Holiday Gift Guide
For the Hostess
A hostess gift that looks like you put a lot of time and thought into it. (Psst: Turnaround time is generally one week, but you ask nicely, they can do a rush job, just in case you haven’t put a lot of time or thought into it.) We think this monogrammed hurricane vase is a much better party gift than a simple candle.
14-inch monogrammed hurricane in antique gold (candle not included), $85 at Interiors for the Home, Eagle Village Shops, 503 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, 610-989-9665.
If you haven’t tasted Barbuzzo’s salted caramel budino, then you’d better get yourself to 13th Street. Or you can just pre-order some and pick up in the afternoon. Trust us: This little delicacies are what heaven would taste like, if heaven was available for take-out.
Salted caramel budino (pickup preorder necessary), $45 for six at Barbuzzo, 110 South 13th Street, 215-546-9300.
Even the non-green-thumbed will appreciate these urban herbs, which come (seeds and all!) in recycled wine bottles.
Potting Shed Creations Grow Bottle, $38 at Earth, 8433 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, 267-297-6868.
Because a custom assortment of olive oils and balsamic vinegars is even better when it comes packaged like this. (Tip: For two salad-perfect pairings, opt for the lavender balsamic vinegar and herbs de Provence olive oil, and pomegranate balsamic vinegar and sweet lemon olive oil.)
$58 at A Taste of Olive, multiple locations.
This Philly company donates a bar of soap to an impoverished area of the world for every bar purchased. It doesn’t hurt that the soaps smell so good, and they come in adorable packaging.
Hand In Hand Sustainable Suds soap, $10 a bar at Vintage Now, 910 East Main Street, suite B, Norristown, 610-608-4338.
Giving a hefty, glossy coffee table book is one of the best presents ever (especially if you scrawl a personal note on the inside cover!). Giving one of these hefty, glossy coffee table books is even better. (The Beatles book is one of the shop’s all-time best-sellers, so it’s also a good bet.)
Allegra Hicks: An Eye For Design, $40, Scribbles and Doodles giant coloring books, $19.99 each, Treehouses of the World, $37.50, Tartine Bread, $40, and The Beatles: 365 Days, $32.50, all at Bucks County Dry Goods, multiple locations.
