In a typical year, we grumble over Santa sightings in November. We “bah-humbug!” at department stores that tinsel up too early. And premature holiday carols? Don’t get us started.
But this year is different. Perhaps we’re just trying to hasten the end of 2020. Or we crave the deep comfort of twinkle lights and snowmen. At least we’re not alone: Pinterest searches for winter holiday decor began soaring in — wait for it — April. TikTok went Christmas crazy in July. And a little eggnog escapism sounds perfect right about now.
So if you’re thinking about getting a start on your holiday gift shopping now, we’ve got 12 merry ideas for the foodies, drink lovers and adventurers in your life — or for you to keep for yourself.
1 EAT & READ: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s new children’s book
Got a young foodie on your list? Trust Lopez-Alt, the South Bay restaurateur, Serious Eats guru and dad, to pen a children’s picture book about everyone’s favorite food. “Every Night is Pizza Night” (Norton Young Readers, $18) for pizza-loving Pipo, until she and her friends go on a neighborhood quest to prove that — scientifically speaking — pizza is the best thing ever.
Pipo even calls on the “Pizzagorean Theorem” to declare that “triangles taste better.” But in their search for more data, Pipo discovers that while pizza is indeed the “best,” so is bibimbap. And tagine. And red beans and rice. And dumplings. And pozole.
This funny, heartwarming tale is illustrated by Gianna Ruggiero. Pipo’s an adorable fireball. And this being Lopez-Alt, there’s a recipe for Pipo’s Pizza in the back. Available at Orinda Books and other Bay Area independent bookstores.
2 EAT: A bacon subscription
For the last decade, chef Tony Baker has made British-style bacon for swanky restaurants around the country, curing and smoking sustainably-raised heritage breed pork at his smokehouse in Marina, just north of Monterey. You know those high-end restaurants that top their crave-worthy $25 burgers with thick, dry-cured, double-smoked bacon? That’s the stuff.
Now regular people can get it, too, by ordering the Baker’s Bacon gift box ($42) or — for die-hard fans — a bacon subscription ($95). The gift box includes two packages of thick-sliced double-smoked bacon and one of uncured back bacon. The subscription box goes even bigger with six pounds of porky splendor; https://bakersbacon.com.
3 EAT & READ: Ayesha Curry’s new cookbook
Entrepreneur. Restaurateur. Television host. Being Ayesha Curry takes all day — how does the mother of three find time to cook? By using the tips and tricks in “The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do” (Little, Brown, $30). Curry’s new cookbook features more than 100 approachable recipes, including Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas and her go-to Quinoa Salad alongside seasonal desserts (hello, Winter Spiced Rice Pudding) and quick-fix cocktails. Photos of Curry’s adorable kids and gorgeous home make this a must-have for her fans.
Available through Bay Area independent bookstores.
4 EAT: Alfajores sampler
Oakland’s Wooden Table Baking Co. is the East Bay expert on alfajores, the decadent Argentine shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche. If your giftee has a sweet tooth, one of the Latinx-and-LGBTQ-owned company’s 16-cookie samplers will certainly make them swoon.
The Basic Sampler includes traditional alfajores, along with Chocolate, Meringue and Snickerdoodle, while the Flavor Fusion is a medley of Argentine-American flavors, like Lemon Ginger, Snickerdoodle, Espresso Chocolate and Mint Chocolate. There’s also a Chocolicious Sampler. $26; https://woodentablebaking.com
5 SIP: Griffo Distillery cocktail kits
Petaluma-based Griffo Distillery offers so many cocktail kits, you could try a different one every month of the year and still have more to sip. The small-batch, family-owned distillery — co-owner and distiller Michael Griffo has a Ph.D in physics — specializes in craft gin, vodka and whiskey.
The 13 kits run the gamut, from the trendy Hibiscus Whiskey Ginger Cocktail Kit to classics, like the Ultimate Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit, which makes a whopping 24 cocktails. Best part? They’re adding new kits for the holidays. Each gift box contains a recipe card and ships in a sleek black box. $50-$180, plus shipping (California only); https://griffodistillery.com
6 SIP: Virtual party, real wine
Virtual wine tastings have popped up at wineries across California over the last six months, but this holiday package from Napa Valley’s historic Inglenook adds a festive party element to its virtual offerings. Send your favorite wine lovers a trio of 100mL bottles of wine to taste during a private Zoom session with a wine educator, and make it a party by adding on a vineyard tour, chef demo or wine trivia game. Starts at $45; reservations@inglenook.com, http://bayareane.ws/Inglenook.
7 SIP & WEAR: Wine barrel jewelry
Napa-based Olive and Poppy designs modern and affordable pieces of jewelry ($30-$68) out of reclaimed oak wood barrels. Barely-there wine stains add originality to each piece, reminding your stylish wine lover that these accessories started in the cellar. The hexagonal rings, earrings, necklaces and stackable bracelets — with pops of red, turquoise or pink lucite — are edgy yet everyday, like the red wine from which they came; https://oliveandpoppy.com
8 SIP: Appellation picnic totes
Your favorite picnicker needs one of Olive and Poppy’s chic, leather-handled canvas tote bags. Available in Sonoma County, Napa Valley or the all-encompassing CA Wine Country riff, the heavyweight cotton totes, with copper rivets for strength and style, have an interior wine sleeve that keeps a bottle of wine upright and a zippered pocket for cheese knives.
Now all you have to do is fill it with memorable local cheeses — is your person a Cowgirl Creamery fanatic or a Laura Chenel devotee? — crackers and nuts and get it monogrammed with his or her initials. Olive and Poppy does the monogramming, too. The picnic supplies are up to you. $64 or $72 with monogramming; https://oliveandpoppy.com
9 PLAY: Puzzle out the National Parks
One thing’s sure about this pandemic: It has reignited our love of puzzles and the great outdoors. The two come together beautifully in artist Eric Dowdle’s colorful jigsaw puzzles of the country’s National Parks. The folk-art puzzles cover individual parks — Yosemite, Grand Teton, Yellowstone — or you can get your puzzle champ the 500-piece National Parks puzzle, which features 24 of them in charmingly intricate detail. Comes with a collector’s box, resealable bag and story insert — and a “no missing pieces” guarantee. $25. Available through Amazon and https://dowdlefolkart.com.
10 SIP & PLAY: Whimsical camping mugs
You’re out in the great outdoors, sipping coffee in a wildflower-dappled meadow as birdies sing in the trees. Shouldn’t your favorite camper’s mug be just as sweet? Forget the speckled blue cups of yore. We’re going for Odysea’s whimsical white enamel mugs ($23), which can be customized with your giftee’s name.
Go snow-themed with your choice of colorful skiers or snowboarders on one side and a custom name on the other. Or opt for the black and white “Let the Adventure Begin” mug, complete with mountains, tent and starry sky — and name, of course. They do surfing, van life and desert camping versions, too.
Suitable for actual camping or skiing adventures, or simply holding pencils on a desktop (while you dream of outdoor adventures). Find the Arizona-based shop at https://odyseastore.com.
11 PLAY: Coit Tower paint-by-numbers
Know someone in need of a creative outlet? Portland illustrator Rachel Austen’s kits may be the perfect gift. Austen is the designer behind elle crée, aka she creates, a line of artist quality paint-by-numbers sets in themes ranging from botanicals to female heroes. She offers three nostalgic San Francisco-themed kits: Parrot at Coit Tower, Cable Car in Chinatown and Conservatory of Flowers.
Each kit includes an 8×10-inch canvas, reusable synthetic sable hair paint brushes and hand-mixed acrylic paints in eight custom colors. $35; www.elle-cree.com
12 PLAY: Jack Skellington advent calendar
Disney and San-Francisco based Insight Editions have created a spooky countdown to Christmas with this advent calendar and pop-up tree ($40) inspired by Tim Burton’s film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Follow Jack Skellington’s adventures with 25 removable and displayable ornaments — from a skeletal reindeer to a man-eating wreath — to hang on the tree as you get closer to Dec. 25. Bonus: It comes with a 28-page guidebook containing fascinating facts about Halloweentown and its residents. Available via Amazon.
