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Local Holiday Gift Ideas From the Berkshires…And Beyond

Published on November 28, 2014 By Emily. Updated on November 28, 2014

Last year’s gift guide featured kitchen products, but this year I wanted to focus on some of the great local brands and products I’ve discovered right here in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.  I enjoy keeping my money local whenever possible and I’ve been doing my best to purchase gifts from local vendors and independent retailers.  As I know Berkshire area gifts don’t make sense for many of my readers, I’ve grouped the ideas by category with links to Berkshire specific options; the overall category ideas should work for local gift giving no matter where you live.  Also, it goes without saying that my local recommendations are by no means complete, I’m just sharing some of my favorites.  Feel free to share your favorite Berkshire gift ideas in the comments below.

relishments local gift guide

Local Art

“Art” can be a lot of things and be found at a lot of different places.  In my area, we’re lucky to have stores that carry locally made products, as well as holiday farmers markets and consignment shops that make these items fairly easily accessible.  In addition, most of the businesses listed below have online stores you can order from, no matter where you live.

In the Berkshires:  MVB Printmaking and Book Binding, Amrita Lash Pottery, Moho Designs hand-screened apparel, Blue Q, The Petal Collection fabric poppy flowers, KnitSquid Fiber Arts, Alice Eyes Design Company jewelry

Local foods

This can be interpreted a million different ways, but I think that packaged, preserved goods make the best gifts.  It gives the recipients the opportunity to use the product whenever they’re ready and makes them easier to store.

In the Berkshires: Berkshire Bark Chocolate, Hosta Hill fermented foods, Assembly Coffee Roasters, Ooma Tesoro’s marinara sauce, Hoosick Hickory, Battenkill Brittle, Fire Cider

Memberships or Tickets to Local Museums, Theatres or Music Venues

I’m a big fan of local venues in all aspects of the arts.  In my life, there seem to be two groups of people: those who never take advantage of the opportunities in their own town and those who attend an incredible number of performances and the like each year.  Memberships or tickets are the perfect local gift for people in either of those categories.

In the Berkshires:  The Norman Rockwell Museum, Mass MoCA, The Clark Art Museum, The Berkshire Museum, The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, Barrington Stage Company, Tanglewood, Shakespeare and Company

Alcohol

Local brews are hugely popular at the moment.  It seems like anywhere you go there are local breweries and distilleries with unique and delicious drinks available.  Local beverages make great host gifts.

In the Berkshires: Big Elm Brewery, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Berkshire Brewing Company, Balderdash Cellars, Glass Bottom Brewery, Furnace Brook Winery

Magazines

Many states, counties and cities now have their own magazines.  A great way to help people connect with their communities is to provide them with a magazine about a place they live or love.

In the Berkshires:  Berkshire Magazine, Orion Magazine, Edible Berkshires (there are Edible publication for many different regions)

Happy holiday shopping!

Related Posts

My 7 Favorite Recipes for Cookie Swapping
Highlights: Gift Guides 2013
Twosday XXIX: Looking Toward Christmas
Earl Grey Shortbread – My Cookie Swap Go To
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Filed Under: products Tagged With: Christmas, gifts

« Happy Thanksgiving! (CSA Menu Plan #17)
Highlights: 2014 Gift Guides »

Comments

  1. Michael Vincent Bushy says

    December 1, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    Thanks for the shout-out, Emily. You’ve put a great list together here!

Welcome!

photo of EmilyWelcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

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I’m just a girl who loves to cook and eat. This site is not a source for nutritional information.

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Emily
Spring has finally come to the Berkshires! It has Spring has finally come to the Berkshires!
It has been such a joy to finally spend time outside regularly and see everything in bloom.

I bought myself a bike and, after the initial adjustment of learning how to ride again after a nearly 25 year hiatus, it's become one of my favorite ways to experience the outdoors. (None of these photos was taken while riding. I barely stay upright with both hands on the bike.)
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AshwillticookRailTrail
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
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