The holidays will be a bit different this year, and many of us will be celebrating without the people and traditions that usually mark the season.
The good news: Gift-giving is a tradition that can easily overcome the distance between us and our loved ones — whether that’s six feet or thousands of miles. And it’s a great way to support your favorite local markers and small businesses.
Read on for some of our favorite gift ideas for 2020:
🏀 For the sports aficionados
- A shirt to help remind folks that Seattle DOES have a basketball team and a very good one at that. (Seattle Storm Team Shop)
- Show your team pride with a face-covering you can wear to do your part so that we can all attend another Sounders game soon. (MLS Store)
- Prepare for the upcoming inaugural season of the Seattle Kraken with a piece or two of team merch. (NHL Shop)
📚 For those who need a reading-list refresh
- USWNT star, two-time World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe shares her journey in her new memoir “One Life.” (Elliott Bay Book Company)
- Seattle writer Ijeoma Oluo follows up her best-seller “So You Want to Talk About Race?” with “Mediocre,” a book that delves into the consequences of white male supremacy in America. (Elliott Bay Book Company)
- COVID-19 has caused a lot of doom and gloom, but it’s also brought a plethora of art to storefronts. This book documents the variety of murals that grace boarded-up shops around the city. (Chatwin Books)
- Ron Chew’s 2020 autobiography tells the story of his life as a journalist and community leader in the Chinatown-International District. (Wing Luke Museum)*
🎨 For the artist/crafter
- Sometimes you just need to put on some tunes and color. Fortunately, the Capitol Hill Historical Society has a fun coloring book of historic places in the neighborhood. (Capitol Hill Historical Society)
- This Madison Park store has everything the knitter in your life could ever want or need. If you’re not a knitter yourself, let the recipient figure out what they could use and get them a gift card. (Tricoter)
- Many performance groups are taking their programs online, including Whim W’Him — a contemporary dance company. They’re offering memberships that include unlimited access to their online season. (Whim W’Him)
☕️ For the food lover
- Indulge your wine-loving friend with a membership to XOBC Cellars, a wine project from Brandi Carlile and her wife that also benefits good causes. (XOBC Cellars)
- One can never have enough totes for grocery runs. Add this one from Hood Famous — it reads “Thank you” in Tagalog — to the bunch. (Hood Famous Bakeshop)*
- Choose between several different coffee options sourced from growers in East Africa. They’ve even got a monthly coffee subscription! (Boon Boona)*
- This a woman-led and family-owned jam company makes some killer plum jam. Pick up a can or a trio of their offerings as a sweet gift. (Ayako & Family)*
- Aswad is a local Black- and female-owned company with drink kits that’ll make any cocktail snob swoon. You can even ship their boxes out of state through their online site. (Aswad Seattle)*
👕 For those looking for a wardrobe addition
- This sweatshirt from Pho Bac is the ultimate way of showing your love for both the PNW and pho. (Drag & Drop Shop)*
- Show your love for books with this cool graphic tee from a local print shop and publisher. (Cold Cube Press)
- Fanny packs are in, people. Grab this rainbow one from the Seattle brand that aims to make comfortable apparel for everyone on the gender spectrum. (TomboyX)
- Inspired by the PNW, this Seattle/Tokyo-based fashion brand will impress the most stylish of your friends. Many items are on the more pricey side, but they have some accessories on the cheaper end. (Maiden Noir)
- Comfy and eco-friendly, Girlfriend Collective is Seattle-based and offers a variety of activewear you can lounge in all-day. (Girlfriend Collective)
🖼 For someone who needs to spruce up their space
- Support Indigenous artists with one of these framed mini prints, perfect for a living room wall or office. (Eighth Generation)*
- Local artist Zahyr Lauren’s hand drawings use geometric forms to capture “a time period of meditative peace.” (Koro Rules the Sun)*
- Check out Vivid Matter Collective, the group of artists behind Seattle’s Black Lives Matter mural, at their pop-up shop by Molly Moon’s in Capitol Hill. (Vivid Matter Collective)*
- This artisan gallery features fine crafts from Japanese and Northwest artists. Consider a print from them or a small sculpture for your art-loving friend. (Kobo)
- One can never have enough mugs. ShanMan Clay Co. offers handmade ceramic mugs, plus other houseware and stained glass pieces.
✊ For the activist in your life
- Support POC-owned coffee shops in the area with a voucher from Intentionalist. One voucher gets you one beverage from 12 different shops, including The Station and Tougo Coffee. (Intentionalist)
- Pick up a book or two…or three…from this justice-focused community bookstore and library. (Estelita’s Library)*
- Make a donation to Real Rent Duwamish in honor of someone. Money goes to Duwamish Tribal Services. (Real Rent Duwamish)*
- Check out this list of things that homeless service organizations need most this time of year, and make a donation. (The Seattle Times)
- If you’ve got someone who appreciates a good quilt, look no further than the BLM-inspired Respect quilts from Honey Girl Books. Half of the proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club. (Honey Girl Books and Gifts)
🍺 For out-of-town relatives (or someone who just really loves Seattle)
- Need something for a music nerd? Pick up an East Street Records shirt. The West Seattle store has had Pearl Jam and Brandi Carlile play their store; it’s a staple in the city’s music community. (Easy Street)
- The famous fish throwers in Pike Place Market ship nationwide. Send your distant family members or friends a taste of the NW with some smoked salmon and fresh fish. (Pike Place Fish)
- This shirt needs no explanation. Is it stereotypical? Yes. But is it fun? Also yes. Pick it up from the West Seattle gift shop Alair Seattle.
- Seattle is a beer lover’s paradise. For the beer aficionado in your life who lives outside the city but is still in WA, consider sending them a case of beer from Reuben’s beers.
*Indicates the business or organization is BIPOC-owned.