The gifts people keep are useful and made to last: an officially licensed Moomin beanie for a fan, wool felt slippers handmade in Estonia, a baby alpaca scarf, a merino blanket for a newborn, or linen towels for the sauna. Choose by who you are buying for, then check the material and where each piece is made.
What is a good gift for a Moomin fan?
For a Moomin fan, an officially licensed piece from Nordicbuddies is the surest choice: a knit beanie, a t-shirt, a hoodie or a boxed gift set. The Moomin gift set with a Little My beanie and socks comes packed together in one box, with a one size beanie and socks in EU 36 to 42, so it works when you do not know the receiver's size. Beanies are the easiest single gift, since they fit most adults and travel well in the post. Tees and hoodies need a size, so they suit someone you know well. The full range, including Moominpappa, Moomintroll and Little My designs, is in the Moomin collection. The Moomin characters were created by Tove Jansson, and fans tend to have a favourite, so it is worth asking before you choose.
What is a good gift for someone who is always cold?
For someone who is always cold, wool at the feet and the neck does the most: felt slippers indoors and an alpaca scarf outdoors. Omaking, a family shoe workshop in Estonia since 1927, makes slippers in natural wool felt with thin rubber soles for indoor floors. The Halla wool felt slippers have an open back and are machine washable at 30 °C; other models add a lambswool lining. See all of them in wool slippers; Halla comes in sizes 35 to 48. For the neck, the plain alpaca scarf is 100% baby alpaca, 30 × 200 cm, long enough to wrap twice. Alpaca carries no lanolin, the wool grease many people react to, and its fine fibres feel soft against the skin, though very sensitive skin can still notice any wool.
What is a practical gift for a new baby?
A practical new baby gift is something used every day from the first weeks, and a merino blanket is one of the most useful. The Woolish merino baby blanket is 100% mulesing free merino wool, 100 × 70 cm, sized for a pram or cot, grey on one side and cream on the other. It arrives in a gift box that opens out into a picture story, so it needs no extra wrapping. Merino works across seasons because it keeps warm when the air is cool and breathes when the room is warm. The same blanket also comes in lion, rabbit, doggy and kitty designs. For clothing, Zezuzulla sews kids' cotton pieces in small batches in Poland.
What makes a good gift for the home and the sauna?
For the home, linen bath and sauna textiles are used daily and soften with every wash. KOOSdisain in Estonia makes linen towels, such as a textured towel of 80 × 148 cm, and unisex linen bathrobes in a herringbone weave. A linen sauna seat cover of 38 × 38 cm, double sided and prewashed, is a small gift that suits anyone with a sauna, and it pairs well with a towel. Linen Tales in Lithuania makes linen waffle towels in sets of three, as well as a waffle bathrobe in linen and cotton. All of these are gathered in sauna and bath. For someone who carries a laptop every day, Nordhale makes felt sleeves and bags by hand in Estonia from recycled industrial felt, a firm material that holds its shape.
Which of these gifts are made in Europe?
Most of these gifts are made in Europe, but not all, and each product page states where the piece is made. The slippers, felt bags and most linen come from workshops in Estonia and Lithuania. The alpaca pieces are designed in Estonia and knitted in Peru, where alpaca is raised. The Moomin pieces are officially licensed and designed in the Nordics.
Wool felt slippers. Maker: Omaking. Material: Natural wool felt. Where it is made: Handmade in Estonia.
Linen towels, robes, sauna textiles. Maker: KOOSdisain. Material: Linen, some pieces with cotton. Where it is made: Estonia.
Linen waffle towels and robe. Maker: Linen Tales. Material: Linen, or linen and cotton. Where it is made: Lithuania; the robe is made to order.
Laptop sleeves and bags. Maker: Nordhale. Material: Recycled industrial felt. Where it is made: Handmade in Estonia.
Alpaca scarves, socks, beanie. Maker: Alpaka. Material: Baby alpaca, or alpaca blend for socks. Where it is made: Designed in Estonia, knitted in Peru.
Merino baby blankets. Maker: Woolish. Material: Mulesing free merino wool. Where it is made: See the product page.
Moomin beanies, tees, gift sets. Maker: Nordicbuddies. Material: See the product page. Where it is made: Officially licensed, designed in the Nordics.
How do you choose the right gift for the occasion?
Match the size of the gift to the occasion, not to the budget. In Estonia, Finland and Sweden a modest, useful object is read as care, while a large or showy one can leave the receiver feeling indebted. For a name day, a pair of socks or a Moomin beanie is enough; for Christmas or a new baby, a blanket, slippers or a linen robe is more fitting. The customs behind this are set out in gift-giving etiquette in Estonia, Finland and Sweden, and the occasion many visitors miss is explained in name days in Sweden, Finland and Estonia. Shipping is free to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on every order, and free elsewhere in the EU on orders over €150. Eligible unused items can be returned within 14 days.
