannon says the alpaca socks have been “flying off the shelves.”
And to go with that special outfit there is an impressive array of jewelry from which to select, including gold jewelry accented with precious stones and a huge collection of silver, in designs you won’t find at the mall. For New Age practitioners there is an assortment of Buddhist and Hindu religious figurines—Buddha, Quan Yin, and Ganesh—along with many choices of incense and incense holders, meditation balls, aromatherapy candles, and more. The store is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A few doors down the street from Sunrise, shoppers interested in celebrating the home team or memorializing a favorite saying can check out Corner Sports Embroidery, one of the leading embroidery companies in Central Massachusetts, which carries a wide variety of imprintable apparel. The store is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For those seeking a bit o’ the Irish, The Tinker’s Cart on Main Street offers all manner of gifts from the Emerald Isle, including men’s and women’s apparel, jewelry, home décor and more. The store is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
And for those still considering their gift-giving options—there are only 10 more shopping days until Christmas.