The Gift of a Longer Summer

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But by Dec. 26, those same folks would surely rejoice if all hints of snow just vanished, and spring sprang up right then in full bloom. Instead, the icy, sludgy, gray mess that is true winter for much of North America is really just settling in, with spring a distant three months away.

And as for summer ... fuhgedaboudit!

So is there some meaningful, affordable gift out there that you could get for your special sun-craving someone this holiday season? Something that could make those still-distant spring days feel more like summer, and the relaxed spirit of summer seem to stretch straight into fall? Absolutely!

A hammock. It's the one present that promises countless balmy-day sojourns without the costly worry of traveling any further than a person's own back yard.

"Our return customers are always telling me that the hammock they picked up last year made them feel like their summer lasted twice as long," says Bill Rosso, president of Nags Head Hammocks, one of the world's leading producers and retailers of hand-woven hammocks.

In shopping for a quality hammock, it helps to know that while cotton rope and fabric may be traditional, the popular organic fiber is simply no match for the elements. Yet for a long time, synthetic rope and fabric didn't present any real alternative; they felt coarse, a sure-fire recipe for poor relaxation.

That's why so many hammock owners hang their hammocks only in summer. But that no longer need be the case.

Recent advances in textiles manufacturing have led to 100-percent synthetic fibers so remarkably thin they can be woven into rope or yarn that mimics the softness of cotton. These new-generation synthetics are not just highly weather-resistant, they're also quick-drying, and won't rot, mold, mildew, stain or even fade.

"They not only provide a long hammock life, but since they can be left outside all the time, they also can mean a much longer hammock season," says J.R. Pelletier, manager of TheHammockCompany.com, an international leader in hammock sales.

"If you have your hammock in storage on a sunny spring or fall day," he continues, "you'll probably just leave it packed up. But if your hammock is right there hanging up outside, really, aren't you going to make a beeline for it?"

Most late-spring and early fall days are ideal for hammock use. Not to mention that watching new spring flowers bloom while gently swaying to and fro on a sunny, breezy afternoon is enough to wash even the worst winter blahs away.