✨Holiday Gift Guide✨
This gift guide is all about small businesses (you’ll neverrr see an Amazon link here, I promise). While I encourage you to shop as small and as locally as possible year round, the holiday season’s focus on capitalism and consumption is a great reminder to turn away from all that and support regular people trying to pay their bills, not billionaires destroying democracy and the planet to buy another megayacht.
An L.A. Taco subscription - for LA or SoCal readers, I can’t recommend L.A. Taco enough. They’ve been keeping independent journalism alive in the LA area, centered mostly around food and culture, but have been indispensable in providing on the ground coverage for ICE raids, protests, and how to protect our communities. Their app also has a taco-finder map! Use the code 2025DRIVE for 25% off a Local level membership.
Diaspora Co. spices - Women-owned Diaspora’s Indian-leaning spices are fresh, single origin, and come with a harvest date on the tins. They pay their farmers fair wages (we should all be paying more for spices, tbh), and I make sure I always have their fragrant whole coriander seeds on hand. They also make my favorite tote bag ever, with a sturdy separator AND zipper pocket.
A fancy bottle of olive oil from a small producer. I love gifting something luxurious yet practical that people might not be willing to splurge on themselves. Oracle Oil is a wonderful product from Greece, they even have a fancy gift set that includes a beautiful handmade ceramic bowl. Bona Furtuna is another favorite of mine, and this gift set includes their delicious organic olive oil from Sicily and Mamma Rose’s Herb Blend, which I cannot get enough of.
Gift certificates to your favorite independent restaurant, bar, or coffee shop. By purchasing a gift card to a local business, you’re guaranteeing that your dollars are doing directly to support real people running a business that likely has razor-thin profit margins, and the added benefit of sharing food or drinks you already know are great with a loved one.
Your most beloved cookbook, like Salt Fat Acid Heat or Salad Freak. But, you MUST buy them from your local bookstore or specialty shop, like Now Serving in LA’s Chinatown.
A paid Substack subscription, like Almost Healthy or This Shit Rocks. They’ll get awesome recipes and kitchen inspiration, while you’ll be supporting these boots-on-the-ground gals working very hard to produce quality content. Full disclosure, Karlee and Sara are friends of mine :)
For someone on your list that has everything they want, consider a donation in their name to a local food bank, mutual aid fund, NPR station, or public library branch.
Happy (mindful) shopping, and happy celebrating!
xo
Love this list!