Don't panic.
You have 13 days before Christmas. And, two days before Hanukkah, in which case, you should probably panic if you didn't buy anything for anyone.
Regardless, we want to make your life easier with a bunch of cool shit we see out there that you can buy for a loved one, or to simply get your gift-giving gears turning in the right direction.
The direction that leads to interchangeable bongs and elk steaks and plant benches and piñatas that look like the agents of Babylon, toy cats in tempura shrimp hats, and perfume for goths.
That kinda thing.
Why should Chevy dealerships get all the fun flying Felix's face around? Mister Cartoon designed these t-shirts and long-sleeves centered around the wonderful, wonderful cartoon cat, doing things like getting up on walls, cruising, and inking people up. Typical cat stuff.
Plants are people, too. And sometimes they may just wanna take a break from their intense schedules and chill. In which case, they'll need one of these too-cute, hand-painted agave Tu Y Yo benches from Boyle Heights' The L.A. Garden.
Order online here.
Forget Labubu. Forget Furby. Forget that little bitch Tickle Me Elmo. All the kids really want this year is a bottle of L.A. TACO's own all-natural taco sauce, made by L.A.'s great El Machete 1923 specifically to go on tacos, using jalapeños grown by our publisher and a touch of habanero.
Order a bottle here on L.A. TACO's Shop.
Nöl Collective is a Palestinian-based fashion and goods company dedicated to uplifting women artisans and their handmade work, with products that are hand-embroidered, handwoven, and naturally dyed by family-owned businesses from Gaza, Ramallah, and more. Bargis is a two-player strategy board game popular across The Levant, and the Nöl Collective has crafted their own version for sale.
Order here. For more great handmade gift ideas from Palestine, see here.
It's been a hard, frustrating, tragic year. But we think we know what might make everyone feel momentarily just a little bit better (hands over wooden palo/aluminum bat/laser chainsaw).
Find one in the L.A. piñata district or order online.
Rather than fatten the pockets of Jeff Bezos, make a donation online to Somalia Emergency under your giftee's name to help Somalian families in need get hygiene products and food.
We also have a list of 31 non-profits helping embattled immigrants in California right here that can always use your support.
Jamaica also needs crucial assistance right now and the Peter Tosh Foundation is seeking funds to for "trusted local organizations and community leaders distributing food, clean water, emergency supplies, temporary shelter, as well as materials for home and school repairs" in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
L.A.'s Prosperity Market showcases the work of Black farmers, makers, food producers, and chefs. And it's offering different gift sets featuring its favorite vendors, full of things everyone likes. Like fresh coffee, smoked oil from Alta Adams, Got Damn sauce, candied pecans, Ace Naturals' soaps, and body butters.
Check out the sets online or visit Prosperity Market's mobile farmers market.
It's been said that people don't need stuff, they need experiences. So an introductory wood-working class at East L.A.'s Allied Workshop would be perfect. They also hold classes in making spoons, chopsticks, and sculptures. So yeah, they'll still wind up with "stuff," but it's the thought that counts, right?
Gift certificates can be purchased here.
A-B-C-D-Bidi-Bidi-Bom-Bom! Lil' Libros has this adorable, bilingual kid's book about the life of Selena that will be perfect for any toddlers or little people in your life. Or adults in the early stages of learning Spanish
Find it in bookstores, gift shops, or online.
Speaking of kids, or not-kids-who-like-kid-stuff, Anime Station has adorbs characters like Mofusand cats, Hatsune Miku, and heroic anime heroes for days in Little Tokyo. The shop also sells figurines, manga, and Pokemon cards—a perfect spot for you to score something for the trinket-lover in your life.
Shop online or visit in Rowland Heights, 1370 Fullerton #101 Rowland Heights CA 91748 or Little Tokyo, 330 E. 2nd St. #A Los Angeles, CA 90012
"Chinga La Migra" futbol jerseys and anti-ICE shirts from Espacio 1839. So much better than ones that advertise Emirates Airlines or LAFC or anything that doesn't just blatantly say "Fuck Ice" in any language.
Check them out at Espacio 1839, 1839 E. 1at St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Warning: You only have 13 days left to gift this gothic perfume advent calendar to the beautiful brooding dark soul in your life who wants to be the best-smelling wraith at Bar Sinister.
Purchase a calendar here.
Alto Canto High Proof Blanco is new to the market, made via the tahona method 9,000 feet above the Jalisco sea level in pipones, packing a 48% ABV, and containing nothing but agave and spring water. And the bottle just happens to fit really well into your peoples' stockings, so it must be fate.
Found at Total Wine & More in L.A. and The Living Room in Hollywood. Order online here.
The galleries of Beyond The Streets bring eccentric, overlooked, and typically underground works of art to the forefront. Their gift shop store is full of fun shit like books on graffiti, The Germs, Teen Angels, and GWAR, and spray cans in tribute to the Circle Jerks and AIKO. The zine you see above is a compilation of graff stickers from the late Dave Schubert, a visual treat and a great find for the eclectic artist or adhesive fiend in your life.
Order online.
Gallery address ~ 434 N La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036
Redbird's James Beard Award finalist cocktail bar is making the holidays easy. They've got take-home nightcaps you can pick up in person for $16, with recipes like Lily of the Valley (mixe with Scotch and cachaca) and Badmaash (blending J.W. Black Label with sweet vermouth, garam masala liqueur, and coconut). If that's not booze to survive the family this season, they also have cocktail kits that come with everything you need to build its in-house classics the Maple Leaf and Red Eye.
Order here.
La Plaza de Cultura y Artes is known for creating community through exhibits, celebrations, and events. They also offer a series of cooking classes. The next "Hecho con Amor" class is on Saturday, January 24, where students will learn how to make multi-colored corn tortillas from scratch and how to press edible flowers for garnishing. Tickets are $55 each, and this class will be taught by Marlene Aguilar, founder of the food project Irekuarhikua. This would be a great gift for the home cook in your life.
Buy tickets here.
LA Cocina de Gloria Molina teaching kitchen ~ 555 North Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
There's always something we want at The Academy Museum Store. Like "Jaws"-inspired beer can stress balls, Ponyo key chains, and this big coffee table book about the representation of cyberpunk as seen on the big screen.
Order online or find it in person at The Academy Museum Store, LACMA West, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
Photo courtesy of Vitae Glass.
They loved Legos as a kid. They love bong tokes as an adult. Bring their two passions together with one of Vitae Glass' "build your own bong" waterpipes, which lets them get creative by switching out and adding various bases, mouthpieces, and rings. You always knew they'd accomplish great things.
Order here.
This is a perfect gift if you're relatives are, say, Ukrainian or Georgian or Polish or members of Pussy Riot or something. It's a natural soy wax candle made from a 40-mm grenade casing recovered in Donetsk, with a very flammable wooden Kremlin serving as the wick.
Order online here.
Admit it, your finger skate skills have fallen off since middle school. L.A. Skate Co. is an independent skate shop selling boards and accessories in Hollywood, including this fingerboard set that comes with a printed deck, trucks, lock nuts, CNC wheels, and tools. Sick stocking stuffer for kids looking to style on their peers still stuck on fidget spinners.
Order online or visit the shop.
5401 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, CA. 90029
They make aguardiente in Oxnard now. Sespe Creek does, anyway, by roasting dent corn grits over mesquite and adding rye to the mash bill. It also has a rooster crowing on top of a pile of bones on the label and is named "Big Cockerel." So, you probably have a good idea of who this goes to already.
Sold online and at multiple physical locations.
Elk meat! And one of those things that people want but don't realize they want it. So it will be a total surprise when they unwrap a big box of First Light Farms' natural, New Zealand pasture-raised elk steaks and ground elk. Very shiny nose not included.
Order online here.
