The 12 Gifts of Christmas

If you follow me over on Instagram, you know that I just wrapped up a giant gift away series.

2020 has been a hard year, no matter who you are the pandemic has effected you in some way large or small.  If you are a business owner you are well aware of the uncertainty.  As a family we have been wanting to spread extra cheer where we could. So I reached out to some of the businesses we have discovered over the last year and did a give away.

I thought I would take an opportunity to highlight the amazing businesses that were apart of the 12 Gifts of Christmas, and share with you some of my favourite items they have available (a last minute gift guide if you will).

Local Shop Box
The first day we had a gift box filled with goodies from some of the amazing businesses in my very own town. Summer has grown such a deep love for shopping small, and a big part of that is the amazing shop owners we have surrounding us.

The Vintage Crate – a beautiful antique shop which also features home decor and many Canadian makers.
John St Shop – filled with gorgeous antiques and vintage finds as well as pet (and children) friendly plants. They also carry an array of local makers. In the warmer months their is also shipping available for their plant selection.
Bee Savvy Fine Foods – not only do they carry their own amazing products, but they also invite other artisan food makers from all over into their shop. I highly recommend one of their gift baskets as the perfect hostess gift, or really for any foodie in your life.
Jade&Laney Boutique – one of the many hotspots for clothing in our area. They carry a wide selection of top Canadian brands (like Gentle Fawn and Smash+Tess).
White Pine Books – Every town should have a book store to explore. We adore our trips to White Pine, not only do they have an amazing selection of books for all ages, they also have a children’s boutique attached. Many of the kids staple wardrobe pieces come from their because the quality is topnotch.

Some of our other days included amazing Canadian hand made businesses.

• Our go to for scrunchies and bows ChloZoBow Co. – business owned by two mama’s with amazing quality and a fast variety for both kids and adults.
• Beautiful jewelry handmade and amazing quality Seren & Skye is your shop. I have a few pieces now that I have purchased from Laura (my mother in law doesn’t know it yet, but she is getting a real stunner for Christmas and so are Summer’s teachers.)
• You can never have to many earrings, and Pretty by Payge is a must add to your collection. All of her pieces are hand crafted with clay, so each one is fairly unique. What I love most about Payge is her desire to help her customers. I was having the hardest time finding clip on earrings for Summer that were something she loved. Payge has created clipons for her so we can both match, which if you know Summer – is one of her favourite things.
•  Mom shirts are all the rage right now and Hails & Co. has the softest collection of tees in the land. They also have amazing designs for both adults and kids – and their designs go far beyond the basic Mom line.
• Knit or Crochet, Wela Designs can do it all. They also have custom shirts available which we love.
• Blues Boutique has a beautiful array of hair bows, mommy and me matching sets. She also has facemasks, and animal accessories. Really a one stop accessory shop.
• Perfect for your kids, and the environment Aries Earth Dough! A mother daughter duo creating play dough and slime that are toxin free, and have reusable packaging to minimize plastics going into the our dumps. They also have a line of wooden stamps and play accessories to go with your dough.

There were some other great giveaways as well, and I will certainly highlight them in coming blog posts. But if you have any last minute shopping to do, I highly recommend checking out the shops above. Even if you can’t get an item on time a gift certificate is always a winning idea.