Gifts that Go Beyond
Dateline: 11/15/98
At some point during this holiday season--perhaps when you're kicking a fellow shopper in the ankle in the race to grab the last Furby or whilst elbowing and jostling for the best of the Beanie Babies--you're bound to pause for a moment and ask yourself, "Is this really what the holiday season is all about?"
When that moment strikes... Pay for that Furby you scored quickly, grip your shopping list tightly, leave the mall quietly, and go home to your computer. I've got some New England holiday shopping ideas that will allow you to avoid the crowds and to give "gifts that go beyond" that delight friends and family members while also supporting the arts, cultural, and historic institutions in New England that make it such a popular travel destination and such a wonderful place to call home.
Online Museum Shopping
Without leaving home, you can find unique gifts and feel good, too, that your holiday shopping dollars are supporting some of New England's best-loved museums and cultural landmarks. Here are some online museum gift stores to explore:
MuseumShop@Home Brings
you Gifts Galore
Here's a fine example of the power of the Internet--this site is a must see! MuseumShop@Home is a collective effort
of American museums to offer gift items to online shoppers. All purchases are shipped
directly from the museums' own gift shops, and proceeds support the Museum Partners'
ongoing programs. Here's a round-up of participating New England regional museums and a
sampling of some of the items available from each:
Salem, Massachusetts' Peabody
Essex Museum
Featured items: Japanese cat sculptures, "Good
Fortune" Chinese Calligraphy Bottle
Boston, Massachusetts' Museum
of Science
Featured items: Galileo scarf, Inventor's Workshop, Leonardo Art
Folio, Leonardo da Vinci commemorative coin, M. C. Escher puzzles
Mystic, Connecticut's Mystic
Seaport
Featured items: Christmas Memories family album, mermaid ties,
American Sea Chanteys CD, All Seasons Cookbook
Worcester, Massachusetts' Worcester
Art Museum
Featured items: Monet Waterlilies Tote Bag, Llama in
Pajamas Learn to Dress Toy, American Impressionism notecards
New Haven, Connecticut's Yale
University Art Gallery Museum Shop
Featured items: Maya Lin watch, Fore's Moving Panorama, Puzzle
Grams, art posters and books
Sharon, Massachusetts' Kendall
Whaling Museum
Featured items: Ship Navigator Filebox, Beluga Whale Gourd
Sculpture, Boston Scenes Scrimshaw Bookends
Boston, Massachusetts' The
Children's Museum
Featured items: Arthur plush doll, Benjamin Bear of Boston,
Black and White Infant Mobile, t-shirts, kids' books
Boston, Massachusetts' The
Computer Museum
Featured items: CyberClock, Cyber Business Card Holder,
Propeller Cap, videos, posters
Shop for Art Gifts
Online
Boston's Museum of Fine Arts offers you a chance to
explore and order from its selection of art gifts
online. You may also request the Museum of Fine Arts catalog
featuring jewelry, printed reproductions, decorative items, fashion accessories, and
educational toys, all based on works in the museum's collections, using an online request form.
Nautical Holiday Cards
and Gifts
You can help Connecticut's Mystic Seaport keep
America's seafaring past alive and share your love of ships and
the sea with friends and family this holiday season by ordering nautical holiday cards and
gifts online. Select from dozens of card images and from gifts including calendars,
lighthouses, a coloring book, and more. Order cards and receive a free gift of
personalized address labels. Check the ordering and pricing information online for
imprinting specifications and other important details, then call toll free to order
(1-800-884-MSMS), or print, fill out, and fax the online order form.
Grandma Moses
Merchandise and More
Vermont's Bennington Museum Store
features Grandma Moses merchandise such as books, prints, and notecards, plus other great
gifts inspired by the museum's collections. Here's a special idea--world-renowned folk
artist Will Moses will sign and personalize your copy of his new book for all ages,
"Silent Night," about Christmas in a Vermont village. Each item has a handy
order form link, which you can than print and mail or fax to the museum. Or, call (802)
447-1571 to place your order.
Gifts from the Sea and
to See
Norwalk, Connecticut's Maritime
Aquarium Gift/Book Shop offers a number of selections for you to browse online and to
order by phoning (203) 852-0700, ext. 236, including caps and T-shirts, books, and VHS
videotape versions of some of the IMAX films that have been shown at the Aquarium's IMAX Theater.
Signed Wyeth Prints
and More
The Farnsworth Art Museum Store in
Rockland, Maine, is your source for signed prints by Maine artists Andrew and Jaime Wyeth, plus posters and
out-of-print books. If you can't make it to Maine, never fear! The Museum Store lists its
offerings online, and you can order with a credit card by calling the Direct Shop phone
number, (207) 596-5789, or by emailing your
order. Detailed ordering information
is available at the bottom of the Museum Store Web page.
New England Shopping Destinations
for Gifts That Go Beyond
If you live in New England or are traveling to this part of the world during the holiday shopping season, your patronage of museum shops will help you to give two gifts at once. Here are some great museum shops with creative and out-of-the-ordinary offerings where you're sure to find gifts for even the hardest to shop for on your list.
Santa Trains and
Shopping
Support the Danbury Railway Museum--the
gift shop at this Connecticut railroad preservation museum features models, books,
magazines, videos, toys, games, clothing, and more for the train enthusiast on your
holiday shopping list. Plus, if you visit the weekend of December 12 and 13, you can catch
a ride aboard the Santa Train. A schedule
and prices for the 20-minute trips is available online, or call (203) 778-8337 for
more information.
Museum of Fine Arts
Shops
Boston's Museum of Fine Arts has six gift shop locations in Massachusetts
that offer a fine array of gifts inspired by the museum's collections.
Clever Twain-Inspired
Offerings
At the Gift Shop at the
historic Mark Twain House in Hartford,
Connecticut, you'll find yourself laughing aloud at some of Twain's witty sayings, which
are emblazoned on gifts galore. Preview a sampling of available items online, including
stationery, cross-stitch kits, and puzzles featuring The Cat in the Ruff, an
image inspired by the Twain family's favorite feline. Then, make plans to visit Twain's
home and to pick up some great gifts for humor and cat lovers on your list. Call (860)
247-0998 for directions and more information.
Aquarium Shop has
Gifts from the Sea
The Gift/Book Shop
at the Maritime Aquarium
in Norwalk, Connecticut, is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for your holiday
shopping convenience. The shop features a wide variety of merchandise related to the
Aquarium's exhibits and its IMAX
Theater, which will be showing Everest and The IMAX Nutcracker daily
during the after-Thanksgiving holiday shopping season. Directions are available
online.
A Touch of Historic
Homes for the Holidays
The Preservation Society of Newport County operates Museum Stores at One
Bannister’s Wharf in the heart of downtown Newport, Rhode Island, and at The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms. You'll find ceramics,
textiles, books, jewelry, and reproduction furniture inspired by Newport's historic
houses. For further information on holiday events at the Newport mansions, see my Mansions Aglow
feature.
Happy Holidays!
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