By Anna Frymire
Cozy season is upon us! ‘Tis the time for campfire cocoa, squooshy socks, and puzzle days with the people we love. Like you, we’ll soon be shopping for meaningful gifts that bring joy and spark memories. Because we love lists and checking them twice, we’re sharing our favorite small business goods in Alpinecho’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide.
We wish we could buy all the things from all the small businesses, but we’re on a budget. So here’s a 40-liter Santa Backpack of affordable gifts for the people you want to squeeze in your arms, kiss under the mistletoe, or maybe just wave at across the way (because we don’t suggest kissing bears or reindeer… they prefer greeting cards anyway!)
Boot Stuffers (go-getter gifts under $20)
Bison Pattern Multicolor Socks
$14.99 from McGovern Outdoor
McGovern says these are the most comfortable socks you’ll find. And we’re inclined to believe them. They’d make a great stocking stuffer because you know what they say, “put a sock in it!” (Image credit: McGovern Outdoor)
Classic Husky Vinyl Sticker
$4 from The Wild Pine
Have you met the famous Wild Pine pups? We first fell in love with these pups when we saw them modeling Wild Pine’s stunning handmade jewelry. They’re pretty famous now, but it hasn’t gone to their fluffy puppy heads. This waterproof sticker is a great stocking stuffer or Christmas card surprise for those who love flora, fauna, and dogs. (PS… Keep an eye out for The Wild Pine’s seasonal jewelry releases celebrating the beauty of the backcountry.) (Image credit: The Wild Pine)
MADE IN THE USA
Vanilla Maple Holiday Candle
$18.00 from Good and Well Supply Co
Things will be good and well while burning a candle from the Gilded Holiday Candle Collection. You know those candles that smell like scratch and sniff stickers? These are NOT those candles. There are literal drops of nature in each one (we’re talking essential oils, balsa wood wicks, and locally grown soy.) So I guess you could say that these Good and Well candles are pretty “good-natured”. (Image credit: Good and Well Supply Co)
MADE IN THE USA
Campout Cotton Bandana
$14.00 from Alpinecho
The campout item you don’t have to campout for this black Friday. So sleep in, shop online in your pj’s, and eagerly await Postal Service Santa’s arrival!
MADE IN THE USA
Canoe Keychain
$18 from Wild Lettie
“Jingle keys, jingle keys, jingle keys in style!” Know someone who’s always jingle-jangling their keys? Add another jingle to their jangle with a colorful enamel keychain designed by Wild Lettie. (PS… There are tents and pinecones too!) (Image credit: Wild Lettie)
Alpinecho Bison Mug
$13 from Alpinecho
This handmade enamel mug is the real deal for real deal beverage people. We weren’t messing around when we made this fireproof mug with ceramic decals featuring original artwork. “We made a mug and fired it thrice… Gonna find out if one or five will suffice… Santa Clause is coming to town…”
Hobby Gifts (gifts for people with hobbies or those who might need one)
Smokey's Fan Mail Puzzle
$22.50 from The Landmark Project
Nothing says cozy like puzzles and our favorite bear! Featuring Rudoph Wendelin’s historic Smokey Bear painting, this is a little piece of Americana the whole group can enjoy. Plus, 10% of the proceeds go toward wildfire prevention education. It really is a gift that keeps on giving! (Image credit: The Landmark Project)
Burr Dropper Spool
$6 from Upstream Gear
Made to order, this large burr spool is a splashin’ good deal for the avid angler! The “Burr” (named after the knobby burrs on antlers) keeps pre-tied fly and tippet rigs organized. So grab one (or five) and cast them on over to your fishin’ pals. (Image credit: Upstream Gear)
MADE IN THE USA
Blue Jay Bird Mobile Kit
$35.00 from Bird Collective
Know a bird fanatic? We bet you do! (It’s us… We’re the bird fanatics you know.) And no one does birds and bird swag quite like the Bird Collective. We spotted this mobile kit and thought of some nephews that would love it! But let’s be honest, we kind of want one too. (Image credit: Bird Collective)
Gifts that aren’t socks (because you tried this year and everybody’s gonna know it)
Pinch of Salt Tee
$28.00 from Tugboat Jack
Ahoy! Ever heard the legend of Tugboat Jack? “Drink the wild air” with this soft tee featuring original artwork by Indiana-based illustrator, Adam Johnson. And while you’re at it, buy one as a gift for your fellow sailor! (This is a gift guide afterall.) (Image credit: Tugboat Jack)
Alpinecho Trucker Hats
$30.00 from Alpinecho
Not to be weird, but your friends are prolly like, “gimme that cap!” Which is fitting since trucker hats originated from promotional feed store “gimme caps”— as in, “hey there Rancher, gimme some cash for that feed.” Since then, all of us cool kids have been sporting redesigns on the gimme classics.
Alpinecho’s trucker hats feature original artwork and despite their “gimme” origins, every hat is a giveback to our manufacturing partner, Purnaa. As a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in Nepal, Purnaa is on a mission to create jobs that empower. So make your gimme a giveback this holiday season!
Eureka Beanie
$34.00 from Fayettechill
Designed in the Ozarks, Fayettechill beanies are great year ‘round. Which is why they make great gifts for people who like to keep it simple and chillax with hat-hair pretty much every day. Made by a “diverse group of regular humans”, the Eureka Beanie has your effortlessly-cool-‘cause-they-just-don’t-care friends covered. (Image credit: Fayettechill)
MADE IN THE USA
Darth Wader Hoodie
$48.50 by Lakes Rivers Streams
“Come Fishing on the Dark Side with the Darth Wader Hoodie.” (We wish that was original with us, but Lakes Rivers and Streams clearly needs to give their cool copywriter a raise.) This super soft hoodie features hand-drawn original artwork for the fly fishing nerd in your life. (Image credit: Lakes Rivers Streams)
See ya later, Cabin Fever! (gifts that bring the outdoors in)
2023 Birds of Colorado Wall Calendar
$36 from Kaley Alie Art
Inspired by the feathery friends that call Colorado home, this calendar features original artwork by artist Kaley Alie. The bright colors and tear-away art print cover are just the pop of color our winter days need. Snag a couple for your coworkers before this calendar flies south for the winter and sells out! (Image credit: Kaley Alie)
MADE IN THE USA
Limited Edition Moose Woodblock Print
$85.00 from Woosah
Each print is hand pulled and inked with its own unique variations. With only 50 signed and numbered prints by artist Erica Lang, this original piece is a meaningful gift for the person on your list who seems to have everything. So take a deep breath and exhale on “Woosah”. You just did it. You just won Christmas. (Image credit: Woosah)
MADE IN THE USA
Map Landscape Art Prints
$15-$300 by Final Switchback
We can’t recommend these stunning art prints on vintage topography maps enough. We hope it’s your final gift decision and you never switch back. (Image credit: Final Switchback)
No One Else Will Think of This (gifts no one else has thought of…minus the thousands upon thousands of people presumably reading this glorious gift guide)
Tiny Tent
$24.99 from Tiny Tents
Yes, Tiny Tents are “the real thing, way smaller.” Don’t ask why— just buy. It’s adorable and they know it. We’re so happy we could change your life. (Image credit: @smallest.of.the.small)
T-Trex Sticker
$4 from Alpinecho
T-Trex has been hiking the hills since the dawn of time. Unlike his prehistoric buddies, he found boots that actually fit and he started his hike early so he could begin his descent well before sunset (safety first). Unfortunately, he’s still on the lookout for poles that touch the ground so if you have any leads, please pass them along. Grab your sticker before T-Trex disappears forever (otherwise known as a backorder or total species extinction.)
MADE IN THE USA
Last Minute But Still Cool (it’s the afterthought that counts)
Greeting Cards
$4 from Alpinecho
Who would we be if we didn’t believe in our own gifts? Afterall, we made this greeting card collection just for you (and literally anyone else who wants one—tell your friends!) Our greeting cards feature hand-drawn artwork and only the best original puns. Because we’d never (snow)flake on you this holiday season. Since you fill our (coffee) cups with joy!
MADE IN THE USA
Alpinecho Gift Card
$10–$1,000,000,000 from Alpinecho
Elevate that Christmas card with a card that says cold hard cash is king. Or better yet, elevate that 11:59pm Christmas Eve email. This is the limitless, instantaneous gift. Add as many zeros as you like!
A Hug
Free from You
Your mom "just wants a hug." So give her a hug! And then maybe an actual gift. It’s your mom.
I’m dying…these are all great ideas the pins and humor are on point!
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