Holiday Gifts
Local holiday gift guide round-up
The Peppermint Pigs from Saratoga Sweets are still one of our favorite holiday gifts.
If you haven't finished (or -- you know -- started) your holiday shopping yet, there's a good chance you're getting a little... what's the word we're looking for? Panicky?
No worries. We've had the AOA elves out compiling a list of local holiday gifts that are fun to give and pretty easy to get.
Check out the full list after the jump. And by all means, if you have a good last-minute gift in mind that you'd like to add, pass it on.
Happy shopping.
Holiday gift guide: Candy!!!
Candy!
If you've been waiting to find the perfect little extra gift, or you're just looking for something nice for someone you know so well, today's gift idea might be just the ticket.
Because let's face it: locally made candy might very well be the best thing since --- well, itself.
Here are a few of my favorite local candy shops and some of their most popular holiday treats:
Holiday gift guide: children's museum memberships
Nothing says happy holidays like exploring earthworms.
Maybe you know some kids that seem to have more stuff than they know what to do with. You want to get them a gift but you don't know what they have, you don't know what they need, and you don't know what the hot new toy is.
Today's holiday gift guide suggestion is something kids can appreciate in December, or in June (and that parents won't have to clean up).
Holiday gift guide: local history
Your Capital Region history questions, answered.
Maybe it's just our inner geek, but we love knowing the back-story about the place we live.
Learning who stayed in that old hotel back in the day, what ghost haunts the music hall or the correct pronunciation of Kosciusko just kinda makes our day in a weird little way.
Today's local holiday gift guide suggestion celebrates exactly that type of local history geekdom.
Holiday gift guide: Rolf's
Smokey holiday goodness.
On the 4th day of the gift guide AOA gives to you:
The gift of meat.
Holiday gift guide: museum shops
From the gift shop at the Albany Institute.
Sometimes, in order to find just the right "what" you've got to find the right "where."
Some of the most overlooked "best places for gift shopping" in the Capital Region aren't in the malls -- they're in the museums. Best part -- you're supporting the museum while you shop.
Here are some local museums with lovely gift shops and a few of the gifts you can find there.
Holiday gift guide: Albany Etsy
A little something for everyone.
Internet shopping makes the holidays infinitely easier to battle through, allowing us to avoid the frustrating lines in the mall and the dreaded parking wars.
On the other hand, how does one shop locally while remaining in the comfort of their pjs?
As it turns out, a whole bunch of our favorite local artists, crafters and other awesome gift-makers have shops set up on Etsy!
Here are three sellers who offer items I covet myself but will sacrifice as gifts for those who deserve fantastic local gifts:
Holiday Gift Guide: Spectrum passes
Just add popcorn (with real butter).
'Tis the season and all that, so chances are you're doing a little holiday shopping.
If you're looking for something cool and you want to shop local, the AOA elves have pulled together a few fun holiday gifts that come from right here in the Capital Region.
Day 1: the gift of film
AOA's holiday gift guide
These little piggies are on the AOA holiday gift guide.
OK gang, we're down to the wire on this whole holiday shopping thing. It is officially the time of year when those who haven't finished shopping (or started) might begin to panic.
No need.
We're kind of big on thoughtful gifts here at AOA, so in case you still haven't been able to think of the right gift for someone on your list, we've been compiling a list for you. If you've missed them, after the jump you'll find a list of local gifts we think would be fun to give (or get).
Got some fun favorites that aren't on the list? Help an elf out and post your suggestions.
Pendant necklaces from Elissa Halloran Designs
A plethora of pendants.
What?
Pendant necklaces from Elissa Halloran.
Rock climbing, anyone?
What?
Gift certificates for indoor rock climbing at Albany's Indoor Rock Gym.
Who is it for?
Anyone who's climbing the walls -- or would be, if it weren't so cold outside. There are overhangs, floor-to-ceiling climbs, and even across-the-ceiling climbs. You can do indoor caving too.
Albany Art Room Gift Certificates
Gift certificates to the Albany Art Room AND permission to get dirty? Yay!!!
What?
Gift Certificates to the Albany Art Room. Think about it-- the kids are going to be off for a whole week, it's cold out, and the the time it takes to go from infatuation with new toys to stir crazy is shorter than you think. A few hours at the Albany Art Room could be a lot of fun for kids and a great break for parents.
Hand cream from Saratoga
Saratoga's answer to rough dry hands.
What:
Apothecary Essentials Hand Cream.
Back in the 1970's a patient with cracked, dry hands brought a prescription for a topical cream to Menges and Curtis Apothecary in Saratoga Springs. Included in the cream's ingredients -- water from Saratoga's famed mineral springs. Pharmacy employees began using it themselves and recommending it to other patients.
"They used to slap it in a vial and charge a dollar," Menges and Curtis owner Mike Lenz says. "People just kept coming back to get their vials refilled." For the last 20 years the pharmacy has been marketing the cream as part of a skin care line.
Belgian beer from Brewery Ommegang
Not just beer -- Ommegang beer.
On day five of AOA's holiday gift guide -- a little holiday cheer.
What?
The 2008 gift pack from Cooperstown's Brewery Ommegang: three 750 ml bottles (one Hennepin, one Three Philosophers and one Chocolate Indulgence Stout), plus a special Ommegang glass.
Holiday treats for furry friends
Yes, they look yummy, but hands off! They're for the dog (or cat).
On day three of AOA's holiday gift guide -- a little something for man's best friend.
What?
A selection of baked pet treats from Sherry's Kitchen.
Tea from The Good Leaf
Day 2 of the AOA's holiday gift guide...
What?
The Smart Tea Maker Starter Set at The Good Leaf Gourmet Tea Company on Lark Street. It includes three sample tins of tea and brewing instructions. Choose from Earl Grey de la Crème, Moroccan Mint, and Bollywood Brew Chai; or Rise, Tropical Fantasy, and Chamomile Sonata; or Vanilla-infused Rooibos, Very Strawberry, and Lemon Drop.
The Peppermint Pig
The three little peppermint pigs.
Done with your holiday shopping yet? Yeah, didn't think so. In our ongoing effort to be helpful (live elves), we've been keeping an eye out for gifts that are fun, interesting and local. We'll bring you one a day. And as always, if you've got any thoughts or suggestions, tell everyone about it.
On the first day of the AOA holiday gift guide we give you peppermint porcine goodness.
What?
The Peppermint Pig.
It's not bacon candy -- but it's almost as much fun. Candy pigs may seem kind of random, but they were a traditional holiday gift in Saratoga Springs generations ago. About 20 years ago Mike Fitzgerald at Saratoga Sweets brought them back. Now they're in catalogs and on the internet. They've even marched in the Macy's parade. But they're made right here in the Capital Region. Here's how the tradition works:
... said J$ about A green label for the Capital Region