Maine’s 2023 Holiday Update

November 28, 2023

Maine Made Goods for the Holidays

From jewelry and leather goods to outdoor gear and home décor, Maine Made is the source for hand-made and locally-made gifts by some of the state’s best artisans, artists, and craftspeople. LeHay’s Shaker Boxes carries on the Shaker box-making tradition while Maine Wooden Buoys makes classic lobster buoys out of traditional cedar. Original Maine is where to source the state’s original state flag.  Acorn and Artisan crafts jewelry from sterling silver, as does Endicott Designs. As for the great outdoors, there are Grain Surfboards, climbing gear from Oterra Designs, and fly rods from the Maine Fly Company.  Sperry General Store features posters, Rugged Seas recycles fishermen’s bibs into bags, and BlueJacket ShipCrafters is the country’s oldest maker of model ships. For more holiday ideas on Maine purveyors and goods, go to Maine Made.

Maine Made Food Gifts

Give the taste of Maine for the holidays. Maine Made features some of the state’s best producers and purveyors, who ship their wares for the holidays. Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. is where to find Lobster Mac and Cheese, Lobster Pot Pies, Lobster Rolls, and Lobster Risotto, among other gifts. Ducktrap River of Maine in Belfast sells smoked Atlantic salmon, while Grindstone Neck of Winter Harbor offers a variety of smoked seafood, from scallops to mussels to salmon. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables has dried organic seaweeds, and at Sawyers Maple Farm in Jackman, Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup of Newfield, and Maple Moon Farm of Lebanon, it’s all things maple syrup. Bleuberet of Ellsworth specializes in wild Maine blueberry jams, fruit spreads, and preserves from blueberries grown locally.  Maine Grains of Skowhegan is a gristmill featuring traditional stone milling and operates from a historic repurposed county jailhouse. Cape Whoopies, Maine’s Gourmet Whoopie Pie South Portland, sells Maine’s favorite dessert. Crooked Face Creamery of Skowhegan offers small-batch cheeses and locally raised meats. More artisanal cheeses are available at Balfour Farm in Pittsfield and Lakin’s Gorges Cheeses. The venerable Raye’s Mustard is one of Down East Maine’s oldest small family businesses, the 4th generation of the Raye family to own and operate Raye’s Mustard Mill. For more Maine-made food gift ideas, go to Maine Made.

Holiday Music & Dance

The Merrill Auditorium, a grand 1912 concert hall in downtown Portland, is home to various December holiday music and dance performances. The Portland Symphony Orchestra performs the Magic of Christmas concerts throughout December and the Portland Ballet will dance A Victorian Nutcracker on selected dates in December. The highlight of Portland’s holiday season is Christmas with Kennerley.  This beloved holiday concert on December 20 is performed by organist James Kennerley on the Kotzschmar Organ, with a variety of traditional and contemporary holiday favorites.

Visit a Maine Christmas Tree Farm This Season

The nostalgic and memorable way to buy a Christmas tree is to visit a Maine tree farm and cut down the tree of your choice. Many of Maine’s tree farms have a “choose & cut” option. The non-profit Maine Christmas Tree Association (MCTA) is the best source for dozens of family farms that welcome guests to choose and cut their own trees. Handmade wreaths, Maine-made gifts, and extra cheer like hot cocoa and cider can make the excursion even more of a holiday experience.