My nephew is turning 6! As crazy as that seems, it’s true. With him being in North Carolina and me being in Montana (and, oh yeah, there’s this pandemic going on, too), I’m not going to get to celebrate with him this year. I thought this birthday was the perfect excuse to put a little Montana Gift Corral care package together for everybody. And I mean everybody: mom, sister, brother-in-law, 9 year old niece, 6 year old birthday boy, 4 month old baby niece, and, of course, Sierra the family pup. I’ll take this moment to thank my stars that I am not forced to stay at home with all of those people, love them as I do.

Before I get into the gifts I hope my family will enjoy, I wanted to send along something that would create one of my favorite things about being home with everybody, sitting down together for breakfast. The adults in my family are far more concerned with downing cups of coffee than actually eating anything. With my sister wrangling three little ones, I figured I should send along something strong and the Obsidian Blend by Morning Glory Coffee is just that. The item in my care package home I had to think the least about was what I’d send along for breakfast; that is obviously going to be Huckleberry Flapjack Mix from Huckleberry Haven. Pancakes are always a winner and with wild Montana huckleberries in this mix, I should probably plan on mailing them this flapjack mix every couple of weeks!

I’ll start with the birthday boy. The poor kid is burdened with having a former elementary school teacher as an uncle, so my gifts are always a little bit education oriented. But, he’s starting to read and has an avid reader as a big sister, so I think he’s really going to enjoy Patched by Kyle Steiner. Patched is a cute story about what happens when a balloon pops. Where does it land? In this imaginative story, Patch, the balloon, lands next to a child in Bozeman, Montana. I think this will help stretch my nephew’s reading skills and help him learn about the incredible place I get to call home!

In addition to the book, I’m going to send along a really cool puzzle featuring the wildlife of the national parks. This puzzle from Masterpiece Puzzle Company is recommended for ages 6 and up, so it’s a hundred perfect pieces for this 6 year old! In hopes of giving my sister and brother-in-law some rest, I’m also going to throw in some activity books from Farcountry Press for my niece and nephew.

For my 9 going on 16 year old niece, I picked out some pretty nifty earrings from Rocky Mountain Leaf Company. The Silver Cone Wire Earrings are made from real pinecones! The pinecones have been electroplated with fine silver; I hope my niece thinks that’s as cool as I do. I’m going to give my mom a matching Silver Cone Necklace from Rocky Mountain Leaf Company that’s made using the same process as the earrings. This is the perfect pairing for any little girl whose grandma is her best friend (or maybe for any grandma whose granddaughter is her best friend).

My mom, in her duties as a grandma, has rediscovered her love for coloring books. She can turn on some music and get lost in a coloring book for hours. Dave Embers has some of the coolest adult coloring books out there; one is a Yellowstone National Park theme while another is Glacier National Parked themed. I’m going to get her the Glacier one because she’s already come out and explored Yellowstone, so I’m hoping she’ll get excited about Glacier and plan a trip back to Montana so I can show her everything on that end of this great state!

Since my sister and brother-in-law don’t scoff at getting clothes as a gift like the little ones do, I’m going to send them some sweet Montana apparel. I figure you can’t have enough t-shirts, and because my brother-in-law works construction, he goes through a good number of them. He’ll help me rep my Montana State University pride in North Carolina with this 100% cotton offering from The Hamilton Group.

For my always cold sister (even in the humid heat of the southeast) I’m sending along the Textured State Montana Hoodie by Prairie Mountain. It’s thick and will probably accompany a blanket or two when she’s on the couch for movie night.

For the four month old little nugget, I have to get the Huckleberry Creeper from Lazy One that reads “Berry Cute” on the front with a bloated bear sitting next to a basket full of huckleberries. She is indeed berry cute, so it’s appropriate advertising.

For the very good doggo, there will be some Beef Trachea Pieces from Blue Dog Provisions in the box. 100% Montana sourced treats will put extra wag in her tail!

I hope everybody enjoys the little pieces of Montana I’m sending home. If you have loved ones  far away, Montana Gift Corral can help you send them something thoughtful to make the miles between you feel a little shorter.

Written with love by Stephen McNeal