HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LOCAL CHRISTMAS!
This year, we’re staying as close-to-home as possible when it comes to sourcing holiday gifts. We’re shopping [curb-side & delivery] from boutiques within a few square kilometres and ordering directly from our favourite Ontario makers.
Here’s SSJ’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide A-Z!
A is for Animal Husbandry’s Simple Bucket in Whiskey, $350
I met Donna, a designer and maker from Port Hope, Ontario, at the One of a Kind Christmas Show and Sale several years ago! And I’ve been swooning over her leather-goods ever since. This bucket bag is soooo happening this Christmas. Here’s hoping we’ll all be traveling [and toting] like mad in 2021!
C is for Citrus Floral Recipe Cards by Rifle Paper, Madame Gateaux, $16
Our local bespoke baker’s supply boutique has a fabulous selection of baker’s tools. Canele molds for my stocking, please? Though, I’m most in love with these recipe cards!
J is for Jessica J. Lee’s Two Trees Make A Forest, Queen Books, $24.95.
After devouring Lee’s swimming-focused book, her new, prize-winning memoir is a must-read – or listen? Since the title is in such high demand, I might opt for the audiobook to listen to on long walks through the woods in winter. It’s available from my local, Queen Books.
L is for Love Fresh Headache Balm, $15, Jenny Bird Toni Gold Hinged Hoops, $110, Short Run East End Tee, $38, all via Collected Joy
East enders unite! Boutique owner Sharon has her own limited edition of neighbourhood tees for your next wardrobe upgrade. Then doll yourself up with some bird-girl hoops for extra shine. P.S. You’ll want to use this soothing wellness roller even when the headache’s long gone. Free your mind.
N is for No-Line Wine [and Many Other Goodies], Betty’s General, ~$24-40
My fave resto, City Betty, has rebranded as a General Store, open for amazing take-away options Thursdays through Sundays. [If you see a tin of roasted brussel sprouts, do NOT hesitate.] Their cocktail kits are astrologically charged! And their selection of wines play extra nice with the mains and sides!
M is for Make Someone Happy Online Gift Card, Fabric Spark, $25-$100
Still sewing….Doubtless a gift card to our local fabric shop will transform itself in a gorgeous stack of Robert Kaufman and Merchant Mills in a heartbeat. You’ve got to love the way Daryl sneaks in fabric samples which coordinate perfectly with your purchase!
M is also for Magda Szabo’s The Door, New York Review of Books, Book City, $19.95
I picked up Szabo’s Abigail in the before-times at The Strand in NYC. And it was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2020. This and Szabo’s other NYRB titles, available at Book City, are all on my wish-list this year.
P is for a Pound of Coffee Beans + a Gift Card, Might & Main Coffee, 126 Main Street, Toronto, $20 lb [+ $Unlimited]
My local, beloved coffee shop, Might & Main, has really been put to the test this year, and boy have they succeeded in making the best of it. Their new not-so-secret side door is as close to a speak-easy as a coffee-shop can be without selling alcohol! Their breakfast-sandwich, pastry, and weekend take-out baguettes are BOMB.
R is for Reid’s Signature Gin 750ml, Reid’s Distillery, $50
Everyone’s been talking about Reid’s Distillery’s local cocktail kit deliveries. I have a feeling these will be my go-to gifts for zoom-music-teachers and cocktail-enthusiast friends. We’ll take a large bottle of their classic Gin, please and thank you!
R is also for Retro Ornaments Holiday Card, Penny Paper Company, $5
Penny Paper Company has some gorgeous cards…And this gorgeous retro model epitomizes the “retro” feel of SSJ’s upcoming 2020 Advent Calendar. While you’re browsing Lindsay’s paper designs online, you might also think about indulging your sweet tooth with some of the festive candies she’s added to her line.
S is for a Selection of Bitters, including Bitter Truth Celery, $26, Dashfire Mole, $35, Bittercube Orange, $16, Peychaud’s Aromatic, $18, Ms. Betters Smoke and Oak, $28, and Fee Brother’s Black Walnut, $16, all from Cocktail Emporium
Having spent the last several months in a group making its way through the Savoy Cocktail Book, I not only realized what a difference bitters make, I realized how very barren our own bitters pantry has been. Time to stock up with the Peychaud’s necessary for the blessed Sazerac, as well as all the other new favourite drinks.
Z is for Zooming with the Dance Pack, 5 Streaming Dance Classes from The Pink Studio for $50 [Gift Cards Also Available]
Since we can’t meet in studio, Pink brings the studio home to you with live streaming classes as well as a library of on-demand classes. Can’t wait to take some of their December Holi-Slay offerings!
Please note: this is a gift guide, not a sponsored post! We have already purchased or have a desire to purchase all of the items on this list, with no discounts or freebies from the local makers or vendors.
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