Happy Holidays! Shopping for local gifts for the holidays? Read on for unique, hand-picked gifts from our partners on the Old Mission Peninsula and in the Grand Traverse Region.
Shop for M37 Gear at Old Mission Peninsula Store
Stock up on M37 gear for yourself or others this holiday season at the Old Mission Peninsula Store! Tees, hats, sweatshirts, car stickers, stainless steel water bottles and lots more.
The M37 Story: This beautiful Michigan road begins at Exit 92 off I-94 southwest of Battle Creek, following the path of an early Indian trail. Winding through rolling hills and dense forests, passing crystal-clear lakes and streams, the road meanders out on the Old Mission Peninsula between the Grand Traverse Bays, ending at Mission Point Lighthouse. They say joy is found at the end of the road, and M37 ends on the Old Mission Peninsula.
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Two novels, one story. These books by Old Mission Peninsula resident Stephen Lewis cover the sensational 1895 conviction of Woodruff Parmelee for murdering Julia Curtis, his pregnant mistress, despite the testimony of his teenager in support of his father’s alibi. He was released from his life sentence twenty years later after the personal intervention of Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris.
“In Murder on Old Mission, Stephen Lewis has crafted a historical tale abundant with longing, betrayal, jealousy, and moral indignation that proves how an imaginative fictionist can stir life from the ashes of an authentic, long forgotten homicide.” J. Kingston Pierce, January Magazine
“In Murder Undone, master craftsman and storyteller Stephen Lewis guides the reader through a richly woven tapestry of time, place and character … It is a superb sequel to Lewis’s earlier novel, Murder on Old Mission.” – Aaron Stander, best selling author of the Ray Elkins Thriller Series.
Find the books at Horizon Books in Traverse City, Peninsula Market and Old Mission General Store on the Old Mission Peninsula, and Amazon. Visit Stephen’s website here.
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Give the Gift of OMPeace
There’s never a shortage of trials and tribulations in the world, but when you head out on the Old Mission Peninsula, breathe a sigh of relief … peace is at hand. We invite you to slow down, decompress, and celebrate OMPeace, Love and Joy with this soothing collection from the Old Mission Peninsula Store. Tees, sweatshirts, drinkware, car stickers and more. All proceeds help to support Old Mission Gazette, local journalism, and a small family business devoted to the OMP.
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Shop for Local Farm Products & Baked Goods
Warren Orchards’ Between the Bays has been growing and selling local products on the OMP for 150+ years. Choose from a variety of jams, honey, and maple syrup products; Wendy Warren’s pies from scratch; and breads and cookies. Gift certificates are available in any denomination, and you’re welcome to customize your own gift basket! Contact by email, [email protected], or call Wendy at (231) 590-2363. Learn more about Warren Orchards at their website.
Give the Gift of Northern Michigan Stories
The Wolfkeeper, a collection of stories by OMP native Carolyn Johnson Lewis, immerses us into harsh northern Michigan winters, howling winds and waters surrounding the peninsula covered with ice beneath the swirling snow. The stories acquaint us with the flora and fauna from cherry trees and morel mushrooms to wolves, lake trout and salmon. A diverse cast of characters share one common feature: they are the underprivileged – Native Americans with their storytelling, spirituality and connectedness to the natural world, and strong women pushing back against a male dominated culture. This illustrated volume of stories – at times poetic, darkly humorous and passionate – preserves the work of Carolyn Lewis, who passed away in 2019. Available at Horizon Books, Peninsula Market, Old Mission General Store and Amazon.
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Shop for Vinyl Car Stickers Celebrating Northern Michigan
Show your love for the Old Mission Peninsula and northern Michigan with durable vinyl stickers from the Old Mission Peninsula Store. They’re available in three sizes, but here’s a tip: the little ones are super adorable. They’re made specifically for cars but, well, we break the rules on the OMP so go ahead and put one on your fridge or your if you want. We won’t tell.
Shop for M37, OMPeace, OMP, OM, TC, Old Mission Panthers and Peninsula Redeyes stickers. Also check out our magnets (right now, we have M37 magnets, but we’ll be adding others soon), OMP calendars, aprons, tote bags, drinkware and more!
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Two books by Old Mission Peninsula author Karen Rieser make wonderful gifts. In Aiden’s Tree, a Christmas tree is brought into Aiden’s home with great pomp and ceremony. It lights up the darkness of winter, fills the home with a cold piney scent, glistens with ornaments and is the protector of all gifts beneath it. But what life does a tree live prior to entering a home? What happens to the tree after it leaves? Aiden’s Tree is the story of a Michigan fir – from seedling to Christmas tree to a marker on the Mackinaw Ice Bridge and more.
The History of Education on the Old Mission Peninsula covers just that, from the 1740s’ tribal educational systems of the Odawa and Ojibwa Native Americans to the Presbyterian evangelical movement of the 1840’s lead by Peter Dougherty. The book covers schools held on a schooner, in a private residence, a barn, an abandoned log cabin, the seven one-room schoolhouses on the Peninsula, and the current charter school.
Find the books at Horizon Books and Benjamin Twiggs in Traverse City, and Amazon. Visit Karen’s website here.
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[…] have copies of her book, “Aiden’s Tree,” as well. Both books are featured in our 2019 OMP Holiday Gift Guide, and are also available at […]