Official Kidding Around In Town 2009 Holiday Gift Guide

This is a guide to my favorite gifts. These are all things that would make great gifts for either the women you are buying for or for you. Don’t people all the time ask “what do you want for Christmas?” and you always say, truthfully, “I don’t know, nothing.” Well, me too so I decided to do some research on the things that I would like to get because I would never buy something for another woman that I would not want to have myself. That said, the following is A. a place you can go to get ideas about what to get the women you work with, your friends, your child’s teacher etc. B. a place you can go to find what to tell people who ask what you want for Christmas and lastly C. a place where you can refer to others for ideas (like the hubs).

This is a “local” gift guide but most of these things can also be purchased on line so it is useful for everyone. I chose to do this because there are so many local businesses out there that we need to support if we want to see them thrive. All too often when it comes time to buy gifts we run short of time and take the easy way out by either shopping on line or buying a gift card just to get it done with instead of taking the time (that I understand is in short supply) to look around for a truly special something. So this year I did the work for you; and it was so much fun! I went to stores in our local (Winston-Salem, NC) area and took pictures myself of things that I thought made good, smart and well priced gifts. The owners and managers of the shops mentioned deserve many thanks for their hospitality and willingness to help me find what I was looking for. So, with no further ado…

These are not in any meaningful order.

Hip Chics – 2668 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, Clemmons, NC is the neatest little boutique! They carry all sorts of things. Here I found three really neat ideas for gifts. Christmas ornaments that are really one of a kind and for $8.99 the price point is perfect for an ornament exchange where you want to give an ornament with a little flair or to be a part of a bigger gift.

They also have Mom Agendas which are my all time favorite to get a mom organized. There are many options in terms of functionality so you really just need to go in and look at them for yourself.

And lastly at Hip Chics they have “market totes” which as you can see could function as so many different things. I want one! You could use it in the floorboard of your car for kid's snacks, in the trunk of your car for toys, to carry cupcakes into the school for your child’s birthday or even in your home at the bottom of the stairs to carry things up. They are pretty and since they are made of canvas you can wipe them clean. For a bigger mess they are also machine washable and at $26.99 you can’t beat it!

DEVA - 49 Miller St Winston Salem, NC 27104
This is a jewelry store in Winston that I love. Everything in the store is so special and the owner, Deborah, makes a lot of her own stuff so you know it is one of a kind. One of my best friends even got her to die for wedding set made there. She has a ton of stuff but I wanted to bring your attention to these “mother’s rings” that Deborah makes herself with the birthstone of your choice and they are stackable so you can have one for each child. I would call this a “splurge” given the price range but for those of you who want to send the hubs or another family member in to get you something…They range from $195 to $245 in price for the sterling silver.
Next I found some pearl earrings that are also handmade in the store and are a little less expensive so they make great gifts for great friends. They range from $50-$75.

Then next door at Whole Foods I saw that they have these cute, useful and wonderfully smelling little rosemary trees sitting outside. There are many of them and they make great gifts when you don’t want to spend too much because they are $11.99 yet look like little Christmas trees and make the house smell wonderful. When the holiday season ends people can plant their tree in a pot and put it outside to enjoy fresh rosemary year round!

Wild Flower - 53 Miller Street in Winston is next. This is a clothing store that pretty much doesn’t have anything in it that I would not wear. There were so many things to choose from that in order not to allow “scope creep” I had to regroup many times.
In a basket at the register are the cutest scarves. They are by Preloved and are made of recycled trousers, sweaters, dress shirts and trench coats. They are soft and oh so warm as they are made like sleeves. They are $48 making them a great gift for someone special like a good friend or a sister.
Also in the same place in Wild Flower there are some really cute themed socks for $8.00 which are not only cute but also soft and really feel like they would be nice to have on your feet. There are also some really fun tights with cool designs next to the socks which are $26 making them a great fun gift for a friend.

O Baby Organics - 33 Miller Street makes the fourth store in this area! Completely coincidental but truly convenient for those of you who would like to see more than one of the items! This is an awesome store which you will hear more about in the future but once again I had to allow time for re-grouping in the interest of the scope of this project. Two things here that I thought would make great gifts are Spooneez and Pitter Patter Patchwork stationary.
The Spooneez I wish I had when my kids were just a tad younger! “Spooneez is a mom’s answer to clean and organized baby utensils. It’s easy – just place your spoons and/or other items in the pockets, fold the top over, roll up.” At $26 they are priced perfectly to be a great gift! Not only are they awesome but Spooneez were invented by local moms so you would be supporting local business x2 if you bought this great gift for a mom with young ones!
The stationary by Pitter Patter Patchwork is really cute and for $12.99 you can get a set of five cards and envelopes. This is also made by a local woman. A nice gift for just about any female!