The Ultimate Local Holiday Gift Guide
Are you making a list and checking it twice? The holiday season is in full swing now and you are on the hunt for perfect gifts for your loved ones! The Scout Guide Huntsville team has been hard at work scouting local gifts from all of our favorite small businesses to help jumpstart your gift hunt; and we are thrilled to share the what, why, and where’s for our scouted gift guides—all as thoughtful and eclectic as we are!
Dawn Pumpelly, Editor + Owner
1. Marian Paquette Susan Handbag from Carriage House—Love the pop of color! Adds fun bling to a LBD for New Year or any festive occasion.
2. Cora Train Case available from Golden Griffin—I love this travel case because it’s big enough to hold all of the products but cute enough to carry on the plane or on a road trip!
3. Southern Holiday’s In Bloom Candles—These scents were specifically designed by Ron at In Bloom to mimic the scents of the holidays in the South—love that they were locally designed and very specifically curated for the Huntsville home during the holidays.
4. Duke Cannon Illegally Cut Pine Soap available from Southern General—Inspired by my family’s favorite holiday movie, avoid the misdemeanor trespassing charge and embrace the freshest scent of the season!
5. Champagne Earrings from Monkees—Cute, fun, and festive for the holidays and beyond… a pop of whimsy to help you celebrate the holidays or any special day!
6. 2013 Domaine Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut available from Domaine South—This wine is a great hostess gift! Among the great values in sparkling wine at $34, it competes in pedigree, texture, and flavor with many Champagnes. Domaine Huet provides endless drinking pleasure, all grapes were harvested by hand and aged for over three years, this vintage sparkling wine has a fine mousse with swoon-worthy aromatics, notes of honey and wildflower, and wonderful nutty richness.
Sabrina Simōn, Assistant Editor
1. Huntsvilleopoly Board Game—The holidays always allow for quality time with family and friends. It’s great to have a break from the normal work routine and have time to play a beloved game with a local spin! Huntsville Revisited has Huntsvilleopoly available at the Huntsville Revisited History Museum curated by William Hampton located in the H.C. Blake Art & History Center that is also home to the art galleries of Carole Forêt and Sara Beth Fair!
2. Local Honey—You cannot go wrong with local sweets to sweeten anything for your sweetie! Honey is the only food item that seemingly never goes bad (5,500-year-old honey and the science behind the eternal shelf life), and local honey flavors can be so complex you could compare them to a fine wine with hints of seasons, and every type of flower the bees visited, and even single source. Hardy Chambers Farmhouse has honey in a great little 4 oz. honey stocking stuffer size! Star Market also has a nice selection of local honey.
3. Raw Diamond and Gold Ring—Connie Ulrich handcrafts all of her gorgeous jewelry, and this one is a true beauty! I do not think you can go wrong with raw diamonds paired perfectly with 14K gold!
4. Marc Fisher LTD, Charlote OTK Black Boots—These thigh-high boots from Monkee’s of Huntsville are comfortable and sexy all at the same time. You will feel like strutting your stuff to the beat of “Pretty Woman” every time you wear them!
5. Tickets to a Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Concert—Treat your sweetie to a date night or surprise your favorite family members with a cultured evening out (the Pops Series is a personal favorite of mine). Dress up, grab a nice meal downtown, and soak up some gorgeous live classical music!
6. Art Journaling Class—I have had my eye on the Art Journaling Classes by Monica Yother of Studio 127 at the Lowe Mill! I have kept a journal since I was a teenager, and I create art, but I’ve never really combined the two other than doodles in the margins. I love that you don’t need any experience and Monica will supply everything, you just show up and have fun creating something all your own.
7. Fall’s Mill Pancake Mix—If you haven’t been to Fall’s Mill, I highly recommend it for a leisurely afternoon tour. And when you go all of their milled items are fantastic, but I particularly enjoy the pancake mix! It is made from whole wheat, buckwheat, cornmeal, and wheat bran. This mix is so versatile too; you can also make muffins, waffles, sausage balls, and coffee cake!
8. Bucket List Trip—At the very tip-top of my bucket list sits a trip to Bora-Bora and to Iceland. And Marianne Windham, Huntsville’s very own curator of travel can help you literally go places! Marianne of Windham Travel is the gal to talk to about all kinds of travel, just like the ones I want to book!
Ashley Vaughn, Photographer
1. Film from Southerland’s Photo—this is such a crucial element in my business and personal photography ventures! Portra 400 is my favorite for client work, but I love all stocks. Ektar is fun for punchy colors, Kodak Gold is great for “everyday” use, Lomo films for experimenting, and of course black and white film is just so classic!
2. Plants from Brooks & Collier—Ferns, veggies, houseplants—I love them all! I love having a garden during the growing season, and then surrounding my indoor areas with beloved frond friends!
3. Gift Card for Monte Sano—A camping adventure at Monte Sano State Park or any of Alabama’s State Parks to enjoy the lovely scenery! Such a great place to truly unwind and relax! It’s always fun to give Butterbean (Andy and my ‘57 Aljo camper) a good outing!
4. A Donation to Cattyshack – If I can’t have all the cats, I can trust that the ones that find themselves at Cattyshack will be taken care of until they reach their furrever home!
5. Radiohead’s KID A MNESIA album from Vertical House Records—One of my all-time favorite bands has released a special edition of Kid A and Amnesiac with all kinds of fun extras! I’ve been a fan of their music for most of my life now, and happily collect everything they release!
Aissa Castillo, Creative Director
I have been all about the gift of experience as of late. This holiday season, I plan to give my best friend the gift of a Huntsville experience! I found a gorgeous duffle bag from Elitaire (1) and I plan on filling it with these cute and soft pajamas from Sweet Pineapple (2) that she can use during her stay at the latest and greatest downtown hotel—106 Jefferson (3)! Then I am going to tuck a gift card to Domain South (4) (my all-time favorite local restaurant) for an amazing meal; then add a copy of the latest TSG Huntsville issue so she can catch up on all the fabulous local businesses (5). To top it all off, I’m tying on this beautiful silk scarf from Carriage House (6) which she can also use as an accessory as she explores Huntsville for the weekend!
1. Elsabet Choco Crose Duffle from Elitaire Boutique
2. Print Fresh Pajamas from Sweet Pineapple
3. A weekend stay at 106 Jefferson
5. Volume 4 of The Scout Guide Huntsville
6. Soeur Capucine Silk Scarf from Carriage House
Chef Adyre Mason, Contributing Editor
1. 5th and Coleman Amelia Pillow Cover—An easy way to redecorate without a permanent overhaul. Mix and match a variety of handmade patterns by this attentive maker.
2. Rafael’s Table Hammered Copper pan—A lightweight, functional pan for everyday use that’s also eye candy. This local store has lots of handmade specialty items to cook!
3. Stay and Marie Stone Statement Drops—Statement is right! These earrings are a stunning accompaniment for a special event or bride.
4. Beatriz Ball Sierra Modern Ripples Large Gold Charcuterie Tray with Handles—A splurge item that allows you to beautifully display a popular eating trend!
5. Luna Moth Milk Glass Candy Dish—A subtly beautiful display piece that reminds us all of the joy of seeing what’s inside grandma’s candy dish.
Christopher Gregory, Contributing Editor
1. Ranger Station Candle—Everyone loves a practical gift, and this candle here is one of the best practical gifts you can grab! All ranger station candles are poured in Nashville, Tennessee and the best part is that they are poured in whiskey glasses! So once that candle burns out you can wash it and now you’ve got a great new glass! Another fun bonus is each candle comes with a little cocktail recipe to try. These are available in-store at Roosevelt & Co. and online, and also directly from Ranger Station.
2. Designer headphones from Mosaic—One thing that I’ve really noticed an uptick in the last few years is the importance of an experience. When buying some things it is nice to be involved in the amazing process behind what you are purchasing. Grado headphones are some of the best on the planet and the experience of working with the team at mosaic to choose a pair best for you is an awesome way to go!
3. Norlan Glass—This gift is ideal for any whiskey lover in your life. Designed by engineers with fine whiskies and bourbons in mind this glass is engineered to make your experience all it can be. This gift is available in-store at Roosevelt & Co. and can be ordered online from the Norlan website.
4. Nathan Mason Custom Hat—This is another experience-based gift that Huntsville hasn’t had in years to my knowledge! Making a custom hat is an incredible process of being measured and seeing your brainchild come to life is so awesome!
5. Chef’s Knife—This knife is the newest creation from the Roosevelt & Co. Artisan Knife Collection. Made from Damascus steel that was forged in the South, with handles crafted in a variety of unique woods—this knife is an awesome piece for any guy who loves to cook.
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