Five Great Local Gifts for Dads

What families buy for fathers is the butt of many a holiday joke - the bad tie, yet another hammer, socks. Before you reach for the bag of undershirts, here are a few great suggestions of what to get your father right here on Island.

1. Chilmark Coffee Company has an array of locally roasted coffees and teas. Add that to a set of original ceramic mugs from , or from one of the local arts fairs, and you’ve got a wonderful present for anyone – even dad.

2. A fancy bottle of wine or a favorite aperitif is always a good idea. Richard Garcia, general manager at said that, “This time of year the liquor distributors give us gift boxes. There’s a nice limoncello that comes with ceramic cups, a drambuie has a two flask gift pack and a tequila that comes with a free bottle of agave nectar.” He also noted that, “Port wine is great for this time of year.”

3. Many fathers really enjoy a good book. Leroy Hazelton at in Vineyard Haven recommends the following as good reads for dads:

• “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand. “This book has been a best seller since it came out. It is a tremendous story of resilience,” said Hazelton.

• “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War,” by the Pulitzer Prize winning local author Tony Horwitz. “This book is straight history and anybody who has even a passing interest in the Civil War and it’s origins will really like it. It is written in a way that resembles fiction, in that it moves very quickly and easily, but it doesn’t compromise the historical background.”

• “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, “This crosses the line between biography and autobiography because it uses all these tapes and it’s selling really well.”

• “11/22/63 A Novel,” by Stephen King, “This is the big one he’s been working on for a while. It’s a time travel story into first few days before Kennedy was shot. This one has begun to catch on and will continue to sell well.”

4. Steve Purcell, owner of highly recommends getting a gift certificate for your sportsman dad. “Ninety percent of the dads who come in here after Christmas or their birthday and say, ‘they finally got me something good’ means they got a gift certificate.”

5. John Watson, manager of said, “Generally speaking battery operated power tools are pretty popular as gifts for dads.” He also added that this time of year, some of them come in kit forms.