It’s time for mittens and hot chocolate and sparkly lights on chilly nights, fa la la la and all that magic…and, *cough, cough* holiday shopping. Now before you start hyperventilating, because we’ve all been there – the list of people to get gifts for keeps growing and time runs down so fast – we’re here to help. Let the shopping be happy and merry this year.
This holiday gift guide is a head start with 25 gift ideas that are from the Boston area or are Boston-themed. With 25 days ’til Christmas there’s one for every day. There’s something for everyone on this list, so don’t fret. Have a sip of schnapps (because that seems like the appropriate thing to do) and let the shopping spree commence, drama free.
25. Snacks, Spices, Sauces & Jam from Sofra
Photo Credit: Sofra
This lovely Turkish shop and cafe offers tons of unique packaged goods that are perfect for gifting. They sell their own Middle Eastern spice blends, jams, sauces, nuts, cookies, and other snacks. Great for stocking stuffers or stand alone gifts. This is one of our favorite places to shop for gifts…and to receive them from!
24. Bites of Boston Food Tours Gift Card
Photo Credit: Bites of Boston
The gift of an experience is one of the most fun gifts to receive and one of the easiest gifts to give. Everyone loves something food-themed! So show some love with a gift card to one of Bites of Boston’s two local food tours. They offer a South End Sweet & Savory Tour and an Allston Arts & Eats Tour. Both are full of fascinating information to pair with delicious tastes of the neighborhood.
23. Custom Food Paintings from Laurel Greenfield Art
Photo Credit: Laurel Greenfield Art
Some of the best gifts are the ones that are personal. Laurel captures food and family memories around the table with her custom paintings. Choose from a piece she has already made or commission her to make you a personalized painting. Her use of bright colors and understanding of food nostalgia come together in eye catching and heart warming pieces. You might want to provide tissues, because this is sure to be a tear-jerker gift!
22. Spirits from Bully Boy Distillers
Photo Credit: Bully Boy Distillers
The Willis brothers are responsible for brining this distillery to the Boston area, and while they make a variety of spirits, we are a fan of their American Straight Whiskey and their Boston Rum. A great gift to get a little roasty-toasty around the holidays. *wink*
21. Boston Glassware from theUncommonGreen Etsy Shop
Photo Credit: theUncommonGreen
Does the person who you’re buying that Bully Boy whiskey for need some fancy Boston rocks glasses to sip their drink in? Of course they do! theUncommonGreen is a Boston-based Etsy shop that makes all kinds of glasses with Boston maps and imagery. And oh hey, if you really want to go big or go home, you can include the next gift as well.
20. Neighborwoods Map Coasters from uncommon goods
Photo Credit: uncommon goods
This mom & pop-esque company, started from a passion project and uses the tagline “your ‘hood etched in wood.” If you want a memento of your favorite city (Boston!) to gift someone these are unique and beautiful addition to any coffee table. They are made from aromatic Red Cedar plywood to make them even more special.
19. Ceramics from Lara Cecilia Handmade
Photo Credit: Lara Cecilia Handmade
Lara is based out of Jamaica Plain and she makes lovely, rustic handmade clay dinnerware. This is a thoughtful gift and an wonderful addition to anyone’s table or kitchen.
18. Boston Murals by Christine Verret and Adrien Verret
Photo Credit: Amazon
This incredible book compiles over 400 urban murals painted between 1969 and 2016 in Boston and some of its suburbs. This city is full of street art and images of it have all landed on the pages of this book. A stunning compilation!
17. Doves & Figs Artisanal Jam
Photo Credit: Doves & Figs
Someone gave us this jam once and we have been giving it as gifts ever since. It is packed with love and their wide range of flavors are seasonal. You can’t go wrong with anything but we are crazy about the Harvest Fair. The small jars are great stocking stuffers!
16. Gift card to Just Add Cooking
Photo Credit: Just Add Cooking
Do you know someone who needs a little help getting dinner on the table? Help them save time meal planning and cut down on trips to the grocery store with a gift certificate to try Boston’s only local meal kit. They support local farmers and vendors while having a strong focus on sustainability and a mission to change the food system as we know it today. Most importantly, their recipes are quick and delicious!
15. Cookbooks from Local Chefs
Photo Credit: Barnes & Noble
Photo Credit: Barnes & Noble
It’s always fun to open up a cookbook full of beautiful images and inspiring recipes that make your mouth water. These cookbooks do just that. Both written by local chefs who have several restaurants in the city of Boston, these cookbooks give you a sneak peek into their kitchens and allow you to bring some of their food into your home. Jeremy Sewall is the local authority on New England fare and fresh seafood, while Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick are the city’s experts on Turkish and Middle Eastern savory dishes and pastry respectively.
14. Treats from Sweet Lydia’s
Photo Credit: Sweet Lydia’s
These handmade sweet treats turn anyone into the kid in a candy store, eyes wide and mouth watering. Their homemade marshmallows are pillowy and soft and fun flavors are offered. They also make homemade s’mores, candy bars, caramels, jellies, and toffee. Perfect for stocking stuffers or a standalone gift.
13. Gift Card to Ye Olde Tavern Tours
Photo Credit: Ye Olde Tavern Tours
In the spirit of Boston’s well-known drinking culture this company was founded to bring together the history buffs and the beer-lovers, and if you know someone who is a fan of both this is a must-get gift for them! They run tours along the Freedom Trail and in the Fenway area. Go ahead, get your beer drinking shoes on.
12. McCrea’s Caramels
Photo Credit: @janegee via Instagram
Buttery, sweet, smooth, and packed with creative flavors, these caramels are a great treat to gift. You might want to get some for yourself too while you’re at it. Find them in local shops such as Olives & Grace and Curds & Co. They also make great stocking stuffers!
11. Queen Bee Honey Products
Photo Credit: Queen Bee
We love reallyyy good, local honey and products made from it. Luckily we have Queen Bee right here in Pembroke, MA running their own 120 acre organic farm and producing incredibly luscious and luxurious honey and honey products to both eat and use to nourish your skin. Their gift boxes are a wonderful present to receive!
10. Cooking & Tasting Classes at Formaggio Kitchen
Photo Credit: Formaggio Kitchen
Formaggio Kitchen is a neighborhood staple in the South End that sells artisanal foods, drinks, and offers an impressive cheese selection. They have several locations but their South End shop is a stop on the Bites of Boston Sweet & Savory South End Tour. They hold cooking and tasting classes at some of their locations, which are fun and educational. Gifting an experience is always a great way to go!
9. Sauces from Orinoco Kitchen
Photo Credit: Orinoco Kitchen
This Venezuelan restaurant has three locations in Boston which are all very much loved by us, their South End location is also a stop on the Bites of Boston South End Sweet & Savory Tour. They are known for their Arepas – ground maize dough cooked into rounds on a flat top and stuffed with fillings, like a soft, corn patty sandwich. You can take some of their flavors home with their packaged hot sauce, adobo rub, and chutney. These make awesome gifts and stocking stuffers for those with a palate open to a little spice.
8. Poethique Beauty Products
Photo Credit: Poethique
These skincare products are 100% plant-based and toxin-free. The company was founded by an MIT graduate who specialized in pharmaceutical and cosmetic chemistry. She also incorporates the practices of Ayurveda in her life. Her Radiance Boosting Serum is the perfect gift to help someone glow this holiday season and into the new year.
7. True Moringa Beauty Products
Photo Credit: True Moringa
This is a gift you can truly feel good about giving and receiving. This company started by two girls who went to college in Boston does good for your skin and for the world. The girls came across the Moringa Tree, aka “the miracle tree” during their time in Ghana where they found the benefits that the tree can provide to the other crops that grow around it and the bounty that its leaves and oil seeds can provide the human body, especially the skin.
6. Leap Organics Soap & Skincare Products
Photo Credit: Leap Organic
Luke, the founder of this company, followed through on his vision to create a skin care business that was better overall for us and the environment. And he did it. Feel good about giving these to someone and letting them become a part of their daily skincare and cleansing routine. Everyone will be happy!
5. Walden Local Meat Co. Subscription Gift Card
Photo Credit: Walden Local Meat Co.
Know any carnivores? We’re sure you do. Gift them a subscription or a gift card to Walden Local Meat Co. who offers weekly meat shares to their customers. Based in New England and New York, they produce the highest quality of grass-fed beef and other pasture-raised meat. Their mission is to support small, industrious farmers and provide the local community with meat that has been sustainably raised and is nutritious, which makes it therefore more delicious (couldn’t resist the rhyme).
4. Hot Sause from Alex’s Ugly Sauce
Photo Credit: Alex’s Ugly Sauce
Wanna spice things up this holiday season? We’ll leave your love life to you, but if you wanna add some kick to your meals try Alex’s Ugly Hot Sauce. A great gift for any hot sauce connoisseur, this stuff is fiery and flavorful, ranging from mild heat to will-I-taste-again? heat.
3. Garlicky Salt from Richard’s Famous Garlic Salt
Photo Credit: Richard’s Famous
Salt and garlic are musts in most cooking, we find ourselves using them every day without really noticing. Now when garlic meets salt it’s magic. Richard’s Famous uses and Old World-inspired recipe and helps to amp up the flavor in your cooking. Try their Firecracker flavor for a punch of spice. Also, the little garlic cartoons with faces on the jar are just too cute. Are we right?
2. Barbecue sauce from Sweet Cheeks Q
Photo Credit: Sweet Cheeks Q
Feelin’ saucy? Us too. We love, love, love the homemade barbecue sauce from Sweet Cheeks Q. It’s a tomato-molasses base so it’s perfectly sweet and great slathered all over some brisket or ribs. You can buy it bottled and gift it to give the flavors of Boston’s most beloved barbecue spot to someone you love.
1. Homemade sauce from Mei Mei
Photo Credit: Mei Mei
This favorite food truck turned restaurant is now letting us take a taste of them home with their three bottled sauces. All of them will add a little Asian flare to any dish and perk up your taste buds for sure. It’s hard to choose just one so why not gift all three. The three flavors are: Apple Hoisin, Smoked Maple Ginger, and Cranberry Sweet & Sour.
Happy holidays, and happy shopping!
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