This is the only real gift guide I’m doing this season, I’m not really that kind of blogger, but it felt important to highlight some of the Canadian brands and companies that I love and encourage other Canadians to shop locally as well. There are a mix of small brands and big brands, with suggestions for options to look for your local options as well!
One. Coffee roasted at your local coffee shop. Mine is The Hub, but you could also go for somewhere like Balzacs, which is a Southwestern Ontario wide chain from Kingston to Stratford (and the Guelph one is just delightful). If you don’t know what kind of coffee maker your recipient has, get it as whole bean and also gift them a hand grinder, if you do know, you can follow this guide to figure out how to ask for the coffee to be ground.
Two. Rachel Barri Designs Needlepoint. If you have a recipient that is a needlepointer a canvas or self-finishing project from Rachel Barri would be an amazing gift. She also has wonderful Judaica canvases that would be great Hanukkah gifts.
Three. Cheekbone Beauty Holiday Set. Cheekbone is an amazing Indigenous-owned, women-owned cosmetics company based out of the Niagara region. Their liquid lipsticks and eyeliners are particularly good, but this holiday set also looks wonderful. I also love a holiday set in general, they are such a great way to gain exposure to a product.
Four. Good Juju Shampoo, Conditioner, and Soap Dish Set. This would be an amazing gift for any budding low waster in your life or someone who is particularly worried about their carbon footprint. Other options could be their laundry detergent strips, or if they are flying home for the holidays, carbon offsets.
Five. HBFace Baked Highlighter. This is one of my all-time favourite make up products, I use it every day I wear makeup. If your recipient is more of a skin care girlie, their Luminous Elixir Dry Oil is amazing and makes your skin look so glowy.
Six. Shy Wolf Midnights Candle. This is one of my all-time favourite candles ever, it smells so good. And is a perfect gift for your Swiftie, without being the impossible to get concert tickets, Lavender edition CD, or cardigan (Swifties will understand this sentence).
Seven. Boreal Folk Wild Mint Lip Butter. This is another good one for your environmentalist, or your skin care fiend, or both. This is also just a really, really good lip butter, it kept my lips unchapped all the way through last year’s very rough winter. They also have a lot of other skin care products.
Eight. Local Craft Brewery Beer. For your beer people, although some like Whitewater Brewery now also make gin. My local at home is Whitewater Brewery and where I live is Lake of the Woods, but there are so many breweries across the country. Do some light investigating and see where your person’s favourite is and what their favourite beer is. Would also make a great host gift. (Wine also works if they aren’t a beer drinker!).
Nine. Heartbeat Hot Sauce. This is a Thunder Bay brand of surprisingly good hot sauce for Thunder Bay (listen I have low expectations for that town). There are tons of different varieties and flavours and they are good and spicy.
Ten. Roots Cardholder. Roots may be iconic for their salt and pepper sweatpants and wool socks with striped cuffs, but all Canadians know that Roots’s leather goods are where the magic really is. If you have a smaller budget a wallet, cardholder, or money clip is a great option. If you have a bigger budget, the duffel bag or boots would be amazing.
Eleven. Wick Witch Candles. These candles are amazing, they are beautiful scents, strong, you can smell them when you aren’t lit, but they never give even the most sensitive heads a headache. I love the Dandy Diesel (it smells like a hot man was in your apartment), my sister loves Bad Witch.
Twelve. The Iconic Roots Sock. As mentioned in number 10, these are one of the most famous Roots products.
Thirteen. Uncle Studios Cashmere. The website is currently behind a passcode for early access to Black Friday, but Uncle Studios is a Toronto-based medium fashion brand that focuses on sustainable, small-scale production of basic cloths, in updated cuts. And I don’t personally own anything from them, but I have been eyeing their sweaters for my third winter now.
Happy Holidays!
Laura
Thoughtful Millennial 