No need to get uptight and worry about what to get someone for the holidays. We’ve got you covered, with something for every price point and interest you’re sure to find the perfect gift in our gift guide this year.
JOJU Sunshirts and other apparel are designed to be lightweight enough for Florida summers and comfortable enough for all-day wear. The female-founded and operated company’s products, $40-$99, are designed for sports and outdoor living in a buttery soft, ultra-lightweight, odor-wicking, and quick-drying Italian fabric that provides UPF 50+ sun in slim fit, chic designs. Go to livejoju.com.
Saltwater taffy is reimagined with Taffy Shop’s extensive selection of gourmet taffy delights. Choose from pre-mixed combinations for $7.49 a bag, or create your own combination of flavors, or for a buck more a bag, create your own combinations, with a personalized label. Among the flavors are Banana Dream, Birthday Cake, Black Licorice, Blackberry Crisp, Blueberry Blast, Campfire S'mores, Chili Mango Madness, Chocolate Caramel Latte, Dill Pickle, and Frosty Root Beer Float Taffy, and dozens of others. Go to taffyshop.com.
Who doesn’t love a bad Christmas movie? Now, you can make it a group activity with Bad Christmas Movie Bingo, designed to be played while watching a (most likely terrible) made-for-TV Christmas movie. Each square on the board represents an event, character trait, or plot point. Just turn on any holiday "masterpiece," mark off your squares as the story unfolds, and get five in a row to win! Each box set includes 15 unique bingo boards (dry-erase and reusable), four dry-erase markers in a faux-velvet pouch, and instructions. $29.99 at Etsy, or from the manufacturer with a 20% discount at badchristmasmoviebingo.com, use the code BADXMAS20.
Founded by Cason Dean, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from a mixed-race family, Inclusive Christmas is redefining holiday decor with a groundbreaking range of products that reflect diverse identities. The brand offers a unique selection of six-foot lighted lawn inflatables and smaller giftable items such as ornaments, mugs, totes, and sweatshirts, featuring the first-ever Asian, Black, female, and Pride Santas, as well as a Jewish Santa. Available at inclusivechristmas.com, Walmart, and Amazon.
Dusted specializes in gourmet popcorn products. Upgrade your movie treat with one of the company’s seasoning bundles. Truffle Citrus Bundle ($60), features truffle oil, truffle dust, and bright citrus seasonings, complemented by heirloom calico popcorn kernels, while the Ramen Bundle ($42.50) adds savory ramen seasoning with sweet-salty furikake, paired with an easy-to-use ghee spray oil and heirloom calico popcorn kernels. Visit dusted.shop.
Founded on real-life health concerns and with a commitment to quality and natural ingredients, All Things Elderberry specializes in producing and distributing flavorful, vitamin-packed Elderberry Elixir and tea varieties. The company’s goal is to introduce the entire elderberry plant into modern medicine cabinets and kitchens. To that end, there are elixirs, gummies, teas, bath salts, and jellies, available at allthingselderberry.com.
Get ready to experience a fresh take on whiskey with Amber & Opal ($69.99), a premium honey botanical whiskey. Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey aged two years in medium-charred, American oak barrels lays the foundation of depth and character. The flavor profile includes the richness of all-natural honey, smokey black tea, and wild botanicals with finishing notes of cinnamon, ginger, and fig. Created by a group of entrepreneurs including Ja Rule, for more information go to amberopalspirits.com.
Since 1940, Johnson's Popcorn has been an icon of the Ocean City, New Jersey Boardwalk. The aroma of hot caramel tossed over giant kernels of popcorn has lured millions of visitors to Johnson's Popcorn's storefronts. All of Johnson's caramel popcorn is ''hand mixed'' in large copper kettles. You can now order this famous popcorn as well as buttered, cheese corn, and peanut crunch (sort of a Cracker Jack flavor that is as addictive as crack). Available in small ($28.95) to 3.5-gallon tubs (up to $89.95.) Go to johnsonspopcorn.com.
For the health nut on your list, check out Mikuna Foods, which offers a line of products based on Chocho (pronounced “cho-cho”), an ancient lupin that’s been cultivated by Indigenous farmers for thousands of years. Found only in the Andes, Chocho is extremely nutrient-dense and packed with protein, fiber, iron, and calcium. Chocho can be used for smoothies but is also perfect for blending and baking, a versatile, gluten-free partial-flour alternative that can boost nutrition into any dish. A 21-serving package is $60. Go to mikunafoods.com.
Make your holidays warmer with Don Q Reserva. Aging mellows the rum, bringing out new flavors and aromas. Gran Reserva contains rums aged between 9 and 12 years, and Solera rums aged up to 50 years, creating a balance between sweet and dry that you won’t get in other spirits. Drink it on the rocks or drink it neat. $58.99 a bottle, available at most liquor stores.
For a bit of escapist fun, pick up the Wilton Manor-based murder mystery, “Rhoda Rage and the Goldfish Letter” by Charles Baran. It’s a campy, dishy, fun, romp through Wilton Manors as the titular drag queen solves a murder, performs a show, and still manages to pick her wig up from her stylist! Available at To The Moon and on Amazon and other online booksellers.
Cottage Lane Kitchen is a woman-owned company based in Chapel Hill N.C., where four generations of the family have been perfecting its spicy pepper relishes that are sodium-free and feature chiles slow-cooked in apple cider as well as its Hissy Fit hot sauce to add zing to your dishes. I used its Cape Fear relish to top a baked salmon and it was delicious. $12-$24 at Amazon or cottagelanekitchen.com.
Cookbook author Julia Turshen is a home cook’s best friend. Her latest book, “What Goes With What” shows how to transform the seemingly boring contents of our fridge into an exciting meal. Organized with 20 charts, it helps the reader to build a successful dish with what they find in their refrigerator. The reader can create from one of the six sections: salads and sandwiches; soups, stews, and braises; rice, more grains, and pasta; vegetables; mains; and baked goods. $16.99 (softcover) from Amazon and other online booksellers.
Finally in a bit of shameless self-promotion, the perfect holiday gift for those who “love the nightlife” is “Last Call South Florida: 1,001 LGBTQ-Friendly Taverns, Hangouts & Haunts.” The book, which I co-wrote with historian Fred Fejes, is a combination encyclopedia-coffee table book of the LGBTQ bars from Palm Beach to Key West, from just after Prohibition to the present day. Filled with hundreds of old ads, photos, and news clippings and featuring interviews with dozens of locals, the book is sure to bring back memories. Available in hardcover ($39.95) and paperback ($32.95) on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, or from the publisher rattlinggoodyarns.com.
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