This holiday season we encourage our readers to support small businesses–especially if you’ve got someone on your list that’s hard-to-shop-for.
To help you take on this monumental task, the Viewpoints staff has compiled a list of our most coveted items from our favorite small businesses. We hope you find something that will delight your family, friends and even your frenemies.
1. For the Luxury Lover
The Black Dahlia Candle from Fragrant Jewels
Description: A double-wicked candle eliciting floral notes of ylang-ylang, stone fruit, vetiver, and earthy patchouli with a sparkly surprise ring revealed only after burning.
Why they’ll love it: The scent creates a dramatic atmosphere of mystery and will leave your friend with a sparkling souvenir to remember it by once it’s burned out.
2. For the Eco-conscious
Pré de Provence Spiced Rum Soapbar from Dragon Marsh Apothecary
Description: Using pure, natural ingredients enriched with shea butter, ginger, spices and balsam wrapped in vanilla and sugar notes you’ll be transported into a moment of calmness, vitality, dreaming, or well-being.
Why they’ll love it: Sans plastic bottles, GMO’s, petrochemicals, phthalates, shellac, plasticizers, lead and animal testing, this bar of soap is good for their body and the environment they’re so passionate about.
3. For the Hungry Bookworm
Serpents & Swords Reading Journal Bundle from The Quirky Cup Collective
Description: For all the apps in the world, nothing rivals the simple magic of pen, paper, and a journal you can truly hold. Inside, you’ll find thoughtful prompts to help you reflect more deeply, along with plenty of space for notes, quotes, and musings. This isn’t just a journal; it’s where your reading adventures live on, far from the pings and distractions of the digital world.
Why they’ll love it: This bundle comes with the Reading Journal, a matching plush satin-lined, padded, zippered, embroidered-velvet book sleeve, as well as a pen and tasseled bookmark. Once your recipient fills it up, they can pass it along to the next generation of readers as a thought-provoking family heirloom.
4. For the Frenemy (that can’t take a hint!)
Crabby Charm from Little Rooms
Description: Available in 18k- or rhodium-plated brass, this little enameled crab comes with a charm clasp so it can easily be switched up on earrings, bracelets and necklace.
Why they’ll love it: This is gift is more for your own personal space than that one person in your life that that just cannot take the hint to back off. Send a clear message with this little charm–or gift it to yourself to wear when you just want to be left alone.
5. For the Aromatherapist
Santa Barbara Strawberry Body Mist from Nest New York
Description: Stroll through Santa Barbara’s sun-kissed strawberry fields with this lightweight body mist featuring notes of luscious strawberry and dewy pink peony warmed by solar woods.
Why they’ll love it: It’s a subtle botanical scent reminiscent of a spring-time berry farm by the sea. Energizing yet soothing, this is the scent that will help them tackle the day without breaking their zen.
6. For the Good Doggo
Bark-uterie Board from Three Dog Bakery
Description: The perfect “pawty” favor for any occasion–and you get to keep the board!
Why they’ll love it: Who’s a good dog? Your dog, of course! Spoil them this holiday season with tasty treats that crafted locally in Riverside.
Editor’s note: Since being published in our recent print edition, this item is no longer available, but we encourage you to check out the other treats available at Three Dog Bakery.
7. For the Well-manicured
Queen of the Dead thermal nail polish from Mooncat
Description: Welcome to limbo. Cycle through every shade of desire with a fiery thermal lacquer prone to shift with your every fluctuation in fahrenheit. As your temperature rises, and your claws thaw, you’ll see them transition from a deep shade of wine red to bright raspberry red.
Why they’ll love it: The thermal effect of this polish will leave their claws looking like a fresh, vampiric French mani that’s blood red with nearly-black red tips in just a couple strokes. an excellent product for the glamourista on-the-go.
8. For the Kawaii Cutie
Calico Critter Strawberry Giraffe Bag Charm from DePop
Description: The toys your parents used to host miniature tea parties with as children have been reincarnated as nostalgic, hyper-cute kawaii-stylized bag charms.
Why they’ll love it: Move over, Labubu!–these bag charms are so sweet you can practically taste the sugar and spice and everything nice that went into adapting these adorable toys into a chic-meets-kawaii fashion statement.
Editor’s note: Since being published in our recent print edition, this item has sold out, but we encourage you to check out the other bag charms available from DePop.
9. For the Ride-or-Dye Bestie
Deep Conditioning Semi-permanent Hair Dye in Ritual from Arctic Fox Hair Color
Description: Ritual is a luxurious burgundy hair dye with deep jewel tones for a velvety, red velvet look that conditions your hair without harsh chemicals.
Why they’ll love it: Got a bestie that changes their hair color almost as often as they change their mood? Give them the gift of this winter’s most coveted color trend: Burgundy.
10. For the Sweet-toothed
Specialty Cookie Boxes from Riverside Cookie Shoppe
Description: Build your own custom specialty cookie box or indulge in the Fall Cookie Box featuring holiday sprinkle cookies, assorted holiday sugar cookies with festive sugar decorations, white chocolate pumpkin cookies and Oatmeal Scotchie: oatmeal cookie with butterscotch chips.
Why they’ll love it: Is it even the holidays without festive cookies? With the ability to customize a box of up to two dozen, you could easily gift your favorite sugar-addict a complete sampler of almost every cookie in the Shoppe! You can’t go wrong with a box of full of options.
11. For the Sultry Siren
Heart’s Desire Liquid Lipstick Duo from Black Moon Cosmetics
Description: This deadly duo is sure to cut deep into your looks with a full sized Deranged + Sanguis. Wear them alone or pair them together a dangerously delectable ombré.
Why they’ll love it: Creamy and long-lasting, this duo will let your special someone know that you’d like to meet under the mistletoe.
12. For the Absent-minded
Digital Academic Organizer from Dash Planner
Description: This digital academic organizer is designed to help you manage your term (semester, quarter, etc.) by keeping all your class details, assignments, projects, test info, and notes in one place. Simply import a new copy of the organizer for each term as needed.
Why they’ll love it: Got a friend who’d lose their head if it wasn’t firmly attached to their shoulders? Help them excel in their classes with a pdf-based organizer that allows them to upload every assignment, syllabus, and group project into one tidy, digital database that gets saved to the cloud so even if they lose their tablet, they’ll still be able to get their assignments turned in on time.
13. For the Hydrated Hottie
Water Bottle in Main Character from Burga
Description: No bad yucky plasticky taste, one-handed operation, easy to clean, keeps drinks hot or cold for up to 24 hours, BPA-free & lead-free stainless steel with triple-layer insulation, leakproof and fits most cup holders.
Why they’ll love it: Whatever your friend likes to drink, they can take it with them with these gorgeous steel bottles that can be customized with 150 designs to choose from.
14. For the Pet Worshipper
Cathedral Pet Bed from Lively Ghosts
Description: Plenty of room for most cats and small to medium-sized dogs and crafted from soft and luxurious plush, this cathedral is zippered so the cover can be removed and washed easily.
Why they’ll love it: This pet bed puts the cat in cathedral and the g-o-d in dog. Every pet pawrent knows their critters are divine, and this bed will provide them with a worthy altar to be worshipped at.
15. For the Minimalist
Description: Since 1922, Viewpoints has served the Riverside and Inland Empire communities as it teaches students the fundamentals and ethics of the journalism profession. We are committed to connecting with our Inland Empire neighbors, amplifying a range of perspectives and holding those in power accountable to the people they serve.
Why they’ll love it: Look, not everyone enjoys things—-things can just create clutter, overwhelm the senses and spark exhaustion. So instead of giving things this holiday season, spark joy with a donation to Viewpoints in their name. Recipients get bragging rights to supporting student views on community news and you get to avoid fighting with wrapping paper. Double win!
