This year, more than ever, we want to bring joy to our loved ones. As usual, there are probably a few hard to buy for folks in the mix. Here are a few last-minute holiday gift suggestions to bring the merry to all.
Snarky Santa Alert
In the mood for a little tartness to counter all that sweet Xmas cheer? Grave Goods Canada has you covered. There’s nothing quite like this practical artwork. Local artist Jamie Gray retrofits classic china with pithy sayings, ants, or dancing skeletons. Just wait for the look on the face of the person who picks up a shortbread cookie and finds “We’ll make it look like an accident” printed on the plate. Dishwasher safe. Priced around $20 and up. Sense of humour required.
Especially fitting messages for the holidays – photo by Jamie Gray
Come Bearing Gifts
Visit the Parks Canada Shop and browse their collections. Plan your camping trips with the 2021 calendar from the Vintage Collection with retro prints of a dozen Canadian parks, suitable for framing. The Essentials Collection has camper socks, t-shirts, and hoodies for everyone in the family, with the familiar Parks Canada beaver logo front and center. Pack them in an upcycled tote made of commemorative Parks Canada banners. Prices run the gamut from under $5 for coasters, magnets, and pins, to the made in Canada children’s red chair for $299. And you’ll warm up with all the feels that come from supporting our national parks.
A Parks Canada red chair is always outstanding in its field – photo courtesy Parks Canada
Plush Life
For the littles in your life, consider adopting a furry lemur, koala, beluga, or another animal from World Wildlife Fund. Each adoption comes with a 12” plush, an adoption certificate, a colourful species poster, and information on how your donation contributes to the work of the WWF. Protect walruses, polar bear dens, and bumblebees through a virtual holiday gift in the name of a special someone.
Christmas is more bear-able when you donate to a good cause – photo by Cesar Astudillo Flickr Creative Commons
Love Actually – With Shoes
It’s a Cinderella story with a twist. A romance in Chile left Calgarian Kevin Franco and his lady love searching for a way to bridge the 10,304 kms between them. They found a family in the shoemaking district in Santiago who had the solution. Not a glass slipper, but handsome, handmade men’s custom leather boots. The shop is owned by the family matriarch. Her son and his wife select individual leather pieces and the result is a pair of boots fit for a prince. Fitting is done here in Calgary and the boots take about 10 weeks to arrive. A gift card under the tree would be magical. $500.00 a pair at Franco Silva Zapateria. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Franco Silva puts heart into every sole – photo courtesy Kevin Franco
Find a Partridge in a Pine Tree
Is the Mountain Chickadee really chirping “cheeseburger”? Birders think so. Budding birdwatchers, or “twitchers’, as they’re called, would love to find the Carson Optical VP Series Binoculars under the tree. A Wirecutter budget pick, they’re lightweight, waterproof, and fog proof with an 8 X 42 magnification. Available on Amazon.ca. To weigh in on the birdcall debate, check out The Cornell Lab All About Birds sounds and songs, or their popular phone app eBird.
