Gifts Galore at The Rocks' Shops

A treasure from the Ginger Cottages line

From whimsical ornaments and handmade wreaths to beautiful glassware and cashmere scarves, the shops at The Rocks Estate are bursting with holiday cheer and gifts galore! So, whether you’re looking for all you need to deck the halls this season, or seeking the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list, The Rocks is your one stop holiday center.

Tucked amidst rows of perfect Christmas trees, shoppers will find two holiday shops at The Rocks: The Rocks Marketplace in our main building and our Farm Store right next to our retail Christmas tree lot.

In the Farm Store, shoppers will find wreaths made by hand at The Rocks, stuffed animals, locally-made Claymation ornaments, and our own Rocks Estate maple syrup.

The shelves in the Marketplace, are filled with myriad gifts, large and small, including many locally- and U.S.A.-made items: gourmet sea salts from Massachusetts-based Beyond the Shaker, deliciously creative marinades and glazes from Vermont’s Wozz! Kitchen Creations, and Serenely sweet chocolate goodies (from caramel cups and s’mores sticks to moose- and bear-shaped pops) from RHD Candy, located just down the road in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

We have stuffed moose and beautifully-crafted jewelry, home décor and pottery made by hand by a former Olympian who lives down the road, Red Neck wine glasses and locally-made jams and jellies.

100% cashmere scarves from Scotland

Early customer favorites this year include a colorful collection of 100% cashmere scarves made in Scotland, and adorable life-like black bears climbing lit trees. An instant hit in our shop this season is the line of intricately crafted and festively fanciful Ginger Cottages. Made in the U.S. by acclaimed artist Glenn A. Crider, the miniature cottages each contain a hidden secret, revealed when lit by a Christmas tree light – adding a touch more magic to the season!

Also new to The Rocks this season is our collection of three-tiered wooden snowpeople. They come in various shapes, sizes, and attire… but we need your help to give them a good name! When you visit The Rocks Marketplace between now and December 8, please jot down a clever name and slip it into the box near the checkout counter. We’ll announce the winning name December 8th, and the person who comes up with the best name will win one of these whimsical, handcrafted snowpeople!

The holidays are in full swing at The Rocks. We’re open daily now through December 24 – for choose-and-cut trees, selecting a pre-cut tree from our retail lot, or browsing our shops. (If you can’t make it to the farm, we have a great online shop, too.) 

The holidays at The Rocks also feature visits from our Green Father Christmas, marshmallow roasting at our fire pit, horse-drawn wagon rides, and more! For details on all the holiday happenings at The Rocks, please check out our online calendar. 

We hope to see you this holiday season at The Rocks!

Green Father Christmas adds a festive twist to the holiday fun at The Rocks Estate

The Rocks' Green Father Christmas with Nigel Manley

Father Christmas, Jolly Old St. Nick, Santa Claus… call him what you will, this character is an integral part of modern Christmas celebrations. A potpourri of many factual and fictitious characters from various cultures, Santa has become one of the most recognized symbols of Christmas – along with the Christmas tree, of course!

At The Rocks, we introduced a Green Father Christmas in 2008, and he’s returned to the farm every year since during the holidays, spreading the cheer of the season and the hope of brightening days to come. Green Father Christmas will visit The Rocks each Saturday from November 23 thru December 14.

The red-and-white clad Santa who sets visions of sugarplums (and new toys) to dancing through children’s heads is likely the combination of many Christmas legends from various times and customs. He is St. Nicholas dropping coins down chimneys and into stockings, King Frost bringing cold and snow, Father Winter representing the hope of longer days and approaching springtime, Odin delivering gifts on his magical eight-legged horse, and more.

When Nigel Manley, the longtime manager of The Rocks, discovered images of a green-clad Father Christmas carrying evergreen boughs in 2008, he knew this character would be the perfect representative of the holidays at The Rocks. At the farm, Green Father Christmas embodies the joyful and hopeful spirit of the season as well as the importance of land conservation and forest preservation, which are central to our mission as the North Country Conservation & Education Center for the Forest Society.

Once again, The Rocks’ Green Father Christmas will wander the farm this season with his bag filled with fir tree seedlings. These he will give to children, who may bring the seedlings home, tend to them through the winter, and plant them outside once the green of spring replaces winter’s snowy white – a symbol of the lasting joy of Christmas and the hopeful beginnings of days to come!

For more about the holidays at The Rocks, check out the latest news on our website or visit our online calendar.