This holiday season, why not branch out from a bottle of Cab or a plate of Christmas cookies and offer a unique Vermont-made gift to your holiday party host? I’ve collected some of my favorite made-in-Vermont items, from gifts for the home to nibbles, noshes and libations. During the holiday season, I’m always more excited to give than receive … say thank you with something locally made this year. And if you’re not feeling particularly inventive, opt for a bottle of Vermont-made wine or some local craft beer to say thank you!

Items for the Home

A Cheese Knife, Coffee Scoop, Measuring Spoons or Christmas Ornament from Danforth Pewter, Middlebury, Vermont: danforthpewter.com
Danforth Pewter makes handcrafted pewter gifts perfect for any occasion, from weddings to baby showers, but they also have some nice smaller items for hostess holiday gifts. Consider buying a Danforth cheese knife ($34-$49) for the hostess who is always entertaining and loves crafting a good cheese plate, a Danforth coffee scoop ($36) for the host who might be a bit of a coffee snob or a set of Danforth measuring spoons ($85) for the baker. Looking for something a bit less expensive? A Danforth Christmas ornament ($17 – $29) attached to a bottle of vino would help personalize your gift.

A Cutting Board from Vermont Farm Table: vermontfarmtable.com
If you dine out in Vermont, you’re sure to come across something made by Vermont Farm Table. Their tables, bar stools and cutting boards seem to be popping up around the state from American Flatbread – Middlebury Hearth to the Skinny Pancake at the Burlington Airport. Your hostess would be lucky to receive one of their gorgeous wooden boards. Their most popular board, Server 13 ($44), is versatile and could be used for cheese, finger-food appetizers or as an everyday cutting board, or pair their Quick Board ($18), a smaller, inexpensive cutting board with their natural-fiber, Ethiopian cotton Hand Towels ($28).

Vermont Life Wall Calendar, Williston, Vermont: vermontlifecatalog.com
The wall calendars made by Vermont Life Magazine serve as a helpful reminder of just how beautiful Vermont is when the snow has become a bit much to handle and we’re destined for a sloppy mud season. The Classic Vermont Life Wall Calendar ($15) includes quintessential Vermont vistas: red barns against snowy backdrops, fuzzy cows, fall foliage, colorful sunsets taken from mountain peaks, etc. Any Vermont-lover (Vermonter or not) will appreciate it. Is your host or hostess an art lover? Buy the Vermont Life Sabra Field Calendar ($18) with twelve scenic prints from one of Vermont’s most popular artists. There’s also the Vermont Life Fish and Wildlife Calendar ($12) for the outdoorsman host or hostess full of vivid images of moose, loons, bobcats and deer.

Farmhouse Pottery, Woodstock, Vermont: farmhousepottery.com
We visited Farmhouse Pottery in Woodstock this summer, and I fell hard for their beautifully rustic and simple designs. Farmhouse Pottery’s goal is to inspire giving: “A gift is an extension of the giver’s personality and values they want to share with others. We offer a place for people to get inspired, discover and give.” Consider their Milk Bottle Match Striker ($36) for a hostess who loves to curl up by the fire or the Vermont Maple Syrup & Silo Pitcher ($80) for a gift that highlights one of Vermont’s best products. Have a phone-obsessed friend? I love Farmhouse’s Wax Canvas Dipped iPhone Pouch ($36), which is hand-cut and sewn in Vermont). All pottery from Farmhouse is made to order, so place your order early!

The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook, Shelburne, Vermont: eatingwell.com
I might be a tad biased as I was lucky to sample most of these recipes when they were being developed in the Test Kitchen at EatingWell’s headquarters in Shelburne, but the Simple Art of EatingWell ($29.95) is the only cookbook your foodie host or hostess will need. With over 400 recipes, this bible for healthy cooking is full of inspiration for eating well in the new year. Want to give your host a gift that keeps on giving? You can purchase a year-long subscription to EatingWell magazine for $9.99. Chances are the recipient might not even realize EatingWell is a lovingly crafted magazine in Vermont!

Tasty Treats: Nibbles, Noshes and Libations

Triple Nut Butters from the Nutty Vermonter: thenuttyvermonter.com
The Nutty Vermonter’s gourmet, small-batch nut butters are one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. In our house, the nut butter gets eaten by the spoonful—too good to share with a piece of toast. Try the Maple & Cinnamon Nut Butter ($9) paired with a pack of Maple & Cinnamon Almonds, Cashew and Peanuts ($6); just make sure your hostess (and your family!) don’t have any nut allergies. If you can’t find the Nutty Vermonter at a local farmers’ market in Burlington or Stowe, you can buy online.

WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, Shoreham, Vermont: whistlepigwhiskey.com
Okay, okay – WhistlePig might not actually be made in Vermont but it is aged here, so it still counts. Give your host or hostess a bottle of 100% rye, 100 proof, 10-year WhistlePig whiskey (~$69) if they’re hosting a swanky holiday party. If you want something even more special, give a bottle of 2013 Boss Hog 100% rye, 134 proof, 12.5-year whiskey (~$150). Just make sure you’re there when they open it for a sip of the delightfully smooth and balanced yet spicy rye. It’s worth the investment.

Laughing Moon Chocolates, Stowe, Vermont: laughingmoonchocolates.com
Who doesn’t love chocolate, especially carefully crafted dark chocolate salted caramels? There are plenty of chocolatiers in Vermont to choose from (from Daily Chocolate in Vergennes to the readily accessible Lake Champlain Chocolates) for a hostess gift, but the holiday packaging on this Salted Caramel Star Box ($16) looks festive and inviting, as does their Peppermint Bark at only $8 for a quarter pound of layered dark and white chocolate with peppermint stick crumbles.

Nutty Steph’s Granola & Magic Chunks, Middlesex, Vermont: nuttystephs.com
Give your host something to enjoy the morning after her holiday shindig. We discovered Nutty Steph’s this summer and have gone through an embarrassing amount of her Original Vermont Granola ($15), complete with a healthy dose of sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, and just the right amount of cinnamon spice and Vermont maple syrup. For a treat a tad more sinful, give Nutty Steph’s Original Magic Chunks, clusters of nutty granola coated in dark chocolate. Have gluten-free friends? Steph’s granola and magic chunks are all available as gluten-free variations.

Organic, Fair-Trade Coffee from Vermont Coffee Company®, Middlebury, Vermont: vermontcoffeecompany.com
A big, bold cup of coffee is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Vermont Coffee Company® is a small-town roaster in Middlebury that is all about relationships; their motto is “Coffee Roasted for Friends,” knowing that “coffee is a social stimulus that brings people together.” A pound of Vermont Coffee Company®’s Dark Roast ($10.49) or Tres from their Viva Cafe Dominicano line ($10.49), a full-bodied roast with hints of cocoa, would put a definite pep in your hostess’s step.

Vermont Ice Maple Crème Liqueur from Boyden Valley Winery & Spirits, Cambridge, Vermont:
Everyone has one… a friend or family member who can’t get enough Bailey’s. Boyden Valley’s Vermont Ice Maple Crème Liqueur is a smoother, more flavorful version of Bailey’s, enhanced with Vermont maple syrup and apple brandy from Vermont apples. Rather than supporting a big brand, support the family of four generations in the Lamoille River Family in Vermont who taps 100 acres of maple trees to give this delicious digestif it’s maple flavor. Boyden Vallery Spirits are the first craft distilled company in the US to specialize in cream liqueurs. Pour over a bit of ice and you’ll have the smooth and tasty ending to your holiday gathering.

Have other Vermont-made gift suggestions? Send me an email with a suggestion for a future post!