Housewarming gift for a friend in Burlington, VT?
October 1, 2015 9:45 AM Subscribe
A friend of mine, a woman in her late fifties, just moved from NJ to Burlington VT, post-divorce. What might she like or need in her new home? Should I just get 50 lbs of road salt, or can anyone come up with something better?
Best answer: Gift certificate to:
City Market, the co-op(ish) natural foods store downtown
Farmhouse Tap and Grill - delicious food and drinks
Pho Dang - Vietnamese restaurant in the old north end
Some type of membership to the Flynn theater or Burlington City Arts
A car scraper with attached mitten
posted by pintapicasso at 10:26 AM on October 1, 2015
City Market, the co-op(ish) natural foods store downtown
Farmhouse Tap and Grill - delicious food and drinks
Pho Dang - Vietnamese restaurant in the old north end
Some type of membership to the Flynn theater or Burlington City Arts
A car scraper with attached mitten
posted by pintapicasso at 10:26 AM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: Do you know what kind of house/heating she has? Some practical winter things for the house:
-good waterproof boot-mat for indoors
-ceramic humidifier dish for the top of the wood stove
-If it's an old house, maybe some of those long beanbag things that seal the space under a door to prevent drafts
-down comforter, warm throw-blanket for the couch, etc
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:34 AM on October 1, 2015
-good waterproof boot-mat for indoors
-ceramic humidifier dish for the top of the wood stove
-If it's an old house, maybe some of those long beanbag things that seal the space under a door to prevent drafts
-down comforter, warm throw-blanket for the couch, etc
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:34 AM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: Yaktrax things for shoes. A Fuck This ice scraper. Gift card to City Market or Farmhouse. Floor mats for her car. A broom/scraper for sweeping ice/snow off of her car. ELECTRIC MATTRESS PAD WARMER THING. All of those have been gifted to me and I have appreciated them.
posted by jessamyn at 10:48 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 10:48 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Electric blanket! Winter is coming. SUCH a good gift that is much more luxurious and appealing than you'd think. Best $50-100 you can spend in a cold climate, plus they make sleeping alone much more pleasant.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:03 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:03 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If it's Burlington proper, snow's less of an issue than other places in Vermont, but the wind can be atrocious. Warm things definitely welcome.
I like the idea of a membership to something. Shelburne Farms is ideal- the opportunity to immerse yourself in that place whenever you feel like it is an incredible luxury. Shelburne Museum would also be grand. The permanent collection is excellent (and huge, so it's nice to be able to go back freely to explore) and they do a fine job with exhibits. The Lane Series at UVM has full and partial subscriptions and really good shows in an intimate recital hall. Same with the Flynn Center.
Also nthing a gift certificate to City Market, and high quality ice scrapers.
posted by GodricVT at 12:38 PM on October 1, 2015
I like the idea of a membership to something. Shelburne Farms is ideal- the opportunity to immerse yourself in that place whenever you feel like it is an incredible luxury. Shelburne Museum would also be grand. The permanent collection is excellent (and huge, so it's nice to be able to go back freely to explore) and they do a fine job with exhibits. The Lane Series at UVM has full and partial subscriptions and really good shows in an intimate recital hall. Same with the Flynn Center.
Also nthing a gift certificate to City Market, and high quality ice scrapers.
posted by GodricVT at 12:38 PM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: A good ice scraper - I give these as gifts; they are awesome for windshield ice. Maybe a bucket for the car with - *ice scraper, *small shovel (which won't fit in the bucket), *cig. lighter flashlight, *hand warmers, *granola bars, *traction mats, *spare fleece hat, gloves & socks, spare fleece *vest/ pullover, *fix-a-flat, *USB backup storage battery for phone, blaze orange HELP sign. I have accumulated this stuff over time (from scrounging and thrift shops) and do keep it in my car in winter, and have been very happy to have this stuff in the car. Odds of being stranded for more than a short while are quite low. Odds of getting stuck in snow, or going off the road in ice, or having to shovel out of a parking space after a plow goes by are very high. Having dry socks to put on, having a spare set of gloves can make a crappy day more bearable. I have used every item I listed.
I also love my electric blanket, which I use to pre-heat the bed, and down comforter, which makes pre-heating the bed almost unneccessary.
Good insulated boots are not cheap, but make winter far more bearable. Classic Bean boots are popular right now, but not my faves. Even lighter insulated boots or sneakers are pretty decent. Related: smartwool socks, warm but not itchy. Fleece 'socks' which I rarely wear with shoes, but wear as slippers or to bed, are quite nice. Fleece is warm, comfy, works well even if wet. When I go out in winter, most Mainers I see are wearing lots of fleece. Actually, that's true indoors, too.
posted by theora55 at 1:09 PM on October 1, 2015
I also love my electric blanket, which I use to pre-heat the bed, and down comforter, which makes pre-heating the bed almost unneccessary.
Good insulated boots are not cheap, but make winter far more bearable. Classic Bean boots are popular right now, but not my faves. Even lighter insulated boots or sneakers are pretty decent. Related: smartwool socks, warm but not itchy. Fleece 'socks' which I rarely wear with shoes, but wear as slippers or to bed, are quite nice. Fleece is warm, comfy, works well even if wet. When I go out in winter, most Mainers I see are wearing lots of fleece. Actually, that's true indoors, too.
posted by theora55 at 1:09 PM on October 1, 2015
As housewarming gifts go, giving a pig figurine (a pigurine?) is a wish for prosperity.
posted by workerant at 4:08 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by workerant at 4:08 PM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: This year's Buy Local coupon book just came out from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Great deals on top of a good incentive to get out and explore the area. You may need a local to do the pick-up and delivery, message if you'll need help with that.
posted by meinvt at 8:04 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by meinvt at 8:04 PM on October 1, 2015
Response by poster: I looked for the ice scraper mitt and saw some nice ones online, but they aren't available yet near me. We bought some of her favorite coffee from a local coffee shop here in NJ and some wine and chocolate. We got to Burlington yesterday, and today in the Peace and Justice Store, I bought the Buy Local coupon book. We also visited Sherburne Farms today and I can see why a membership would have been a great gift too.
Thanks, everyone, for all the great cold weather gift ideas.
posted by islandeady at 2:49 PM on October 3, 2015
Thanks, everyone, for all the great cold weather gift ideas.
posted by islandeady at 2:49 PM on October 3, 2015
She’s from New Jersey… ask friends of hers to send a good pork roll to BTV every month or so.
posted by terrapin at 12:18 PM on October 6, 2015
posted by terrapin at 12:18 PM on October 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dayintoday at 10:13 AM on October 1, 2015