Shopping with Cheryl: Tips for a last-minute Christmas

Dec. 22, 2021  |  By Cheryl Casey

Green Mountain Dry Goods' sleigh clearly has enough room, blankets and pillows for someone to curl up and hide for a long winter's nap. Photo by Cheryl Casey

There are at least three certainties in the world of a college professor: Most students will never read the syllabus; grading is an occupational hazard; and December final exams will invariably derail your attempts to prepare for the holidays in a reasonable fashion, no matter how carefully you intend to do otherwise. 

The first two issues can be set aside, since the semester is blessedly over. The third point, however, remained a source of mild panic with less than a week until Christmas. My guess is that others out there are in the same boat, for any number of reasons. 

As I saw it, I had three options.

One, I could venture into the jungle of big box stores in Williston. Ho, ho…no.

Two, I could pour a glass of wine, cozy up in jammies, and peruse Amazon from the couch. That Prime membership should pay off in moments like these, right? Feels like a cop-out, especially since I haven’t been able to gather with my family for the holidays in two years. 

Fortunately, when it comes to finding thoughtful gifts at any time, especially at the last minute, for an array of characters in my family, I need to look no further than the small businesses of Waterbury and Waterbury Center. 

One of my favorite places to shop for the women in my family (and me! is Sunflower Salon & Boutique. Owner Kelly Richardson is people-centered with a terrific eye. I went to the shop back in October to select something for my brother’s still-new-to-me girlfriend (darn pandemic) for her birthday, and after swiping through some photos of the birthday girl on Facebook, Kelly selected a gorgeous animal print scarf and a jar of cranberry-scented sugar scrub. Kelly’s recommendations were so spot-on, I ran back there for Christmas gifts for said girlfriend and my mom. The prices for high-quality merchandise are also more than reasonable at Sunflower.

Good things come in small packages for the family gift exchange. At Stowe Street Emporium.Photo by Cheryl Casey

Making my way up Stowe Street, I stopped next at the Stowe Street Emporium — mostly hoping for inspiration. As usual, the Emporium did not disappoint. There are plenty of novelty items, home goods and accessories to choose from, and I found it the perfect place to get something for the Santa Swap happening on Christmas Day: Tins of trivia cards on topics from Americana to movies and pop culture. Each tin was only $5.99, meaning a set of three would keep me under the $20 limit and be appropriate for every age participating in the Swap. 

I even found a cute pair of socks ($12.99) for my dad, for his evenings of reading while sipping a glass of Smuggler’s Notch Distillery’s rye whiskey in this year’s Christmas package, from the Tasting Room at Cold Hollow Civer Mill.

Bridgeside Books owner Katya d'Angelo has the knack for picking the perfect book to gift. Photo by Cheryl Casey

The next obvious stop was Bridgeside Books. I always promised my brother that his kids could count on Aunt Cheryl to give them a book for every birthday and Christmas – in part because I believe in the importance of reading frequently and widely, and because it simply annoys him. (He never really took to “reading for fun.”) 

Indeed, a few days earlier, I had gone to Bridgeside to address my niece and nephew’s gifts. Former Bridgeside owner, Hiata Corduan, always helped me pick out the appropriate books for the kids’ reading level and interests. (I don’t have kids, so I usually feel pretty clueless.) For the first time, I was about to put new owner Katya D’Angelo to the test.  

And she nailed it! I’m quite pleased with my purchases of historical fiction based on the Donner party – 12-year-old kid version – and a book made for kids who don’t especially like to read (that would be my 9-year-old niece). 

So I returned knowing that I should at the very least be able to find something for my parents. Inspiration hit in the first set of shelves by the door, when I spied a new nonfiction book by prolific crime writer James Patterson, “The Last Days of John Lennon.” 

Whiskey, socks and a trip down memory lane for dad. From Cold Hollow's Tasting Room, Bridgeside Books and Stowe Street Emporium. Photo by Cheryl Casey

Well, whiskey socks, a bottle of whiskey, and a book about one of his favorite bands by one of his favorite authors? Done.

With the addition of games and puzzles to the shop, finding something for my mother was also easy. Did you know that round puzzles exist? My mother is going to go nuts over this round puzzle of a floral scene. 

While approaching the register to make my purchase, I had one of those encounters that remind us all why local bookstores are such awesome places. I overheard Katya recommending crime novels by Scandinavian authors to another patron, and that happens to be my jam. Of course I had to pipe up with my own favorite author in that category. The conversation resulted in a stroll over to the crime/mystery shelves where we kept spying authors we each liked and insisted the other read them. 

At Bridgeside, I also found the perfect book to gift to my husband, but I shan’t mention it here just in case he reads this.

For my final trick – since my stamina in lasting this long in a holiday shopping spree was surely magic – I decided to check out the new Green Mountain Dry Goods on Route 100, across from Ben & Jerry’s. The first thing that caught my eye was the sleigh full of holiday blankets and pillows at the back of the store. Fighting the inexplicable desire to dive headfirst into the sleigh and curl up for a much-needed nap, I perused the attractively-arranged displays of Vermont-made goods. 

This was definitely the place to finish shopping for my New Jersey family. A few jars of specialty Vermont hot chocolate mix, savory maple marinades, and a holiday Mad Libs later, I could finally call my mission complete, with two whole days left to relax. And wrap. And pack. And maybe get some of those holiday greeting cards in the mail. 

There are many more places in town I didn’t get to, but I’m only a human who generally takes on the look of a deer in headlights at the prospect of a shopping trip. Ultimately, the take-away is that our little town has a thoughtful little something for everyone, for every occasion, and knowledgeable business owners to help us find it. 

Still have a stocking stuffer or two on your list? Definitely find it in Waterbury. 

Cheryl Casey is an associate professor of Communication at Champlain College and lives in Waterbury Center.