I love the one-two holiday punch I experience when supporting local creatives by gifting their beautiful and inspirational products to friends and family. Here are four gift ideas—to give and to keep—from four locally owned businesses I have enjoyed following over the past year or more.

Gratitude in a Box

I supported the Kickstarter last spring and was thrilled to have Gratitude in a Box arrive just before Thanksgiving. The kids and I enjoyed diving deeper into sharing gratitude for a plethora of personal experiences, some of them otherwise seemingly unfortunate or mundane. Founder Tim Keaty believes we can change our life, our community and our world by re-framing what we would normally see as an unimportant occurrence and turn it into a positive event that we can be thankful for. Sharing those thoughts with people we care about is the icing on the Christmas cookie. $20

gratitudeinboxes.com

Melissa Cole Art Calendar

I nearly fainted when I saw Melissa Cole was selling her 2019 calendars for $10.That means 13 works of her stunning art for less than the cost of two steaming hot venti peppermint mocha choca bocha lattes (thanks, Bat Dad). This is the perfect gift to give yourself and for every fine art aficionado—or those who should be—on your list.

melissacole.com

Soy Winter Candles

Founders Ryan and Laura Knecht’s journey into candle making began when they decided to make their own wedding favors and, in turn, created 200all-natural soy candles. The candles were such a hit with their guests, they received requests to make more, and then bloomed Sweet Birch Co. Theirsustainable, soy candles possess a refined aroma with an authentic, nostalgic vibe. Their specialty recipe was developed with natural ingredients to produce home fragrance with a longer, cleanerburns.Perfect for everyone on my 18 year old son’s list—and yours—he says, because who doesn’t appreciate the delicious, warm glow of a good candle in winter? $14

sweetbirchco.com

Artist Eye on Spokane Book

Megan Perkins’ year-long watercolor project (we’ve been sharing one of those images in each issue of the magazine on page 26) is being published in a gorgeous 100+ page 8”x 10″ book after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The book is designed as an artist’s book with splatters and raw edge sketches alongside more polished paintings, and organized by neighborhood/region. If you love the quirks of Spokane, or know someone who does, you’ll want this book. $28

meganperkinsart.com