Quick, look at your calendar – Christmas is just days away! If you’re not ready (and might be panicking a little), take heart; you are not alone, and your friendly neighborhood shopping pro is here to help!
When it comes down to the wire, you have two optimal choices to strategize finding that perfect gift:
1. Shop online, or
2. Shop hyper-local.
For those scrambling to find the perfect gifts, here are my top tips for last-minute Christmas shopping!
ONLINE GIFTING
Sorry, no, you probably don’t have time to ship something from Amazon; that’s not what I’m talking about here. Your best bet for last-minute online options are subscriptions! From diamond jewelry to organic dinner, there are tons of both national and local subscription services for just about everyone on your list.
For maximum impact, I recommend printing something out that explains the subscription, and then wrapping it along with a physical item that reflects the theme. For example, if you’re giving a wine delivery subscription, wrap it up in a box with a pair of champagne flutes!
Annual subscriptions are the gift that literally keeps on giving, all year long!
Top Picks for Online Subscriptions:
- Beer of the Month Club – Obviously, monthly beer.
- Brown Box Organics – Food and recipe delivery
- Butcher Box – High-quality grass-fed/organic meat delivery
- Fab Fit Fun Box – Lifestyle, beauty, and fashion products
- Happy Rebel – Women’s edgy, luxe fashion subscription
- Rent the Runway – Monthly swappable dresses, outfits, accessories
- The 18 Best Wine Club Subscriptions – Like beer club, but with wine.
EXPERIENCES
Perhaps the best gift you can give right now is the one you can’t really wrap up in a box: adventure. Designer goods are waning in popularity right now, while travel and adventure are on the rise. Some of that might be fueled by economy and budget, or perhaps a thirst for the perfect photos to post on Instagram. Either way, there’s little in this world more exciting than opening up airplane tickets for Christmas!
Listed in order from most to leave expensive, below are my top picks for adventures you can purchase online in a minute, and cherish for a lifetime:
- Winter in Europe – Gorgeous sights, lights, tastes, and shopping. Personal faves are the German winter markets in January, and the designer sales in Paris in February. Flight sales are insane right now, some under $500 round trip!
- Tropical getaway – Go relax, get warm & soak in some vitamin D.
- Disneyland – (or other theme park) Look for holiday deals!
- Half-Day Drive – Leavenworth, WA or Sun Valley, ID are my faves for a weekend getaway!
- Close By – The Springs hot springs & spa, McCall Winter Carnival, dress-up dinner at Chateau des Fleurs in Eagle.
HYPER-LOCAL
The Treasure Valley is blessed with a plethora of unique local gift, clothing, shoe, and home decor boutiques. But why choose local over big box stores? The answer is two-fold. You already know how important small business is to a city’s economy, sustainability and growth, so I won’t dig into that…
But the other reason is how well we know each other in this community! Chances are, the person you’re searching to find a gift for has a favorite place to shop. Go there. Show the salespeople the name & a photo of your person. It’s very likely they have worked with him/her before, and know their style and tastes! Walk into downtown Boise’s Piece Unique, for example, say “My wife Mary shops here all the time,” and they are likely to respond: “Oh yes, we love Mary! She’s very into our Baci Fashion line, which is right over here. Her favorite colors are pink and blue, so she’s probably love this sweater!”
Ta-da, the perfect gift! See how that works? It’s one of my favorite things about this town!
Below is a list of some of the best local fashion boutiques in town, where I know you will get that kind of service. (PLEASE comment below and let me know if I’ve missed YOUR favorite store. I love getting to know places & faces that are new and special in this community!)
- American Clothing Gallery – Downtown Boise, 8th St.
- Banana Ink – Downtown Boise, on 9th between Bannock and Idaho St.
- Blue Fringe Boutique – Meridian, near Kohl’s on Eagle Rd. & Ustick
- Fancy Pants – Downtown Boise, on the corner of Idaho St and 9th
- I Beni Boutique – Meridian, near Eagle exit & Overland Rd., by Dickey’s BBQ Pit
- Lyrique Boutique – Eagle & State St., Albertson’s plaza, by Rice Asian Cuisine & Bridal by Marie
- Marla June’s Clothing Company – Downtown Boise on Bannock, between 8th and 9th St.
- Piece Unique – Downtown Boise, 10th & Idaho St.
- Ruby Lou – Downtown Boise, 8th St.
- Shift Boutique – Downtown Boise on Bannock near 8th, and their men’s shop Keystone Station on 9th
- Walla Walla Clothing Co. – Downtown Boise between 8th & 9th on Idaho St., Meridian at the Village
Find more unique, pretty, and often locally-sourced treasures at the following gift and decor shops:
- Dragonfly – Downtown Boise on Main St., between 5th & 4th St. (Free parking in alley behind the store.)
- Eyes of the World Imports – Downtown Boise, corner of 16th & Grove
- Farm + Flower Apothecary – Boise Towne Square Mall, upper level near Starbucks
- Feather & Twine Home – Boise, 3109 State St. beside Re-Pop Gifts
- Hyde and Seek – Boise, Hyde Park, on 13th St. & Eastman
- Maven – Downtown Boise on Main St near 10th, next to Guru Donuts
- Merry Makers Market – Downtown Boise on Bannock near 9th, beside 10 Barrel
- Mixed Greens Modern Gifts – Downtown Boise on the corner of 9th & Idaho St.
- Re-Pop Gifts – Boise, 3107 State St., beside True Value Hardware store
That’s a wrap! Special thanks to Boise Public Radio’s Idaho Matters show for having me on to talk about all these fun ideas, and the true heart of gift-giving. Listen to the entire broadcast here! ❤
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may all your shopping adventures be successful!
XOXO,
Tanya
P.S., If you think I missed any shop you love & adore, please add them below in the comments!!! 🙂
Style Spy Girl 