If you, like us, are sick of reading uninspired, disturbingly gendered gift guides full of Amazon products, we’re proud to present you with a thoughtfully curated and locally focused list of whimsical gift ideas that range in price and effort. After all, you deserve better ideas than beard oil and novelty chip clips. We’ll turn you into a champion gift-giver in no time.

For the Bookworm in Your Life 

Customized Book Bundles

In Iceland, books are the most popular Christmas gift. The holiday season is preceded by an annual book flood of new releases, and they’re exchanged between friends and family on Christmas Eve, often followed by a nighttime reading session that’s complemented by hot cocoa—a tradition I think we’d do well to adopt! If you want to channel some of that magic, try seeking out customized book recs for your recipients. The good people at the Seattle Public Library will happily provide a list of bespoke recommendations via their online Your Next Five Books program, and, of course, your local booksellers at shops like Elliott Bay Book Company and Charlie’s Queer Books can always point you in the right direction. I’m also a fan of the LGBTQ+-owned, Wisconsin-based bookstore A Room of One’s Own Books, which will curate a sweet “queer qare package” with books and other surprises based on a questionnaire about your giftee. Prices range from $45 to $1,000. JULIANNE BELL

A New York Review Books Subscription

Last year, I received an NYRB Classics Book Club subscription for Christmas, and it improved my entire year. If you’re unfamiliar with NYRB—the publishing division of the New York Review of Books—imagine the book version of the Criterion Collection, known for reprinting obscure, classic, and international titles with vibrant impressionistic artwork. With this annual subscription, your beloved book lover will receive one book per month. My favorites have been the metaphysical fiction novel The Skin of Dreams by French writer Raymond Queneau and the creative nonfiction collection The Unforgivable and Other Writings by Italian essayist Cristina Campo. AUDREY VANN

Children’s Books That Are Delightful for Adults, Too

If you’ve purchased any children’s books in the 21st century, you’re likely familiar with Carson Ellis. Still, we’d be remiss not to recommend her books. The illustrator’s naturalistic, folk-inspired, and richly detailed aesthetic falls in harmony with the Pacific Northwest landscape. In The Shortest Day, Ellis illustrates a poetic reflection on the winter solstice, which sounds like a lovely holiday gift to me. (BTW, while you’re shopping for kids’ books, pick up a copy of Ellis’s new illustrated memoir, One Week in January, for yourself—it revisits her experiences living in a Portland warehouse in the early 2000s, during which time she met future husband/Decemberists frontman/Wildwood writer Colin Meloy.)

And if you haven’t explored the enchanted realm of Phoebe Wahl’s children’s books, allow me to serve as your tiny mouse tour guide. (In alignment with Wahl’s aesthetic, I wear a strawberry for a hat and live beneath a mushroom cap.) I go hard for Wahl—the Bellingham-based illustrator’s book Little Witch Hazel offers body-posi folklore with a heroine who rides an owl and doesn’t shave her legs. If you are interested in haunted tree stumps, streamside fairies, and moments of exceptional vulnerability, you have found your new favorite person. Little Witch Hazel is a flawless book—I’ve even gifted it to adult friends—but Wahl’s other picture books, like Sonya’s Chickens and The Blue House, are treasures too, gently grappling with themes of gentrification and pet death. Ask about availability at Secret Garden Books in Ballard. LINDSAY COSTELLO

For Your Happily Overcaffeinated Loved One

Boon Boona Coffee

Boon Boona Coffee is a Black-owned coffee roaster that brings the unique flavors and community-minded traditions of East Africa to Seattle. In addition to making incredible coffee, they’re dedicated to supporting ethical sourcing, women growers, and underserved African coffee-growing regions. This summer, I bought a bag of their seasonal roast that listed strawberries as a tasting note on the label. To my delight, the roast tasted sweet but was also jammy and fresh with the earthy notes of strawberry seeds. I highly recommend buying the coffee addict(s) in your life a bag of Boon Boona beans or, better yet, one of their sample boxes or monthly coffee subscriptions. They also offer bags of green unroasted beans for coffee snobs who want to try their hand at the roasting process. AV

For the Gift-Giver Who Has No Money but Plenty of Time and Patience 

Hand-Harvested Sea Salt

Did you know that you can harvest sea salt in your kitchen with a few buckets of fresh seawater and coffee filters? Many tutorials exist online; the gist of the process involves filtering and boiling the water until salt crystals form. Then, dehydrate the salty sludge in your oven until it turns into beautiful, fresh sea salt. Blend the salt with herbs or citrus zest to make it extra special! However, if you don’t have the desire to wade in the ocean collecting salt water with a bucket, you can simply gift a jar of locally harvested salt from San Juan Island Sea Salt, available in interesting flavors like truffle and bull kelp. AV

For Your Grandparents 

A Christmas Ornament from Old World Christmas

One of my favorite things about Washington is that we are home to the country’s premier brand of Christmas ornaments (I promise it’s cooler than it sounds). Spokane-based elves Old World Christmas have produced magical, hand-painted blown glass ornaments since 1979. The best part is: They make ornaments of everything. With over 2,100 different ornaments, they have a wide variety of pets, foods, and pop culture icons to choose from. Looking for a Morton salt canister ornament? No problem. Need a pregnant snowman? They have that, too. What about Grandpa’s favorite recliner? Old World Christmas has you covered. Last year, I gifted my grandmother with a hot air balloon ornament to commemorate our voyage on the whimsical aircraft. AV

For the Fiber Arts Freak

Money for Yarn, aka the Power of Choice

Besides knowing the difference between knitting and crochet, the greatest gift you can give a fiber arts lover is enabling their hobby. Most of the knitters and crocheters I know (myself included) overspend on yarn, so they’d probably love a gift certificate to a well-stocked LYS (local yarn store) like the Tea Cozy Yarn Shop, Fiber Gallery, Acorn Street Shop, or Stitches. Cute notions like scissors or stitch markers are also always welcome, since they likely lose theirs all the time. For a fun day or weekend trip, treat them to a shopping spree at the sheep-to-skein producer Spincycle Yarns in Bellingham, yarn shops the Lamb & Kid and La Mercerie on Bainbridge Island, witchy Ritual Dyes in Portland, or yarn store/speakeasy Skein & Tipple on Whidbey Island. JB

For the Glassware Collector

A Chic Bottle of Booze or NA Spirit

Does your loved one have cupboards full of dainty little cups? I’m talking about champagne flutes, tiny cordial goblets, and grappa glasses. Listen to me: Don’t buy them any more vintage glassware! Instead, give them some reasons to use what they already have. The PNW is lucky to have countless distilleries, cideries, and bottle shops that peddle liquid gold. Gift them a bottle of flavorful hard cider from Finnriver or Twin Island Cider, both of which brew using local ingredients. Or watch their jaw drop as they unwrap a bottle of luxurious amaro from the Seattle-based, women-owned and -operated distillery Fast Penny Spirits. If they aren’t into the hard stuff, stop by alcohol-free bottle shop Cheeky & Dry for a chic bottle of NA spirits. No matter what drink your loved one is cheers-ing with this holiday season, you won’t go wrong with a jar of Luxardo cherries, available at several local grocery shops, including DeLaurenti and Metropolitan Market. AV

For the Wine Drinker

A Wine Subscription from a Local Bottle Shop

Want to impress your friend who has a Vivino account and is always talking about how much they love “glou-glou?” Sign them up for a wine club subscription from a hip spot like Left Bank in South Park, or La Dive, Otherworld, or Wide Eyed Wines on Capitol Hill. If they’re a bibliophile to boot, get them a curated wine and book pairing from Drink Books, which closed its Phinney storefront but still sells its combos online. JB

For the Tea Lover

Geek-Themed Tea from Friday Afternoon Tea

Loose-leaf aficionados will adore anything from Friday Afternoon Tea, a geek-themed tea shop in Wallingford. Owner Friday Elliott has lexical-gustatory synesthesia, which means she experiences words and concepts as flavors and uses this gift to craft specific blends inspired by sources ranging from Studio Ghibli films to The Lord of the Rings and Stardew Valley. For true indulgence, you can even book a custom tea blending appointment to create the brew of your recipient’s dreams. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable, if you have any questions. JB

For the Person You Love So Much, No Object Will Suffice 

The Melograno in Scented Terracotta at Liten Apothecary

For the last decade, I’ve lovingly referred to it as “The Pomegranate”—an elusive piece I promised myself I’d buy someday if I’m ever wealthy. So far, that plan hasn’t worked out for me. But that doesn’t mean you’re not wealthy, or at least willing to shell out $75 for a scented terracotta fruit made by an 800-year-old Italian apothecary company. (Santa Maria Novella products were first crafted by Dominican friars in 1221.) This is the chicest object ever created. Here’s why: The Pomegranate’s key features include a bergamot top, pomegranate (obviously) middle, and oakmoss base, and these notes coalesce into a spicy olfactory family. It also comes with a little plate, so your pomegranate has something to rest on. Santa Maria Novella explains that this fruit is “a universe that unfolds into unique and distinctive sensory nuances.” I am confident that your gift recipient requires more sensory nuance in their life. You can find the Pomegranate, which is more officially titled the “Melograno in Scented Terracotta,” at Liten Apothecary in Fremont. Plus, I have another (budget-friendly!) scent suggestion for you: Papier d’Arménie, which I’ve been purchasing for $5–$7 a pop for years. These little booklets of flammable scented paper have been in production in France since 1885, and they slide perfectly into a stocking. LC

A Tintype from Red Room Tintype

Unlike a typical photograph, a tintype is printed on a metal plate, which means it can last for 100+ years. This is particularly romantic if you’re in search of a gift that symbolizes everlasting devotion to a loved one. Last year, I took my friend Sophia to Red Room Tintype on Queen Anne to have our friendship memorialized forever, and I was awestruck by the ghostly, elegant result. Tintypes run around $150–$200. If you’re on a tight budget, consider creating your own similarly charming gift, like a Victorian-style shadow silhouette. All you need is black paper, scissors, creative lighting, and maybe a gilded frame from the thrift store. Make one of your friend’s pet—they will cry. AV

For the Hygge-Loving Fashion Enthusiast

Socks. Really, Really Nice Socks.

Hear me out—I know socks are often decried as a boring, overly practical present, but I think that’s reductive, especially when you can get socks as cozy and luxurious as the ones offered by the indie brand Le Bon Shoppe, which are available at boutiques like Butter Home on Capitol Hill, MILLIE on Queen Anne, and Pipe & Row in Fremont. Their thick, cushy “cloud socks” are my favorite, but styles like the sporty “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” crew socks and the stretchy ribbed “her socks” are just as timeless and stylish. For a more affordable sock option, I love the playful pairs sold at H Mart and Daiso. Alternatively, the Sock Monster in Wallingford has just about every variation you can think of, from tame to statement-making and from ankle socks to thigh-highs (including wide-calf and plus-size options). JB

For Those Who Hate Overconsumption and Capitalism

Donate!

There’s an abundance of worthy local, national, and international causes to give your money to. For your consideration, we’re recommending: the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Anera, which are providing urgent humanitarian relief in Palestine and Lebanon; Connecting Humanity, which supplies eSIMs (virtual SIM cards) to Gaza residents; the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, which works to bridge the financial gap in access to abortion and emergency contraceptives; and the Lavender Rights Project, a Seattle-based organization that empowers the Black intersex and gender-diverse community through intersectional legal and social services. Give a donation in your loved one’s name, or consider setting aside 10%–25% of your gift-buying budget to donate this year. AV

Gifts That Keep on Giving

A Membership to a Local Art Organization

Does your giftee love art? Gift a membership to the Seattle Art Museum, which gets them unlimited free admission for an entire year, along with other perks. If they’re a cinema buff, look into memberships at their local theater—such as SIFF or Grand Illusion (who are facing a costly move in 2025). You could also make a pledge to KEXP to get the music lover in your life a snazzy T-shirt or mug. Or, if your significant other has said, “We should go hiking more,” buy them a Discover Pass. If they’re a history buff, sign them up to support their local PBS station so they can obsessively binge Antiques Roadshow (okay, maybe I’m projecting). AV

One More Thing to Consider

Homemade Wrapping

I’m gonna get on my soapbox here: I don’t want to see any more wasteful and, frankly, ugly gift wrap from Target. Head to your nearest creative reuse store to find charming vintage paper, fabric, ribbons, stickers, and stamps. You’ll be surprised by what you can find. Last year, for under $20, I sourced various velvet ribbons, tiny bells, and butcher paper from Seattle ReCreative to wrap my holiday gifts—most of which I can reuse this year. They have two locations, in Georgetown and Greenwood. This practice saves on waste and money, and your friends and family will be impressed by your Martha Stewart-esque skills. AV