Looking for a Wyoming-themed Christmas present – how about a ski area just outside Yellowstone Park?
This is my annual column about unique gifts from the Cowboy State -- but a ski area- - now that is the best gift idea I have ever heard.
Former long-time newspaper publisher Bruce McCormack sent me that idea after it was published that the Sleeping Giant Ski Area was up for sale or at least looking for a working partner for a mere $500,000.
Why Shop Local?
Despite the temptation to buy from Amazon or other places on the internet, there are some so many great reasons to shop local this Christmas season.
After consulting with my network of friends around the state, here are some ideas for Cowboy State products.
But first, let’s just give a plug to all the locally-owned stores in your city or town. They range big-to-small. Spending your money there not only helps them, but that money spreads itself around your community.
To me the two biggest advantages of going downtown and shopping are both seeing the store employees and seeing my fellow townspeople buying locally.
If prices are slightly higher, please still buy. Look around your town. The number of local-owned stores are diminishing. Perhaps your shopping spree will help keep some of them in business.
Some Wonderful Books
Retired Lander banker Bryan Neely says he loved Sam Lightner's new book "In The Valley of the Warm Winds." This is the story of Chief Washakie growing in the shadow of the Wind River Mountains. I have a copy but have not had time to read it yet.
Dave Simpson offers up the new book: “The Blackwater Fire and the Men Who Fought It, How Firefighters Turned Tragedy Into New Beginnings” by Karl Brauneis.
Simpson is also a big Chugwater fan saying: “Jill Winger’s ‘The Prairie Homestead Cookbook, Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in my Kitchen’ can be bought for $35.
This is the woman who has made Chugwater cool,” he says. He also promotes a Chugwater Soda Fountain T-shirt or sweatshirt. Better yet, a malt at the Chugwater Soda Fountain!”
Prominent Wyoming authors like CJ Box, Craig Johnson, Ron Franscell, and Michael and Kathleen Gear have some wonderful offerings, as is usual. And don’t forget Mark Miller’s great new book. Plus, his brother Rod Miller printed up a book of his poems.
I should plug my coffee table books at this time, too. We have sold 35,000 of them, so check them out at your local book store or at wyomingwonders.com. Dave Bell of Pinedale has produced several great coffee table books in recent years.
Be sure to check out great local bookstores like Wind City Books in Casper, Sheridan Stationery, the Storyteller in Thermopolis, the Wandering Hermit in Wheatland, Legends Books and the Thistle in Cody, along with the Buffalo Bill Center.
The Trails Museum in Casper also has a wonderful selection of Wyoming books as does the Territorial Museum in Laramie and the History Prison in Rawlins. Meadowlark Books in Riverton has an astonishing amount of books as does the Mad Dog and the Pilgrim on Highway 287 along the Oregon Trail near Sweetwater Station.
“The Book of Sven,” a collection of funny Jim Hicks columns, is for sale in the Buffalo area at the Sports Lure or at jhicks@vcn.com.
In another shameless family plug, let me recommend some wonderful artsy glasses created by my sister Susan Kinneman of Riverton.
Outdoor Gear
In Buffalo, the Sports Lure has just about everything you could ask for in small mountain town. Wind River Outdoor Company has great outdoor items for sale in my home town of Lander.
Some other friends recommended Atmosphere Mountainworks in Laramie. They make outdoor gear.
Kifaru in Riverton also makes hunting gear.
Abby Roich likes everything about Wyoming but two of her personal favorites are: Local coffee roasters like Snake River Roasting Company or anything from a local Wyoming Fly Shop.
Debbie Disney Pummel of Casper understands small towns. Her favorite local-owned stores in Casper range from big like Lou Taubert (one of my all-time favorites) to smaller places like Ugly Bug Fly Shop. She also lists Donells Candies, Cadillac Cowgirl, Fashion Crossroads, Mustard Seed, Gear Up and Get Out There, Toy Town, Merry Peddler, Grant Street Market, WY Shirt and Gift (another of my favorites), and the Metro Coffee Shop.
Across Wyoming, a business mentioned frequently was from Lovell where Queen Bee Honey Candy is located.
Another honey producer that deserves a look is the Miller family’s Wonderful Wyoming Honey enterprise in Crowheart. They have a store in Dubois that has an actual honey bee hive buzzing away. Pretty neat.
Art makes for a wonderful gift at Christmas. Nice bronze items are available at Eagle Bronze in Lander and other quality stores across the Cowboy State.
The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year. And besides the obvious religious reasons we celebrate the holiday there are gifts to give and to receive.
What To Buy A Man
First, remember the three rules of shopping locally – first, it helps the economy; second, you will see all your friends; and third, you will be stunned to see the outstanding selection being carried by your local stores.
Next, always keep in mind that not everyone is having as good a Christmas you are. Is there someone you can help? Of course, there is.
And finally, my wife and four kids say that I am impossible to buy for. Because of this, I am including some tips for last minute Christmas shopping for Wyoming men, which were sent to me by my friend, Aggie Smith. Although these guidelines sound suspiciously like an old Dave Barry column, she contends it was anonymously sent to her through the Internet with some Wyoming editing.
So here, are three last minute tips for buying gifts for a Wyoming man:
#1: Aggie says the best gift of all is a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. She says she has a friend who owns eight and he has yet to complain. As a Wyoming man, you can never have too many cordless drills.
#2: She also advises that if you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey Bob, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?"
#3: If you are really, really broke, Aggie says buy him anything for his car, a $1.99 ice scraper, a jug of deicer, or something to hang from his rear-view mirror. Men love their cars.
Bill Sniffin can be reached at Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com
