Tag: Holiday Gifts

Chicago Inspired Gifts

Chicagoland Area, Christkindlmarket, Christmas, Gifts, Ornaments

Gifting Inspirations for this Holiday Season

Chicago 1893: The City Beautiful Tile Game brings you back in time to the eve of the World’s Exposition of 1893, where you can imagine yourself as the architect and compete with friends and rivals to build neighborhoods, rails, parks, boulevards, monuments and try to install your Alderman in the most influential Ward in the city.  Whoever can build the most impressive modern amenities and conveniences for a vibrant city will bask in the glory of establishing Chicago as the model for “The City Beautiful!” (Suitable for ages 14+. 2 – 6 players, designed by local business Transit Tees in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. I’ve attached a press release below of this, their newest game.

Transit Tees has many other Chicago-themed games too, including:

  • LOOP: The Elevated Card Game Renovated Edition – The hit transit card game LOOP now has a standalone expansion! The new LOOP: Renovated Edition contains all new event cards, plus some new wild cards and a full set of station cards. It can be played on its own, or combined with the original edition of LOOP to double the fast-paced, chaotic fun! Ride the rails of the elevated trains in Chicago’s famous Loop! Match the line colors and stations to make your way around town, but beware of the everyday perils of signal delays, broken escalators, and unexplainable smells as you get where you’re going! (LOOP: Renovated Edition is a 10-20 minute game suitable for ages 9 and up. One deck can support a game of 2-7 players, but when combined with the original edition of LOOP you can play with up to 14 people!)
  • El The Chicago Transit Adventure Board Game – Welcome to Chicago! There’s lots to do in The Windy City, and you have a full itinerary. Make your way around the city using the famous elevated “El” trains to visit places of interest and return to the State/Lake station before anyone else. Strategize your optimal route by utilizing trains and buses, but be prepared for detour. Keep an eye out for stations undergoing renovation, and be sure to carry enough Transit Tokens to pay for your fare! And of course, you’re not the only person riding the trains. Other travelers might just throw your plans for a Loop! Pack your bag, gather your friends, and set out on your Chicago Transit Adventure! Suitable for ages 13+. 2 – 8 players. 

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago shared the MCA Store Holiday Gift Guide for 2023. A one-stop shop for the gift-giving season, notable gifts include a crewneck sweatshirt featuring Pez Dispenser by Jean-Michel Basquiat, an LED neon light centering the artwork of Keith Haring, and Campbell’s Soup Cans skate decks inspired by Andy Warhol. In addition, the guide includes limited-edition keepsakes from MCA exhibitions Faith Ringgold: American People and entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico.

  • Shoppers will also find a section within the guide dedicated to Chicago artists, highlighting innovative designs from creators based in the city. Patrons can purchase pieces from watchmakers Jason Peterson and Diana Pietrzyk as well as accessories from jewelry designers Jessica Jensen, Lindsay Lewis, and Kelly Jacobson.
  • The Christkindlmarket celebrates its 27th season at Daley Plaza, its fifth year at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville, and its second time at RiverEdge Park in Aurora.  This year, Christkindlmarket is introducing its first ceramic beer stein with a holiday-themed design ($20), as well as location-specific $8 souvenir mugs with unique designs at each market (for example: the Chicago mug shows off downtown landmarks like the City Hall building and Daley Plaza’s Picasso sculpture while the Wrigleyville mug shows off Hotel Zachary, the intersection sign of Clark & Addison, and much more.)
  • These mugs are hotly anticipated collector’s items for locals who have turned Christkindlmarket into a holiday tradition since 1996. Modeled after the 16th-century holiday markets in Germany, the free-admission outdoor bazaar is a hub for traditional German fare, delightful warm beverages and handcrafted gifts for purchase, and charming holiday vibes the entire family can enjoy. And now in its third year, another popular favorite is back – the annual Christkindlmarkt ornament, hand-painted and glass blown in Europe, portraying a market scene with holiday elements on its ice blue background ($41 at all info booths).
  • For more about the mugs:
  • While last year’s souvenir mug combined elements from all three locations, visitors can now get location-specific ones with unique designs at each market. The Chicago mug is mint green on the
  • outside and features a wine red on the interior. It shows off downtown landmarks like the City Hall building and Daley Plaza’s Picasso. The Aurora mug is a combination of mint and dark green and includes elements like the Paramount Theatre and bald eagles that can be found along the Fox River. The Wrigleyville mug is mint green and grey colored and shows off Hotel Zachary, the intersection sign of Clark & Addison, and much more. What all three mugs have in common is its
  • special shape, a round base with a tapered top. Each mug sells for $8 on its own but can also be purchased with a hot beverage from various vendors, ranging from mulled wine to hot chocolate.
  • For more on Chicago shopping, visit Choose Chicago.

Exotic, Edible, and Intriguing: Last Minute Holiday Gifts

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It’s very last minute but there’s still time to order some great holiday gifts. Here are a few recommendations for unique presents. So get online and get going. But even if they arrive a little late (blame it on the mail and not procrastination) they’re still be appreciated. Happy Holidays!

The Worthington Collection

Candles may have originated 5000 years ago but The Worthington Collection has upped the game when it comes to exquisite fragrances and odor-eliminating candles. Before, often used for marking time, lighting in the days before electricity, and made from such less than desirous ingredients—tallow from rendered cow and/or sheep fat and spermaceti from whales, their smell was more reminiscent to fatty meat than the aromas of The Worthington Collection.

The luxury candles that are part of TWC’s Signature Collection and include Oceanfront Dreamscape with its three stages of fragrance: First Impression: Pear, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Eucalyptus; At the Heart: Lily Of The Valley, Wood Violet, Cinnamon, Clove; and Lasting Memory: Amber, Vanilla, Tonka Bean.  The First Impression of the Sense of Opulence in the Luxury Collection are Jasmine and White Peach, followed by At the Heart with its notes of Hibiscus and Mandarin and then Lasting Memory: Citrus, White Musk, Freesia. The 12-ounce candles have a burn time of about 80 hours. TWC is designed as a clean burn, fragranced candle that eliminates odors from any room.

Fab Slabs

Made from the camphor laurel tree that grows in Australia, Fab Slabs are beautiful grazing and cutting boards, perfect for serving charcuterie but also environmentally friendly and permanently antibacterial. Indeed, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, camphor laurel wood exhibits a number of biological properties – such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anticoccidial, antinociceptive, anticancer and antitussive activities.

The beautifully patterned wood is milled, kiln dried and manufactured on Australia’s Sunshine Coast located about one hour North of Brisbane but available here at Macy’s, Wayfair, Lowe’s, Overstock, and, of course, Amazon. Each board is made from one slab of wood and each is unique in color and characteristics.

WINEWISK

An aerator that doubles as a wine charm, WINEWISK is a handy gift for those who want to experience a restaurant quality glass of wine in three easy steps. Attach WINEWISK to your glass, swirl the liquid around to create bubbles, and voila! you have fully aerated wine at its peak. Aerating, also referred to as letting the wine “breathe,” releases flavors and aromas not noticeable when the bottle is first opened. The WINEWISK speeds up the process. Great for whites and reds.

As a wine charm, it’s perfect for entertainment as everyone can recognize their own glass. Just rinse to re-use next time around. It’s as simple as that.

Available through Amazon

Tea Runners

For serious tea connoisseurs, Tea Runners offers high-grade loose teas with a pedigree. Encompassing many types – black, green, herbal, pu-erh (a fermented green tea that’s aged for months), oolong and white – they’re available in customized, delivered-to-your-door boxes that also contain a list of ingredients for each and steeping notes.

The types of tea include Golden Monkey, a high-grade black tea with notes of malt and honeyed peach; Ancient Pu-erh Tuo Cha, which has been aged for two to four years and comes in single-serving tea cakes; and Butterfly Mango Dragon Fruit White, a low-caffeine tea with ingredients like butterfly pea flowers, freeze-dried marigold flowers and mangos. The pea flower gives the tea a blue hue that can be turned pink with the addition of lemon juice.

Coo Moo Jams & Jellies

Highland coo cows? To see one of these fluffy, large, long-haired cows, you’d have to travel to the Scottish Highlands.

Or, more easily, you can find a drawing of one of these cute – and supposedly sweet-natured cattle – on the label of CooMoo, the name Julie Deck chose for her line of jams.

Her Peachy Mango Madness, Apricot Habanero and Wooster Sauce can add a burst of flavor to a variety of dishes.