Holiday Gift Guide

Browse through this unique and handy digest to discover local businesses offering the best gifts and great finds in and around beau tiful Bosque County.

The digest includes information on small town stops and shops dotting the landscape and adorning our quaint downtown areas.

We’ve nestled this all between a lot of Christmas cheer.

We had to include a few highlights show casing some of the areas Norwegian culture as well. Be sure to try out the traditional holi day cookie recipes featured in the back of the book.

The country views are breathtaking and places are open for business. You will find ev erything you need and even a few things you didn’t know you wanted!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from all of us at the Bosque County Express.

Thank you for reading!

The “2022 Gift Guide: From Top of the Hill Country,” is published and distributed by the Bosque County Express.

Publisher: Brook DeZavala Managing Editor: Cynthia D. Davis Advertising Manager: Kim Patrick

Staff Report Bosque County

One of the best ways to support a community is to shop local. When we shop local, money stays invested in the community. We build better businesses and increase our services.

We gathered some very useful shopping tips to help kickstart the holidays. We know there is something for everyone. Even those hard to

PICTURED ABOVE: Santa waves while being escorted by members of the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department. Christmas in Bosque County is traditionally celebrated in every town with parades, ceremonies, community events, concerts and more.

shop for people, we all know one.

From Valley Mills to Brazos Point and all of the places in between, it’s time to start shopping!

Hardware isn’t just a feed store. Shoppers will find tools, hunting gear, yard art, and so much more. It’s worth the vis it, especially for the avid hunter. Check out their Facebook page @vm feedhardware.

Valley Mills Clifton Bebe’s Back Porch

Head down Highway 6 through Valley Mills and you’ll see store fronts full of finds for the entire family. Explore the many shops and in between stop for a treat. Valley Mills always has some thing new to see and do

The Painted Bunting is the boutique where your home wants you to shop! They offer beautiful up scale decor, small furni ture items, candles and more.

Clifton, Texas is right fully earned its place an all day place to shop. You will upscale gifts, fine art, books, flowers and so much more. Clifton is also home to the Bosque Arts Center. The center offers one-of-a-kind cre ations from members and is home to many world renowned artists.

Bebe’s Back Porch has a reputaion for offering “antiques and uniques galore!”

There are over fifteen vendors with booths filled to the brim with treasures.

The 219 Artisan Market is the place to dis cover hand-crafted items from local artisans. Walk inside and to be blown away by this amazing showcase of talent. From pottery to woodwork and intricate beaded jewel ry, all of the works of fered are high quality and made only by skilled craftsmen.

Bosque County Emporium

packed with vendors. The store is located in the heart of downtown. Towards the back of the store you can stop to en joy a meal or cocktail at Olaf’s.

121 N. Avenue D Clifton, Texas

If it’s antiques you want, then antiques you will find. The Bosque County Emporium is

Bosque Arts Center

Lady Bugs in a unique space filled with an tiques, repurposed fur niture, gifts, new and vintage clothing, and jewelry. They have thousands of square feet of vendor booths certain to have something you will love. Stop in to see their amazing selection of wreaths perfect to add to your holiday decor.

world venue, Market at the Mill has a daily shop ping space that offers nothing less than a fun and unique shopping ex perience.

meridian

215 S. College Hill Dr. Clifton, Texas

The Bosque Arts Cen ter is sure to have some thing beautiful to share from their gift shop. To keep up with all the latest from the BAC, be sure to visit their website at www.bosqueartscenter. org for upcoming events, gallery and office hours and other artist opportu nities.

Lady Bugs

Market at the Mill

Meridian is the coun ty seat and the heart of Bosque County. The beautifully maintained downtown area stands out with an iconic court house and historic architecture.

Over the past few years, residents have seen many new additions to the area by way of park expansions, a new amphitheater and most recently, a popular new place for fresh brewed coffee and baked treats.

Bloomtown

317 W. 3rd Street Clifton, Texas

142 N. Avenue D. Clifton, Texas

A venue comprised and layout of the buildings closely resembles the original layout and style of the historic Dans by Feed Mills business. The spot is now a histor ic landmark. Materials from the original struc tures were salvaged and reused to preserve the nostalgia of the times. In addition to an out of this

301 S. Main Street Meridian, Texas

Bloomtown’s impres sive shop has a wide vari ety of antiques, gifts, col lectibles, vintage, gently used, and new items. This isn’t your average resale and boutique shop. Dishes and glassware are neatly arranged by col or or theme. Children’s items, sports, furniture, and more are categorized and arranged together.

Main Street Antiques

trendy clothes and jewel ry. During the holidays it is packed with gorgeous ornaments and other Christmas decor.

Small Town Perk

103 Main Street

Meridian, Texas

You can find antiques and more at Main Street. The store also has a huge selection of new and

206 N. Main Street Meridian, Texas

2022 Christmas Coloring Contest WINNER, Harper Rose!

Harper is a first-grade student at Cranfills Gap Elementary and winner of the “2022 Christmas Coloring Contest.” We wish Harper and her a family a very Merry Christmas and a special thanks for sending in her art work. You did a great job!

A friendly small town coffee shop serving ar tisan coffee and spe cialty drinks certain to keep your energy level up while out shopping for the holidays. Come by their shop at 206 N Main Street in Merid ian, on Facebook @ smalltownperk.

The Roost

gifts and so much more. Be sure to stop in for that special touch this holiday season.

CRANFILLS GAP

116 N. Main Street Meridian, Texas

The Roost is the best place in town for fresh flowers and plants. They also have candles, unique

Cranfills Gap is one of the most picturesque landscapes in Bosque County. The town is full of local culture and his toric landmarks.

The downtown area is small but always fes tive this time of year and still offers a very unique place to shop for gifts.

Gap Ranch Supply

201 N 2nd Street

Cranfills Gap, Texas

Gap Ranch Supply in Cranfills Gap offers all the usual things you’d ex pect. The shelves are full of agricul ture supplies, feed, hunting supplies and other essential farm needs. A great thing about this ranch supply place, it is also a wonderful place to shop.

Step into the store and you will quickly be distracted with a variety of local and handcrafted goods, gift items, clothing and other unexpected odds and ends.

This concludes our list of only some of the unique and local offerings across Bosque County. Keep reading for more information and hopefully a few ways to make your holiday season even better.

Holidays are fun, but also stressful. The extra hustle and bustle on top of our regular schedules can overwhelming. We socialize more, spend more money, eat a lot more and sleep less. It is easy to get overwhelmed and even more important to take time for self-care.

How do we do this with so much going on?

It is a challenge, but even a few minutes sit ting quietly with your favorite hot beverage and a distraction can do wonders to keep spirits (and energy levels) up. Research shows that regular self-care practic-

es can reduce the adverse effects stress can have on our bodies. We won’t be able to help completing your “to-do” list, but we can offer a distraction from it. We are calling it, “Christmas art therapy.” Please enjoy these doo dles and best wishes for a safe and sane, holiday!

If you have one of those hard to buy peo ple in you life, then you know it will a little more time and energy to find the perfect gift. We’ve put together a list of plac es and ideas that make the process a little easier. After all, even the per snickety can be surprised and delighted!

The Corner Drug Cafe in Clifton offers an amaz ing variety of fresh baked pastries, cookies, muffins and pies.

Giving the gift of food always warms the heart, and stomach.

While you’re there, save some time and or der your own holiday pie for pick up. The cafe is locally owned and operated and offers catering for special events and private parties.

Red Caboose Winery

Red Caboose Winery is an award winning vineyard in Meridian with an additional distillery in Clifton. If you are unsure of what to gift someone that already seems to have it all, a bottle of lo cally distilled spirits is a great choice.

Pets love presents too!

Pets share every mo ment with us. This year while the family is gath ered around the tree and opening gifts, it’s only fair to make sure your furry family member gets to join in the fun.

Most of our pets would be happy with just a new bone and good pat on the head. Still, there are those of us that love to spoil our furr-babies.

Here are some of the best places in the area to find great treats for your pups and other pets.

At Clifton Feed and Service you will find everything you need for your pets. They always offer the best products available. You will find stocking-stuffers, cozy beds, treats, chew toys and new collars. It is the one stop shop for pet gifting in Clifton.

400 N. Erath St. Meridian, Texas

PUPpoozi’s is a “by appointment only” sa lon that thrives on giv ing every dog a calm, comfortable experi ence. Call (254) 9788239 to book a reser vation for the holiday.

SANTA SIGHTING! Santa is always the guest of honor at many of our community events. If you want a meet and greet, be sure to get out to any one of the Christmas parades taking place in Clifton, Meridian or Valley Mills this year. Send us a photo with you and the big guy and we might even put it in print! Include the names of everyone in the picture and email it to editor@ bosquecountyexpress.com

The artist way to gift wrapping

Cynthia D. Davis Managing Editor

For some of us, wrapping the gifts can be just as wonderful an experience as giving them.

There is something about a beautifully wrapped package under the tree that always adds that special touch to the treasure inside.

The traditional way we learn to wrap our gifts involve colored bows and patterned pa per. However, it seems that over the past few

years, a new trend in gift wrapping has em merged.

The trend has been gaining in popularity all over the world for years, but as has actually been practiced in Japan for centuries. The practice is called furoshiki, and it is the art of gift wrapping.

Furoshiki refers to using a square piece of fabric or cloth for gift wrapping. Depending on the object, depends on how you wrap it.

The cloth can be scraps, scarves, bandannas or

pieces of fabric you sew together.

Like much of the art and culture of Japan that most loved for both beauty and simplicity, furoshiki is no different. The idea itself was born out of need.

Furoshiki originat ed in Japan around 710 B.C. This art of folding first shows up as a way people wrapped import ant goods and treasures and was found in Japa nese temples.

Eventually, the term furoshiki was applied

PICTURED ABOVE: Decorating for the holidays using fabrics and other items from nature. The art of wrapping gifts with cloth started in Japan thousands of years ago. Furoshiki has been gaining in popularity around the globe for the past several years.

during the Muromachi period which is dated to have began around 1136. It is believed the fabric folding began as a way to protect and distinguish valuable Kimonos at the community bathhouse. Furoshiki was soon popular with all members of society. Bathhouses were the designated area to wash, relax, and socialize. More affluent families would adorn their cloths with emblems and family crests. Soon, the custom expanded and people began using the method to wrap all sorts of items such as books, gifts, and merchandise.

MORE FUROSHIKI see next page

Furoshiki: folding with fabric

The basics of folding with fabric

Otsukai Tsutsami

• Basic carry wrap.

Yotsu Musubi

• 4 way wrap.

Suike Tsutsumi

• Watermelon carry wrap.

Katakake Fukuro

• Shoulder carry wrap.

Entou Tsutsumi

• Long object wrap.

Hira Tsutsumi

• Flat object wrap.

Tease Bukuro • Hand carry wrap.

How to begin.

Instructions on how to wrap dif ferent shaped items are included as away to get you started but essential ly, there are no limits on what you can produce. Let yourself be creative and it is sure to come out perfect. The two most common sizes of cloth to use are 17 x 17 inches, and 28 x 28 inches. Other materials can include ribbons, dried materials, pine cones, twine, cards and anything else that could be used to embellish. You can also just leave the wrapping simple. Sometimes a beautiful fab ric needs nothing added. Something else to keep in mind. Depending on the item can sometimes determine how thick you want your cloth to be. Lighter objects can be wrapped with

page

MORE FUROSHIKI see next

Kousa Tsutsumi • Shoulder object carry wrap.

More ways to fold with fabric

Hon Tsutsumi • 2 books carry wrap.

Futatsu Tsutsumi • 2 knots carry wrap

Kakushi Tsutsumi • Hidden knot wrap.

Bin Tsutsumi 1 • Bottle carry wrap

Bin Tsutsumi 2 • Bottle carry wrap 2.

Soo Tsutsumi • Padding carry wrap.

lighter fabric, heavier items need heavier fabric.

Included are some of the ba sic furoshiki wrapping techniques to help get you started. If you plan on embellishing your gift, I sug gest gathering all the bits and pieces together beforehand. You never know what may spark inspiration, buttons, ribbon, lace, dried flowers. If you love it, grab it. Lastly, you won’t need any special tools beyond a good pair of scissors and may be a glue gun or needle and thread. Happy folding and happy holidays!

Norwegian Country Christmas Tradition

Take a drive through Bosque County and you will find yourself emmersed in a place rich in Norwegian cul ture.

Every year the com munity celebrates this heritage with parades,

tours and best of all, cookies! Homemade Norwegian cookies are always light and deli cious.

We have included three recipes we hope you will be sure to try out for yourself.

The ingredients are simple and the process is best when done with others. Practice makes perfect so the more you make, the better they taste!

PICTURED ABOVE: A light and flaky Rosetter cookie. These flaky delights are deep fried in hot oil, cooled then dusted with powdered sugar right before serving.

ROSETTER ( ROSETTES )

SPIRTZBAKKELS ( COOKIES )

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 tsp. Sugar

Little salt

1 cup skimmed milk

1 cup Flour

Directions:

Beat with mixer. Eggs first, beat very little. Mix all ingredients together and mix well. Put shortening in a saucepan and heat. When hot, dip rosette iron in hot short ening and then in batter. Fry in deep hot shortening, when golden brown it is done. Makes about 40 rosettes.

Recipe by Mrs. Joseph Solberg.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

¾ cup sugar

3 egg yolks

2 ½ Cup flour

Pinch of salt

Lemon juice or vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk one at a time. Then flour and flavoring mix to smooth dough. Force through cookie press, form in various shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 -10 minutes.

Recipe by Mrs. Gus Hoel.

PICTURED ABOVE: Left, Commuity members gather to eat the traditional Norwegian dish, Lutefisk. Right, Christmas services are held at the historic Rock Church built in 1886.

FATTIGMAN’S BAKKELS

( Poor man’s cookies or fry cakes )

Ingredients:

3 eggs

3 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. milk

⅛ tsp. Cardamom

1 tsp. Vanilla

⅛ tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. whiskey

2 to 3 cups flour

Directions:

Separate eggs, beating yolks slightly and whites until foamy but not stiff. To yolks add sugar, milk soft dough, di viding in half. Roll dough thin, should be rubbery and spring back. Cut in dia monds, stretch out, and cut slit in center. Fry till light brown in deep, hot lard, 375 degrees. (use only lard) Dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe by Mrs.John Homerstad.

PICTURED ABOVE: A traditional Nor wegian dress is displayed. The dress was hand made and has been pre served through generations.