Holiday gift giving time is here! 

In the true hippie, eco-friendly, sustainable, small business loving, spirt of the most wonderful city in the world (ahem, San Francisco) I thought I would share a little list of goodies with you that are off the beaten path…

Maybe, just maybe, this holiday season you can pick one or two people off your list and instead of going to your local {insert popular corporate gift buying monstrosity} you can get them something a little less ordinary!

Introducing… Gift idea #1:

THE TYE!

These darling little hair bands are everything your local/sustainable/small business loving heart could want.

They are:

• Handmade in Santa Rosa, California
• Stylish & functional (I have tried them and LOVE THEM!)
• Backed by a snap-free guarantee: ” If they snap, send em’ back… it’s that simple!”
• Affordable (At only one buck a piece they are a steal!)

I was lucky enough to try out three tyes’s and one headband and I loved them!  I like that they double as a cute bracelet when you wear them around your wrist.  I am definitely going to be gifting a few of these babies to some cool chicks I know.

Check out the website and be sure to use the coupon code “lovethetye” which will give free shipping on orders of $5 or more (limit one per customer). This code is good until December 31st.

Thanks a bunch to Emily Barker aka “Hair Wrangler” for hooking up all the readers of CitySneakers!

Gift idea # 2:

BREAD SRSLY

This next item is seriously the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It’s GLUTEN FREE SOURDOUGH BREAD.  Don’t run for the hills.  I swear, it is seriously the best bread you have ever had.  If you know me, you may know that I was the kind of kid that asked for the Boudin Bakery, monthly bread delivery subscription instead of toys for Christmas. Before I was diagnosed allergic to gluten, 98% of my calories probably came from bread, so I feel justified in saying that BREAD SRSLY is really that freakin’ good.

Why it rocks?

• “BREAD SRSLY bakes breads using whole grain, certified gluten free flours, local and organic produce, herbs and home-dried fruits in rambunctious varieties like kale sourdough, whole grain chai and apricot fennel.”
• The ingredients are sourced from local, sustainable producers and the bread is baked in small batches.
• All products are free of dairy, egg, nut, soy, chickpea, potato, tapioca, and, of course, wheat.
• There is a new menu each week which features 2 different loaves of insanely delicious bread and one scrumptious muffin.
• Sadie, the creator of BREAD SRSLY started by delivering her delicious loaves on bike (how cool is that!)

You can check out the BREAD SRSLY website here. Sadie has been kind enough to offer Bay Area folks the coupon code “seriousGIFTS” for 10% off orders on Good Eggs.

Gift idea #3:

Yoga or fitness class pass

Ah, the gift of fit.  I just love this idea.  Find a local yoga studio, zumba class, spin class, rock climbing gym, etc.. and get your loved one a couple classes of your choice.  Then, feel good knowing you gifted something that truly enhances your loved ones health/life/wellbeing.  If you suspect that your loved one may not be up to going alone, then tag along!

My most favorite San Francisco fit gift ideas:

Laughing Lotus Yoga Center

Burn 

Santori Yoga Studio

Motion Starved

Gift idea # 4:

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS

You can spread a little holiday cheer with these darling “you are beautiful” stickers (only $5 for 20!!).  Check out the website here for awesome gift ideas… t-shirts, buttons, notepads, sticker gift subscription (so your loved one can receive a pack of stickers every month next year!) etc.  These stickers seriously bring joy to my life!

Gift idea #5:

LOCAL CHOCOLATE &/OR COFFEE

My new favorite quote is:

“Chocolate is the answer.  The question is pretty much irrelevant”

I love the idea of gifting local chocolate or coffee instead of the generic choco/coffee-substitues found at a lot of large retailers.  I am totally okay with the fact that living in the Bay Area has turned me into a chocolate/coffee snob & will happily drop $8 for a bar of single-origin, local, made-in-house chocolate.  In my mind, quality chocolate and coffee are among life’s top priorities 😉

For a taste of SF, you can visit the websites of these places & order up a delicious storm.

Dandelion Chocolate

Ritual Coffee

Jane 

Philz Coffee

Tcho Chocolate

Cocoa Bella Chocolates

I hope you are having a beautiful holiday season, keeping warm, doing festive things, spending time with family & friends, and living the last month of 2013 to the fullest!

XO,

CS