Lake of Bays, 2022.
Bringing generous and practical gifts for your cottage-owning friends all but ensures an invitation next season. For more suggestions see the last cottage gift guide here.
Instagram’s new favourite account is @ironicboatandtote because the hive mind discovered that LL Bean will embroider whatever you like on their signature sturdy canvas carryalls ($39-$59.) A cleverly monogrammed, oversized tote to haul necessities from the car to the cottage and down to the dock is always welcome.
You can take inspiration from the irreverent folks above (our favourites include ‘ Zoloft’ and ‘Prada’) or embroider your host’s name or initials or their cottage name on a tote. The all-cream LL Bean version is very chic, especially with the same colour embroidery, for a truly monochromatic look. But if you can’t get your hands on one, the dark blue or black straps are still the classic choice.
Put the boat in the water, take the boat out of the water, haul some rusty scrap metal to the dump, clear the overgrown brush by the road.
Having a cottage is a never-ending chore list, so Awaye pain relief cream, $23.29, Amazon.ca, is a very thoughtful, if rather unexpected, gift. Not a CBD cream, it contains β-caryophyllene that blocks the pain receptors in the body’s endocacannabinoid system (ECS) like CBD creams do. Added capsaicin, (with its pain relieving properties) amplifies the effects of the β-caryophyllene making Awaye more effective than CBD alone. And because Awaye doesn’t actually contain cannabis, it isn’t subject to cannabis regulation and costs much less than CBD cream.
Endear yourself to your friends by clearing some of that afore-mentioned brush (obviously ask first.) A sandvik, aka Swedish Clearing Axe, $76, Leevalley.com, slices through unwanted saplings (I’m looking at you, poplars) and underbrush like butter.
A new Maglite flashlight for the bunkie or a guest room is always welcome, because you can literally never have too many flashlights at the cottage. A Maglite is sleek-looking, reassuringly hefty and the light it throws can illuminate a scary walk back to your cabin.
If you are borrowing a family cottage for a week and need to make a huge gifting splash and Homer Simpson donut pool floats are not the right vibe for the lake, a Yeti Tundra 35” cooler, $375, is rugged, super practical and just this side of fancy.
And if an almost $400 cooler is too rich for your blood, (remember - this is a hostess gift. I’m not suggesting you buy this for yourself!) then an oversized Yeti 1 litre water bottle is a more practical gift choice.)
Not only does this Citronella Night Jasmine candle, snapdragondesigns.ca, $59.50, contain bug-repelling citronella, it smells wonderfully of jasmine and orange flower (aka neroli) and its graphic illustration is chic and suitably cottage-y.
And don’t forget to spell off your host and bring all the ingredients for at least one complete meal for everyone. If your wallet allows, this is the time to blow the budget on seafood and steaks (especially appreciated if your hosts have children and their disposable income now goes towards extracurriculars and orthodontia.)
And finally — just for fun, throw in some multipacks of TP. (This idea courtesy of a lovely cottage-owning friend.) It began as a Covid-inspired idea two years ago, but given the price of everything now, this is both a practical and luxurious gift.)