At this time of year, it is customary to look at traditional Christmas
stories and draw important life lessons from them. From A Christmas
Carol, we learn the importance of generosity, from It's A
Wonderful Life, we learn the importance of friends and
family, and from How The Grinch Stole Christmas, we learn
the importance of not harnessing a five-pound dog to a two-ton sleigh.
For the purposes of this article, let's examine the classic O. Henry story,
The Gift of The Magi. You probably remember this one: It's
the story of Della and Jim Young, a young, turn-of-the-century couple who
don't have any money to buy each other Christmas presents. Della cuts off
her long, lovely, luxurious hair and sells it to a wig-maker in order to get
the money to buy her husband a watch-chain. He in turn, sells his watch in
order to buy her combs for her hair.
Isn't this story... (Now let's think carefully. We want to use just the
right word here.) Isn't it... STUPID?! Really. Think about it. Doesn't it
make you want to scream in frustration? The lesson that we are supposed to
learn is that gifts aren't as important as the thought behind them, but if
either of these dim-bulbs had put any thought into their
gifts, they certainly would have thought of better presents!
Put yourself in their position. What would your reaction be if you were
freezing and starving in a fourth-floor walk-up and your husband gave you a
pair of combs? Or your wife gave you a watch-fob? How about something more
appropriate to the holiday season like... oh, I don't know... FOOD and
HEAT?!
Anyway, having shot down any higher, spiritual lesson that we might have
learned from this beautiful story, let's move on to the main thrust of this
article, which is (let's face it) pretty shallow - really expensive,
decadent Christmas presents. These are gifts that do not reflect the
giver's spiritual beauty or the depth of their love for the recipient. They
are, quite simply, very, VERY beautiful presents that can be found only in
the Monadnock area. All that they have in common is that each is the finest
of its kind and that none of them should be purchased on a whim. A
spiritual person wouldn't ask for them.
Put them on your list now, to allow time for shopping.
High End Local Christmas Gifts:
What? - Chocolate
Where? - L. A. Burdick Chocolates, Walpole, NH
How Much? - A one-pound gift box of Burdick's assorted chocolates will run
you $49. For that, you get 64 pieces of hand-crafted chocolate, made by a
master chocolatier.
``Fifty Dollars a pound for CANDY?!'' -
Yes. Keep in mind however, owner Paula Burdick points out, that this is
some of the finest chocolate made anywhere. ``It is made from fresh
ingredients (never frozen) - chocolate from France, local butter, local
honey and European liqueurs.'' Each piece of chocolate is hand-made, sold
and shipped fresh. The three main ingredients in chocolate are cocoa butter
(which makes it smooth), cocoa (which makes it rich) and sugar (which makes
it sweet). Burdick's chocolate is made with a much higher cocoa to sugar
ratio than any other high-end chocolate, which makes it incredibly rich with
a subtle flavor that can only be appreciated when it is extremely fresh.
These are unbelievably good chocolates.
What? - Cheese
Where? - Vermont Shepherd Cheese, Westminster, VT
How Much? - Each wheel of cheese is unique - some weigh more, some less, but
generally, they come in six, eight or 10 pound sizes. At $16.50 per pound,
a large wheel will run you about as much as the rest of your dinner party
put together.
``Are you out of your MIND!? This is CHEESE we're talking about, not
caviar!'' -
True, but keep in mind that there is cheese, and then there is
cheese. This is some of the finest cheese made in
America. It is made from local sheep's milk in very small batches for a
limited time each year and aged on-site in a custom-built cheese-cave. A
word of caution - don't make that face that you are making right now until
you try it. Yes, it is made from sheep's milk, just like a
dozen other cheeses that you've tried at some point without realizing it.
Sheep's milk is many, many times richer than cow's milk and
produces a wonderful, subtle flavor. Imagine a firm, golden cheese with a
flavor somewhere between that of Romano and Provolone. Company president
Cindy Major describes this cheese as having ``a sweet, earthy, creamy,
lingering, full, rich flavor that lingers in your mouth and is just
wonderful.''
What? - A Jigsaw Puzzle
Where? - Mary Maxwell, Master Craftsman, Chesterfield, NH
How Much? - 25¢ per piece
``OK, let me figure this one out...Hey! That's something like two hundred
bucks! For a puzzle? ''-
What you have to realize is that by the standards of top-end, hand-crafted
puzzles, this is extremely reasonable; some puzzle-makers charge up to $2
per piece. To understand why, you have to look at what goes into making one
of these puzzles. Maxwell finds out everything she can about the person who
is to receive this gift - their hobbies, pets, astrological sign - anything
that can give her a handle on who they are. Then she selects an image that
reflects all that and cuts it into pieces - some might be random, blobby
shapes, but many more will be specific shapes. Let's say, hypothetically,
that she was making a puzzle for a fire-chief. She might start with a print
of a vintage fire-engine and cut it into pieces shaped like fire hydrants,
hoses and the numbers of his fire company. It would come in a plain brown
box; he wouldn't know what the picture was until he completed the puzzle.
When he did complete it, he might find extra pieces left over. If he put
them together, they might form a smaller puzzle with a picture of the first
fire he ever put out.
How much would YOU charge for that kind of craftsmenship?
What?- "Stand of Spruce Trees Over a Distant Landscape", an original oil
painting by Eric Aho.
Where - Spheris Gallery, Walpole, NH
How Much? - $8,500
``I beg your pardon?!'' -
Eric Aho is a local painter with an international reputation. His work has
been exhibited throughout North America and Europe. Believe it or not,
anything of his that can be found for less than $10,000 is a bargain. This
particular painting is a very special piece, says Cynthia Reeves, director
of Spheris Gallery.
``This is a signiture painting from a series that explores the qualities of
light in New England skies,'' she explains. ``The way that light is
captured in this particular painting is quite extrordinary in the way that
the whites and the blues are expressd, but also because of the texture of
the oil paint on the surface of the painting.''
If it make it easier for you, think of it this way. This is a large
painting - 36 X 70 inches - that only works out to a little over three
dollars per square inch.
What? - Jukebox
Where? - Chris Thompson, Dealer in Antique Jukeboxes, Winchester, NH
How Much? - A vintage 1940 Wurlitzer Peacock, model 850 jukebox will set you
back $19,000.
``Excuse me?'' -
``It's exceedingly rare, large, beautiful and ornate,'' says Thompson.
``It's very large and very delicate. Not many of them were ever put on
location (in bars and nightclubs). It is very prized by collectors. It is
decorated with a bubble chamber and a pair of images of peacocks that change
color. It's really the height of Art Neuveau in jukebox building.''
Thompson points out that even by the standards of antique jukeboxes, this is
an exceptionally pricey piece. He points out that most vintage jukeboxes go
for under $6,000. This particular piece is exceptional, though.
He does offer one consolation, however: ``As a token of my holiday cheer,''
he says, ``I would throw in the records for free.''
What? - Dining Room Table
Where?- Peter Maynard, Master Craftsman, Acworth, NH
How Much? - $20,000 and up
``Why?'' -
``Put the palms of your hand together,'' Maynard says. ``Now, open them
up. Do you see how the lines on each hand exactly mirror each other?
That's called a `book match'. Now imagine a table made of wood with a grain
that matches like that.''
In point of fact, most of Maynard's materials are of that
quality. Because his furniture is made of only from matched-grain, wide
boards, he usually has to find premium logs and saw his own boards - you
can't buy wood like that off the shelf. Each piece he makes is made to the
individual specifications of his clients and can take anywhere from 12 to 15
weeks to complete.
Maynard also points out that at the very high end of the furniture market,
dealings with clients can be very stressful. ``There is an insanely fussy
level of detail involved in this level of furniture-making,'' he says. ``A
client just sent a table-top back from Chicago because `the finish isn't
right'. I just got it back and looked at it. It's perfect! There are 15 layers of hand-rubbed oil in this finish and I have
to grind it all off and start again. This is killing me!''
How much would you charge for that?
What - Oriental Rug
Where? - Peter Papp Oriental Rugs, Dublin, NH
How much? - $65,000
For a rug?! -
This is not a rug that you can pick up at a discount furniture store. It is
a huge antique carpet from north-western Persia (Iran), made in the first
half of the 19th century. It is 10 feet, five inches wide and 29 feet long,
with a stylized design of weeping willow and cypress trees. It is very
rare, says staff historian, Cornelia Montgomery. ``It happens that they
(the Persians) didn't start making a lot of rugs for export until the 2nd
half of the century,'' she says, ``so examples from this period are rather
rare.'' Because this would have been made for domestic use, it probably
came from the home of a very wealthy or powerful man who could afford to
commission something like this, she says. ``The weaving of this piece would
have required the building of a special loom and the work of several
weavers.''
Montgomery says that the colors in this piece are particularly bright.
``The natural dyes that were used at that time keep their color for
generations,'' she says. ``It is the early chemical dyes that you find have
faded.
What? - A Country Estate
Where? - Windward Real Estate, Saxtons River, VT
How Much? - $1,395,000
``Gosh Santa, tell me more!'' -
OK. If you are talking about the ultimate in high-end Christmas gifts, you
have to look into the realm of real estate. This may be the ultimate in
luxury gifts, because you could eat your chocolate and cheese at your new
dining room table in your new house.
This particular piece of property is called Far Hills Farm and is located in
Walpole, NH. It is located on 43 acres and has spectacular views of the
Connecticut River Valley, rolling hills and its own pond. It features six
fireplaces, two guest houses, marble baths, cherry floors, a private
library, a solarium and a nine-car garage.
``This is simply the nicest property I've seen in this area in the past 19
years,'' says real estate agent Peter Stamm. ``It has a harmonious blend of
old and new. It's top-shelf, but not ostentatious. It's very comfortable. (Clearly an understatement.) It's unobtrusive.''
Given all that, your children's Christmas list is starting to look pretty
reasonable after all, isn't it?
