The holiday season is officially here, and while we can all agree that getting gifts is fun, you wouldn’t be alone if you silently dreaded the “giving” part. Picking out fun, unique, and meaningful gifts for your friends and family can be challenging even at the best of times. To give you a head start, we’ve put together a list of fun ideas for your gift-searching journey this year – including a small, Austin-flavored twist.
Plantable Greeting Cards
Online Only
It’s true that holiday greeting cards are a basic essential in any gift bundle, so why not put a green spin on yours? The Seed Card Company makes their cards out of 100% completely biodegradable, post-consumer recycled materials. However, the real main attraction is that the paper is infused with wildflower seeds, meaning you can actually plant the card after you’re done with it.
Clean-burning, Natural Candles
Slow North | 5555 N Lamar Blvd, Suite E-109
In a market full of candles made from synthetic and potentially harmful materials, Slow North made it their mission to deliver candles crafted entirely with organic soy wax and pure essential oils for scents. If candles aren’t your thing, they also make diffusers, bath products, and therapeutic masks/wraps.
Hand-thrown Ceramics and Stoneware
Settle Ceramics | 1023 Springdale Rd Bldg 6, Suite F
For thoughtfully made, handcrafted stoneware and ceramic goods, Settle Ceramics are a wonderful local option. Offering a wide variety of options from plates to vases to butter bells, they could have the perfect gift for those who are always looking for ways to jazz up their kitchen.
Ethical Handcrafted Jewelry
Fail Jewelry | 828 Airport Blvd
For 12 years, Christine Fail has dedicated herself to creating jewelry and accessories that are made with ethically-sourced materials, through sustainable methods. Supplied with Fairmined® Gold and ethically mined gemstones, her designs offer an organic design-sense that makes each band, necklace, and earring feel one-of-a-kind.
Austin Natural Soap
Online Only
Founded in the year 2000 and serving the local community ever since (even after they had to close their physical storefront), Austin Natural Soap is a trusted option for locally-sourced, handcrafted vegan soaps. They offer two-soap gift mini gift bags for the holidays, as well as various other general kits and themed samplers.
Sustainability-Focused General Store
Parker and Scott | 2113 West Anderson Ln
Recently opened in just 2022, Parker and Scott General Store aims to provide a comfortable and down-to-earth market experience, with diverse products sourced from local artisans. From toys and children's books, to kitchen products, to snacks and beverages, you never know what you might find as a meaningful addition to a holiday gift basket.
Gifts from Uncommon Goods
Online-Only
Uncommon Goods supplies a wide variety of unique toys, games, arts supplies, and apparel for kids of all ages. There’s no shortage of silly stocking stuffers, but older kids may really love something like a pocket microscope, a kids digital camera, a rechargeable neck light for nighttime reading, or even an umbrella you can color in yourself.
Lego Sets
Online and In-store
Among their usual lineup of various buildings and vehicles for kids of all ages to explore, Lego also offers small, sweet sets that range from perfect stocking-stuffers to breakout, standalone gifts. Some notable options include Cozy Plants, Rocking Plants, and Happy Plants: colorful, emotive little planters with cute faces, Holiday Ornaments, and their signature Flower Arrangements.
Jellycat Soft Toys
Online Only
Having started in London and spreading worldwide to meet the demand for their quirky and adorable soft toys, there’s a Jellycat for every pet, every sport, hobby, food – you name it. They of course have a holiday-themed line, but their animals, amusables, and baby-specific lines offer plenty of room for personalization in the gift department.
Handmade Leather Goods
ATX Leather Co. | Online Only
Based out of Austin, ATX Leather Co. provides a wide catalog of unique, handcrafted leather goods including belts, wallets, handbags, totes, and keychains. With a refined look that speaks to the level of skill of their artisans, any of their items would make for a sleek and quality gift.
Handcrafted Gourmet Chocolate
Chocolates El-Rey | 42 S Ranch Road 1623
With a store located in Stonewall, Chocolates El-Rey offers a finely curated selection of gourmet chocolate confections. From bars of milk chocolate with raspberry espresso, to chili lime bark, to coconut truffles, you might find it difficult to decide what to get! Using only ethically-sourced Venezuelan cacao, the taste of their chocolates isn’t one you’ll forget in a hurry.
Le Creuset Ovenware
Online Only
For the baking enthusiast, Le Creuset always offers a variety of fun colors for their dutch ovens, bread ovens, baking pans, and various other kitchen goods. Something like their Mini Round Cocotte would be great for a smaller gift, providing a nice size for molten lava cakes, crumbles, and pot pies.
Sample Tea Giftsets
Zhi Tea | 1023 Springdale Road Building 7A
Tea-lovers can look no further than Zhi Tea, a local teahouse in Austin with an incredibly diverse selection of teas. Visitors can sit down in their lovely tea room to sample a tea flight, pick up single sample-sized packs, or purchase a pre-curated gift sampler of any tea variety (white, green, red, black, or herbal). Although they also offer steeping kits (as all the tea is loose-leaf), beginners may find that a coffee filter will work just as well.
This season, don’t let yourself be caught up with what’s popular or practical – in a city as diverse and artistically-inclined as Austin, a wonderfully unique gift could be closer than you think. We hope that this list has provided inspiration for what we hope will be an unforgettable gift exchange.
