The Goldenrod's Wintertime Gift Guide: Good Things, Small Packages
Festive, seasonal items that support small town Kentucky makers and are all (gasp!) under $25.
In a year when stories about “supply chain” issues are constantly flashing on cable news and the weariness of a second, not-so-normal pandemic holiday is upon us, The Goldenrod’s first-ever wintertime gift guide is keeping suggestions as local and inexpensive as possible. No item we recommend will be over $25 and all are made by Kentuckians. Simple as pie.
Today, we’re thinking small with festive, seasonal gifts that support local makers and won’t break the bank. Let’s get into it…
The Goldenrod's Wintertime Gift Guide: Good Things, Small Packages
For Your Grandmother With the Black Thumb: Paperwhite bulbs, six-pack, Three Toads Farm, $20
Winchester, Kentucky
Requiring little more than being potted and watered to produce striking, snow-colored blooms, Three Toads Farm has taken all the guesswork out of creating a fragrant, holiday-ready flower display. (They also suggest placing single bulbs in mint julep cups and covering them with moss—next-level Kentucky!)
For Your Best Friend Who Has A Packed Holiday Party Schedule: The Aura Dangle, Babaloo Jewelers, $24
Lexington, Kentucky
These cheeky statement earrings are handmade with polymer clay, and guaranteed to get a few winks back from across the room.
For Your Coworker, Second Cousin or Kid’s Cello Teacher: Chocolate Cherry Jam, Friends Drift Inn, $10
Pikeville, Kentucky
Ah, local preserves: the all-purpose, in-a-pinch present when you have to give something but don’t know enough about a person to get, uh, personal with it. For those moments when a decadent single jar of jam just won’t do, there’s also an ultra-pretty “holiday hostess” four-pack featuring the aforementioned chocolate cherry jam, strawberry jalapeno jam, orange marmalade and red pepper jelly.
For (Almost) Everyone On Your Christmas Card List: Mamaw Holiday Card Pack, Little Bubby Child, $15
Appalachian Kentucky
I sent these holiday cards last year, and they were a 10/10 standout hit among all the red-and-green tartan envelopes and two-page-long summaries of how families spent their cooped up year. Strongly recommend.
For Your Goofball Brother: Purebred Hosscat Sticker Pack, Little Bubby Child, $17
Appalachian Kentucky
Because he’s a purebred hosscat—and the world should know. (The pack also includes several Little Bubby classic stickers like “I Break for Yard Sales” and “Hillbilly Vampar.”)
For the More Traditional (or Religious) Folks on Your Card List: Super Shiny Holler Holiday Card, Art by Lacy Hale, $6
Ermine, Kentucky
Because we all have those aunts and neighbors who might clutch pearls over a hip-swiveling, fringe-swinging mamaw on their holiday card.
For the Family’s Keeper of Tradition: “Seasoned” Greetings Cast Iron Tea Towels, Art by Lacy Hale, $10
Ermine, Kentucky
They have recipe cards tucked away in every nook and cranny of the kitchen, and can make cornbread better than anyone in a three-town radius. Show a little love for their sacred (well-seasoned) cast iron.
For The Always-Tidying-Up Holiday Host: Tampico Turkey Wing Broom, Sunhouse Craft, $20
Berea, Kentucky
Artisanal brooms are having quite a moment (I even wrote about them for Architectural Digest earlier this year!) and these turkey wing versions will hit the “functional art piece” sweet spot for anyone who is constantly sweeping up little messes.
For Your Hallmark Channel Movie-Loving Relative: Ultra-Woodsy Juniper Pines Tureen Jar Candle, Velvet Whiskey Candle Co., $14
London, Kentucky
It’ll smell just like she’s a big city gal who’s arrived home for the holidays and wandered onto a Christmas tree farm where she falls for a perfect pine tree—and the lumberjack chopping it. (Hallmark Channel, I’m available for consult!)
For Sleep Deprived New Parents: Windy Hills Coffee, $12
Viper, Kentucky
Locally-roasted in the holler with beans sourced from Costa Rica or Tanzania—take your pick—there’s nothing quite as precious as that first morning cup of joe. (Except, I suppose, a newborn…)
For the Niece/Nephew/Nibling With Their First Apartment: Tuk Tuk's Fried Chicken Spice, $13.11
Lexington, Kentucky
Chef Sam Fore’s lightning-in-a-shaker spice mix will guarantee any just-starting-out home cook’s first attempt at a Friendsgiving-style dinner party will be a smash.
For the TikTok-Dancing, 90s-Dressing Gen Zers: Naughty Boi & Nice Boi Possum in a Stocking Pin Set, Juniper Moon Folk Arts, $11.50
Irvine, Kentucky
Can’t you already see these pins decorating their tote bags and overalls? Yep, me too. (This one is a less seasonal option if you have a granny quilt-lover out there.)
We’ll be back tomorrow with our final installment of The Goldenrod’s Wintertime Gift Guide! If you want to give an extra-special (affordable!) present before then, why not give the gift of The Goldenrod? ($6/month! Wow!)