One of the joys of holiday shopping and gift-giving—and gift-getting, too!—is uncovering that special gift, something out of the ordinary, something fun and unexpected. We asked our friend George at Skidmore’s Sports and Styles in Hampton Bays for some gift-giving tips for the active friends and loved ones on your list.
Skates Are Great—For a wintery gift that keeps on giving, George loves the idea of ice skates. If you’re looking to give to a guy, he warns, “very few men will buy a figure skate—they are less expensive than hockey skates but they want that hockey look.” For kids, instead of buying a pair they’ll grow out of in one year, he suggests “adjustable-blade skates for young girls and boys—they go from size 12 to2 and 3 to 6—so you’ll get at least a couple years out of them, depending on growth spurts.” Shopping Tip: Don’t Be Dull. “When skates leave the factory they have not been sharpened, so we pre-sharpen all our skates. We recommend sharpening skates at least once a year.”
Go Bats —A new baseball bat makes a great gift now so you’re prepared to step up to the plate come spring, and the key for this gift this year is knowing about the new regulations for baseball bats in high schools. “Starting this year, everybody in school baseball has to use a bat rated for BBCOR,” George informs us. “That bat has to be 2 5/8 inches in diameter and it has to be a minus-3 on the weight—that means if it’s a 32-in bat, it weighs 29 ounces. These rules are also in effect for junior high, and they’re going to be strictly enforced, so you want to make sure you’re giving the right one.”
Sled, Sled, Sled—No, there hasn’t been any snow yet, but when the white stuff starts falling you don’t want to be caught unprepared. You could go with “a simple 3-foot disk, or a toboggan—either one that could hold 2 small kids at the same time or one that’s 66 inches long and will hold several young kids or a couple adults,” George offers. But if you’re looking to fly down those hills, “probably the fastest is the Snow Sprint, which is a plastic sled that looks like an open seashell.” Perfect for the Hamptons, don’t you think?
Stuff Those Stockings—“Wigwam socks, hats and gloves are always good, but a great stocking stuffer is a traction aid—we carry the Due North and YakTrax—that you strap them on the bottom of your shoes and have a much easier time on the ice.” Shopping Tip: “You should know what size shoe a person wears when you come in for one of these.”
Don’t Forget Summer—It isn’t exactly beach season, but here in the Hamptons you have an excuse to put some sun, sand and surf under the Christmas tree. “Boogie boards and surf shorts and inflatable floats, the carts families like to take their stuff down to the beach with—these are great to give this time of year. Goggles and masks and snorkels and fins—people like to take them along when they head south on vacation because they don’t want to use rentals when they get down there.” And then they’l also be ready when summer returns to the Hamptons!
You can get all these great gifts and more at Skidmore’s Sports and Styles in Hampton Bays. You can stop in at 9 E Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, NY 11946, or call them at (631) 728-0066.
