5 Gift Ideas for the Humanitarian
A handful of our favorite local artisans and organizations that have dedicated their craft to making small-batch and humane products for our last-minute holiday gift guide.
By Ise White
FOR THE (FL)EX-VEGAN: Holiday Cheese Assortment chaseholm.squarespace.com $65
We fought our love for it. We even denied ourselves its full-fat goodness in some fad diet pique. Now that that phase is over, we're ready to overindulge in all the cheese that we've missed out on in 2020. Enter Chaseholm Farm Creamery's Holiday Collection, an assortment of local, small-batch, artisanal cheese. Why Chaseholm Farm Creamery? Because they're our neighbors — they’re based in Pine Plains, NY; and because they're also one of a handful of farmsteads in New York that produces cow's milk cheese from their own farm's herd.
FOR THE STYLISH TRAVELER: Vagabond’s Daughter Scarf $100 Esty.com
Nancy Geaney, who designs handmade scarves, throws, and accessories out of her Bearsville, NY studio, named her company, Vagabond’s Daughter, for her father. As she describes him on her website, “he gave up his wanderings to be home with his wife and four daughters.” The local artisan favors exotic indigo dye with Shibori hand-knotting details but has expanded to other palettes with equal sensitivity. You can see these scarves at home at a formal table or slung around a clever and stylish traveler on route to the Adirondacks.
FOR THE HARD TO PLEASE: Norne Perfume by Slumberhouse $180 luckyscent.com
The elusive Norne scent by Slumberhouse is dark, mysterious, and woody with hints of evergreen and moss. Launched in 2012, Norne immediately put Slumberhouse on the map as the most sought after Pacific Northwest micro-perfumer, helmed by nose Josh Lobb. Why we love it: this delicious scent is 100% natural, composed entirely of absolutes. Basically, like essential oils, absolutes are concentrated, highly aromatic, oily mixtures extracted from plants. If you're lucky, you might still be able to find a bottle.
FOR JUST ABOUT ANYONE: Alpaca Trapper Hat $109 fluffalpaca.com
Suzanne and Bob Werner purchased an old dairy farm in Hillsdale, NY, that encompasses over 80 acres of forest and pasture on the pristine Green River. The farm was a working dairy farm decades ago and was brought back to life by the Werners as they have fenced and revitalized the old pastures. Seeking to offer quality alpaca products directly to locals, the Werners branched out to Hudson, NY, opening up Fluff Alpaca, the boutique. Our favorite find: this handmade, 100% cruelty-free, and hypoallergenic trapper hat will keep your head and ears toasty warm during the colder months.
FOR THE PERSON WHO NEEDS NOTHING: Plant or donate a tree tenmilliontrees.org
If you find yourself looking around and thinking that there is nothing in the world you need or want, consider volunteering or partnering with A Million Trees, a collaborative organization geared towards improving Pennsylvania's communities, economy, and ecology by planting 10 million new trees by the end of 2025. It’s an ambitious project, one that relies on the collaboration of not just local and national agencies and conservation organizations, but also from citizens (like you) who are committed to saving the planet.
