Great gifts for outdoor living

Still deliberating over the perfect gift for this holiday season? Most of us have our thoughts focused indoors this time of year, but if your gift recipient loves the outdoors like I do, they might appreciate a gift that reminds them of balmy breezes and helps them look forward to getting back to their outdoor activities.

Patio furnishings make great gifts. A unique planter can show off a favorite plant. Adirondack chairs offer style and bring to mind relaxing in the shade with a good book. A potting table is a very practical gift for a gardener and makes working with plants even more enjoyable. A porch swing or glider is a welcome retreat from summer chores. If your recipient's patio is already fully furnished, new cushions in an outdoor fabric can brighten things up. Accessories such as fountains, wind chimes, rain chains, bird feeders, and birdhouses all make wonderful gifts.


Yard furnishings and decorations are good choices as well. Consider park benches to place in the shade along a garden path inviting the gardener to rest and enjoy the scenery. Garden statuary or a gazing ball placed in just the right spot can surprise or invite contemplation. Birdbaths and fountains add enchantment and interest to a garden. Stone or wood planters can help set the mood and emphasize special landscaping plants. Kits to make personalized stepping stones are available and the finished stones can be nice gifts for grandparents when they feature children's artwork, hand prints, or footprints.

Don't forget children, but in this case you might want to limit it to gifts they can get some use from right away, like child-sized picnic tables that may be set up in a sun-room. Gifts such as playground equipment are a lot of fun, but are best for children who live in places that will allow them to use the equipment right away. A swing-set can be a disappointment for children when they are told they must wait several months before they can play on it. If the child does live in a snowy climate, a sled, snow tube, snowboard, ice skates, a snow tunnel, or a mold for making snow forts would be much more appreciated.


Just because winter has you chased inside the house, doesn't mean you can't look forward to getting back outside in warmer weather, and you can help your loved ones dream of sunnier times too. And next year while they enjoy your gifts, they will be reminded of you and appreciate your thoughtfulness.