San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Find a unique gift that won’t break the bank
After nearly two years of being in a pandemic, many of us have seen our budgets shrink. But we still want to find special, memorable gifts for our friends and family, and if we can do that for under $25 a shot, we’re thrilled.
These aren’t White Elephant gifts, either, or something your recipient might suspect is a re-gift from someone else. These are thoughtful choices you can be proud to present, and there is something to please any age range.
As always during these days of online sourcing and shopping, do check websites for Bay Area store locations where you can pick up the gifts. Or if ordering directly, factor in any shipping fees. And shop early, since COVID-19 shipping delays continue to challenge everyone’s schedules. looking for something a bit different from wine or beer. This dry, crisp quaff is handcrafted with 20 varieties of heirloom apples along with a good dose of spicy pears and quince, all from Belden’s own Sonoma Mountain orchards. Estate owners Nate and Lauren Belden work with resident farmers Jenny and Vince Trotter to select the finest fruit, while Tilted Shed Ciderworks of Windsor handles the smallbatch fermentation process. The result is a complex, refreshing blend with fruity, rose petal flavors that tastes more expensive than it is. Buy at www. beldenbarns.com.
Sloths are all the rage these days, perhaps as we found ourselves channeling their sluggish energy and seemingly care-not attitudes during lockdown. The smiling arboreal mammal depicted in this photo hangs happily from a tree branch, measuring 30-by-28 inches and encouraging even players as young as 5 to connect its oversize, easily handled pieces into a work of art. Buy at www.maddcapp games.com or find at stores all across the Bay Area (www.maddcapp games.com/pages/ find-a-retail-location).
Tweens and young teens can be hard to shop for, as they’re often navigating the challenges of those transformative years. Owners Stacia Truax and Megan Moran formed this boutique Portland, Ore. company in 2020 to offer selfcare products that are gentle enough for young skin and are free from paraben preservatives, harsh sodium laureth sulfate and chemical phthalates. These whimsically packaged astrology-inspired moisturizing balms are made with essential oils and coconut milk; just choose your recipient’s custom sign. Buy at www.loveandxojulia.com.
You could fess up to your friends that their home sweet home often smells of eau de dog — that charming fragrance of funky Fido. Or you could politely gift them with this all natural, U.S. made, long lasting wax melt in new holiday scents that are said to help eliminate pet odors (Pet House promises “guaranteed,” actually). We like the Gingerbread Cookies scent that smells wonderfully of ginger, a dash of cinnamon and clove mixed with the sweet fragrances of vanilla bean, maple and freshly baked cookie (It’s 100% soy so it’s non-toxic to animals should Fido take a bite). Simply pop the handpoured, paw-shaped melt into a wax warmer (like the Gingerbread Man mini warmer sold here for $20 (www.scentsy.com/shop/ p/44084/gingerbreadman-mini-warmer), and voila — you’ve got lovely candle scent without the worry of open flame. Buy at www.onefurallpets.com or at Bay Area pet shops (www.onefurallpets.com/ community/store-locator).
California is well known for its rich Chardonnay, and this bottle is extra special, since it comes with your own label in whatever design and message you choose. Select from a portfolio of wines (if your recipient prefers red, for example, see the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon for $20), choose from a selection of pre-designed templates you customize with the online design tool or upload your very own design. There’s no minimum order, but you can save money by purchasing larger quantities — an order of 12 Chardonnay bottles avoids the $15 one-time art set-up fee. Buy at www.napavalley privatelabelwine.com.
Brand new from the Sonoma-based pioneer of today’s ultra-popular chèvre (fancy goat cheese), this creamy delight brings another ultrapopular culinary trend to the table — the delicious “everything” bagel in the classic, crunchy blend of sesame, garlic, poppy seed and onion. The “chabis,” by the way, is French for pillow party, saluting the cheese’s creamy spreading quality. Bonus: order online via Northbay Creameries, and you can also get a new, tiny-batch cheese from Marin French Cheese Co. in Petaluma. Saluting the entire Bay Area, the Golden Gate is a hand-washed rind, naturally golden-orange hued triple crème, available as an add-on to any other cheese order ($14.95 for 8 oz.). Creamy, rich and earthy, it also boasts a touch of saltiness from the unique cultures naturally present in California’s coastal air. Buy at www. northbaycreameries.com.
During the lonely time of the pandemic, many people brought new pets into their homes. At least half of Bay Area residents own pets, according to a 2021 report by the American Veterinary Medical Association. So if you’re reading this, you probably own at least one pet yourself and know plenty of people who are equally proud “fur parents.”
Fun fact: In 2015, the Oxford English Dictionary added “fur babies” to their list of definitions, to describe “a person’s dog, cat or other pet animal that has fur, especially when it is treated with the love and attention you would give a child.”
We all know that children love holiday gifts. So this year, be sure to include all the kids with something gaily wrapped and chosen just for them.
You may be tempted to eat these beauties yourself, since they are so dramatic and colorful, designed like oversized bubbles, pinwheels, hearts, diamonds and candles, all shiny in rainbow glazes. You could, actually, since the 100% natural treats are handmade in the shop’s San Francisco kitchen with tender, organic chicken, beef, turkey or lamb pate finished in delicate glazes made from freshly squeezed vegetable juices. Owner Olia Rosenblatt notes that beside the high quality meat, the nutritionrich vegetable glaze contains agar, naturally extracted from algae, which has been proven to help strengthen a dog’s joints, bones, and teeth. The shop is new, so right now, purchases are available for pick-up at the boutique (2163 Union St., San Francisco) or delivered across San Francisco via DoorDash or Uber Eats. Gift cards are available, too, and nationwide shipping is slated to start in December or January. Buy at www.mishkacakes.com. rescue dog, Bristol, and also seeks to encourage supporters to raise awareness for animal welfare. Bristol was an official winery greeter, and the beloved chocolate lab passed away earlier this year at age 15. Buy at the winery, 1091 Larkmead Lane, Calistoga, or online at www.frankfamily vineyards.com.
This is one of the poshest full-service pet care facilities in the Bay Area with two separate campuses in San Francisco dedicated to cats and dogs. Whether it’s daycare or overnight lodging, fur children enjoy customized, indoor/outdoor dog play groups, and options like basic agility trials, chasing flirt-poles and navigating a luring course. Kitties hang out in a Safari Solarium with huge windows, towering aquariums and a 500-square-foot greenhouse for a safe “outdoor” space to strut their stuff. If the cats are the playful type, they can chase projected laser lights, create mast-purr-pieces in a Pi-Cat-So art class and even take a tour around the neighborhood in custom cat strollers. There are private kindergartens just for puppies and kittens, too, as well as gentle exercise and enrichment programs for senior animals. Buy at www.petcamp.com. Give your local recipients a “good-for” card for a visit to this Napa Carneros winery, then pick a date for a group get-together with your and their dogs. You will savor an al fresco seated tasting of the signature Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs paired with a few nibbles, while your pups will slobber over their very own Barkuterie boards, set with a custom Migration branded biscuit, duck sausages and Old Mother Hubbard all-natural treats. It’s fun for the whole crew! Make a reservation at www.migrationwines.com.
Did you know that different canine coats have different conditioning requirements? Penngrove shop owner Emma Mann does, so she handcrafts strictly natural soaps for breed needs having wiry coats, short and smooth coats, curly and corded coats, long and silky coats, and others. Wrinkled coats (think blood hounds, pugs, and such), for example, can accumulate excess moisture and oil in their skin folds and furrows, so their soap includes refreshing, therapeutic lemon blends and soothing creamy coconut. The formula also includes natural botanicals, plant oils and butters to cleanse while hydrating between those wrinkles. Buy at their store, 5400 Old Redwood Highway North, Penngrove, online at www.soap cauldron.com or find a store on their locator (https://www.soap cauldron.com/pages/sca-store -locator).
So your friend loves his tortoise. Or ball snake, bearded dragon, iguana or tarantula. What can you give him? Talk to the experts at this Berkeley emporium that claims to be the nation’s oldest and largest reptile store. Offering a wide range of specialty food, supplies and equipment since 1970, they can counsel you on what’s best to buy. Just don’t be surprised if you fall in love with a scaly critters yourself, but remember, never gift anyone else with an unexpected animal at the holidays or any time. Buy at the store, 1827 Fifth St., Suite C, Berkeley, or online at www.eastbayvivarium.com.