Holiday Shopping in Litchfield Hills Connecticut
Quaint Shops and Picture-Pretty Countryside Add to Joy of Giving
Dec 14, 2008
Shoppers in search of places that combine traditional holiday scenery with holiday shopping won’t want to miss the Litchfield Hills area experience. Since it’s a region popular with travelers, it also has a good many shops that go all out to make the season bright.
Bethlehem’s Special Places
Throughout the season at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, products made by the Benedictine Nuns whose order founded the abbey are for sale at the Monastic Art Shop. Near the main entrance to the grounds, it’s the place to buy pottery, and candles, as well as woven and knit goods made of wool from the farm sheep.
Granola, cheese, honey, vinegar, herbs and hot mustard are among the gourmet foods for sale. Herbal mixtures, teas and perfume -- all made from herbs grown on the grounds; pottery mugs, dishes and bowls; jams, jellies, mustard, honey, pickles and wool are among the products for sale. Recordings of the Gregorian chants sung by the monastic choir are also available.
The Christmas Shop, located in a converted barn in Bethlehem, offers an international array of holiday treasures, including a collection of brightly-painted nutcrackers that seem to have danced their way out of the popular Tchaikovsky ballet. At the Christmas Place in Winsted, lovely Fontanini crèches, nostalgic music boxes and gorgeously decorated trees are among the special items for sale.
Woodbury’s Antiques and Artisans
Savvy antiques shoppers head for the village of Woodbury, “The Antiques Capital of Connecticut,” where shops carry selections of everything from French country furniture and antique banjos to early American folk art and old Oriental rugs. Kent is another town with fine selections of antiques.
Shoppers in search of one-of-a-kind items made by hand have a good chance of finding what they want at Handcrafter’s Haven North. Also located in Woodbury, the shop contains items handcrafted by more than 100 area artisans.
West Cornwall Wonders
Some of the country’s finest handcrafted furniture is made in the village of West Cornwall, a fifteen minute drive from Litchfield. Most of Ian Ingersoll’s Shaker furniture is made to order, so customers tell him what they want and their purchases are sent to them. Also in West Cornwall is Cornwall Bridge Pottery, where Todd Piker has been making functional hand-thrown stoneware for the past 35 years. His kiln is based on a design dating back to 10th Century China. Piker’s pieces – some of which have been exhibited nationally at places such as the Los Angeles Folk Craft Museum -- range in size from tiny syrup pitchers to waist-high garden pots.
More Shoppers’ Special Spots
“A Country Christmas” is the 2008 theme of the 36th annual tree that fills the historic Loft Gallery at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford. The Farm’s Silo Store -- which opened in 1972 and actually is in a converted silo -- carries gourmet food products, quality cookware, educational toys and a wide assortment of other gift items. The shop specializes in cookware, unusual gift items and fancy foods. Emphasis of the shop's cooking classes, conducted by various experts throughout the year, shifts at holiday time to gingerbread houses and holiday treats. Other great sources for out-of-the-ordinary gifts, as well as handmade treasures, are the festivals held by area towns and churches during the holiday season. Information on where to find out about them can be obtained at info@litchfieldhills.com.
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