This is the third year that I’ve put together a shopping guide to help you find the perfect present for the Laura Ingalls Wilder fan or Little House fan in your life. The first year I created a list if you had no idea where to start and I don’t think I can really improve on the present idea list. The next year I added a few new ideas and things that were selling well. Here at Beyond Little House we hope that you will consider shopping at one of the Laura homesite giftshops. Many people don’t realize that the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museums are all local museums and open an incredible amount of time for a local museum which means high costs, while they might get occasional grants or donations they get no regular money from state or federal government or from the Wilder estate or HarperCollins (outside what any bookstore would get for selling the books). So they count on admissions and gift shop sales to keep the museums open so you can come and visit them. Please consider them for your Christmas shopping.
Walnut Grove Gift Shop
Of all the Christmas themed gifts, I’m still loving the glass ball Christmas ornaments and the collect them at the different sites. Book titles that seem to be doing well this year are the new editions of Laura Ingalls Wilder of Mansfield and Laura Ingalls Wilder Reader both by William T. Anderson. The sites that have it are also reporting the Dean Butler, Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder DVD is proving popular (Walnut Grove and Ingalls Homestead). Walnut Grove is still offering autographed copies of Alison Arngrim’s book (since they are mailed to her and back shipping is $10 extra). The Ingalls Homestead reports bonnets are doing well as always and so is their hardcover set of the books in a wooden crate. The Memorial Society in De Smet reports that Charlotte dolls and book sets are selling well. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum are reporting steady sales of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook with the Les Kelly photos. But feel free to check out the online stores to see what they have and not everything they have is online, feel free to call them yourself and ask if you are looking for something in particular.
I haven’t yet found a copy of either version of the new Library of America edition of Laura’s books at the homesites yet, but you can find them on Amazon.
Standard black covers – Volume 1 and Volume 2
Walnut Grove MN
Phone 1-800-528-7280
Last Day for Priority Mail – December 17th
De Smet SD
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, Click on Gift Shop
Phone 1-800-880-3383
Last Day for Priority Mail – December 14th
Phone: 1-800-776-3594
Last Day for Priority Mail – December 14th, call if questions
Free Shipping for orders over $100, Same day shipping prior to 3:30pm
Mansfield MO
Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum
Phone 1-877-924-7126 (Toll free)
Isn’t giving a last day, call if you have questions, Tuesday and Thursday are best.
Malone NY
Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder Farm
Phone (518) 483-1207
Malone also says for their set up, online ordering has a quicker response. They didn’t respond with a date this year, I’d recommend online ordering only because I’m not sure how often the answering machine is getting checked.
Spring Valley MN
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum (Store not online, but they are one of the glass ball ornament sites)
Phone (507) 346-7659
Last Day for Priority – December 14th
Burr Oak IA
Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum
Phone (563) 735-5916
Last Day for Priority – Not giving a last day, it’s up to the customer
And Don’t forget you can also get your Laura fan gift memberships.
Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, Vice-President and Membership Chair
Comments5
DO you know how we can reach Pepin to order one of their glass ball ornaments?
Laura, I don’t think you’ll be able to get one before Christmas. I didn’t call them this year because the last two years they said they weren’t doing mail orders over the winter. However, it wouldn’t hurt to try. You can call them at (715) 442-2142 or e-mail at liw@pepinwisconsin.com I’d probably try both.
Thanks, Sarah, for offering these LIW related Christmas shopping suggestions. I hope Laura enthusiasts will also consider acquiring PA’S FIDDLE: THE MUSIC OF AMERICA from Compass Records on DVD and/or CD. I believe a number of the museum sites are carrying both the CD and DVD. The show contains wonderful recordings of great American songs performed by some of Nashville’s finest singers and musicians.
Happy Holidays to all.
I know a lot of people are glad that it’s available for direct purchase now and I expect it will be under quite a few Christmas trees.
Sarah, thanks for your help. I have been able to order the glass ornaments from four sites. And the Pa’s Fiddle CD will be under our tree along with the Laura DVD that was done by Dean.
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