It sneaks up on you. Before you know it, Thanksgiving is over, and while you're nursing the turkey hangover, another week or two rolls by. And then, suddenly, as if without warning — even though commercials are splayed out on TV and radio stations are drowning in Christmas songs 24/7 — the tree is up and you haven't touched your shopping list yet.
No fear, we're here to help you. And we're here to help you with a gift guide to dazzle everyone on your Nice List with Cleveland goods, many of which come from Cleveland makers you can learn more about in this week's feature back on page 30, if you missed it.
Warm Woolies: With a name like Crochet 'til Death, you can bet the cozy creations coming from this one-woman, Lakewood-based operation are made with love (not to mention a whole boatload of yarn). We reckon this year's arctic temperatures will seem downright balmy with the proper stash of wooly wolf hoods (ears included), Katniss-inspired cowls, and gender-neutral glittens, all of which can be ordered online at etsy.com/shop/CrochetTilDeath or picked up at Ashley Ross' booth at the upcoming Cleveland Bazaar 10th Anniversary Show, Dec. 13 and 14.
Furry Friends: Don't be a heartless bastard this holiday season; give one of Cleveland's rescued animals a warm and loving home. The Cleveland Animal Protective League has dozens of puppies and kittens, as well as fully grown cats and dogs, just itchin' to go home with a new human friend. Think about it: Spot could be sprawled out under your Christmas tree by dinnertime. Wouldn't your fiancé love that? Visit clevelandapl.org for more info or stop in at 729 Willey Ave. in Tremont.
Jewelry: Born in southern France, jewelry artist Anne Harrill moved to Cleveland in 2002 where she launched Oceanne, a line of nature-inspired body accessories that range from whimsical and delicate to bold and refined. Each piece is hand-designed — that means Anne hammers, torches, and files every item herself — and crafted from brass, copper, silver, gold or recycled metals. Browse her collection online at www.oceanne.net, on Etsy, and seek out her booth at an upcoming Cleveland Flea.
Bike Gear: The community of local bikers who continue their two-wheeled commute all winter long deserve some serious applause, and probably some new bike gear. Head over to Blazing Saddle Cycle at 7427 Detroit Ave. or at 2190 Murray Hill Rd., to stock up on winter riding accessories like thick tires, reflective tape, and new fenders, as well as some helpful tips on riding through ice, sleet, and snow from the staff. Visit blazingsaddlecleveland.com for more info.
Leatherwear: Leather is in this season dontcha know, and Fount, a Cleveland-based leather design and production house, offers a lovely line of his and her items. For the gals, pick up a dark expresso turban or a hair-on-hide tote (which were going fast, last we checked), while an Americana wallet or penny pouch are perfect for the gents. Browse the collection at fountleather.com.
Apparel: Cleveland is in a renaissance in all sorts of ways, not least of which is in the apparel realm. Stock up on T-shirts from CLE Clothing, Made by Superior, I Love the Hype, Fresh Brewed Tees and others. We wear our pride on our sleeves. Now go wear some Cleveland sleeves on your sleeves.
Homegoods: Billed as a "General Store for a new generation," Yellow Door Goods boasts a bounty of antique and vintage goods, perfect for that crafty aunt or DIY uncle. Twice a month, you'll find the Yellow Door crew camped out at the Cleveland Flea toting old-fashioned egg incubators, retro card catalogs, funky lamps, wooden crates, old license plates, and Mason jars galore. Visit yellowdoorgoods.com and their various social sites to keep tabs on their latest acquisitions.
Ski Lessons: You used to ski when you were a kid and then you stopped. Why? Get back on the slopes this season and bring your best buds too. Day passes at Boston Mills are $43 for adults and equipment rentals are just $30. Seasonal passes start at $459. Visit bmbw.com for additional details.
Cleveland Christmas Tunes: We know everyone's sick of Mariah Carey's Christmas album by now, so why not serve up some local seasonal tunes by the Ohio City Singers? Their holiday album, A Town Called Christmas, features a boatload of catchy jingles like "Gingerbread Girl," "Winter's on the Run," and "Coming Back to Christmas." Visit ohiocitysingers.com for more info and buy the album on iTunes now.
Beer Glasses: The husband/wife duo behind Fizz Creative likes to say that their design studio began over a pint of beer, and perhaps that's why the pair has created a clever line of Ohio-inspired alcohol accessories, such beer glasses, koozies and coasters, perfect for that relative just shvitzing state pride. Take a look at the collection online at hellofizz.com or hellofizz.etsy.com.
Good Reads: Skip the feel-good reads from Amazon this year and head over to one of Cleveland's neighborhood bookstores instead: Mac's Backs, Loganberry Books, or Carol and John's, to name a few. Here, you'll find plenty of New York Times' best sellers, as well as a selection of locally-authored reads, such as The Family Hightower by Brian Francis Slattery or Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix.
Bow Ties: You already know your pals' affinity for Christmas Ale, so why not outfit your whole gang with Great Lakes Brewing Company's seasonal bow ties which sport the same timeless red baubles as the labels. Find them today in the brew house gift shop, which, by the way, you can peruse with a beer in hand. Stop in at 2516 Market Ave in Ohio City.
The Getaway: We love Cleveland, but we also love packing up the car and slipping out of town for a few days. Give your gal a weekend at the Lakehouse Inn and Winery, located in Geneva-on-the-Lake, and enjoy two-person Jacuzzis, couples massages, and breakfast in bed. Or, head south with your guy for a weekend of hiking, ice fishing, and birding at Hocking Hills in Logan. Cabin rentals start at $169 per night.
Booze: Only recently released, Tom's Foolery's Ohio Straight Bourbon is a labor of love from Tom Herbruck, who you probably know from his applejack, which comes from the same small distillery on his property in Geauga County. The bourbon is three years in the making, at least, and Herbruck and his wife have been filling one barrel of whiskey each day. The waiting is over, and you won't spend a better $39.95 this year. Thank us later.
And in a food-centric town like Cleveland, who could go wrong splurging on something that will help keep bellies full as 2015 rounds the corner. We know, restaurant gift certificates are easy, and you secretly hope that you'll be on the receiving end of an offer to join the person you're handing it off to, but that's the easy way out. Instead, dig a little deeper and get a much better smile.
For The Chef: Whether novice or seasoned pro, ship your kitchen-dweller off to Loretta Paganini's School of Cooking for a Chef for a Day Class (8613 Mayfield Rd., 440-729-1110, lpscinc.com). These intimate lessons guide attendees through a five-course meal with a customizable menu.
Put those newfound skills to test by stopping at the Cleveland Museum of Art's gift shop to pick up Maria Isabella's "In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs" (11150 East Blvd., or maria-isabella.com), which features recipes from local luminaries like Michael Symon, Dante Boccuzzi, Zack Bruell and others.
Before they get too deep into their repertoire, they'll need a dash of flavor. Arm them with the 101 Gift Set from Urban Herbs at the West Side Market (1979 West 25th St., 216-241-5444, urbanherbsonline.com), an arsenal of essential herbs and spices to elevate their game.
To accessorize, especially for the baker, throw in a rolling pin handcrafted by local maker Sawhorse Woodworks (440-487-0127, sawhorsewoodworks.com).
For The Brunch Fanatic: When there's no hope for recovery the morning after, gift them with breakfast in bed. Downtown coffee shop Pour Cleveland (530 Euclid Ave., 216-479-0395, pourcleveland.com) offers up a gift basket filled with a variety of grounds and keepsake mugs.
After a long night of holiday "reminiscing," serve up flap jacks with all the fixings with a set from Richard's Maple Products (545 Water St., 800-352-4052, richardsmapleproducts.com), which includes straight-from-the-sap syrup, sugar candy, maple spread and pancake mix.
Top it off with seasonally flavored lemon, cinnamon and clove honey from the quaint Olmsted Falls shop Jogensen's Apiary (25546 Mill St., 440-935-8538, jorgensensapiary.com).
Of course, the best cure for a hangover is a Bloody Mary, so toss in a bottle of this great mix from Cleveland's own Clark Pope (216-407-8750, popeskitchen.com) and they'll thank you for it.
For The Brewer: With the popularity of handcrafted beverages these days, you likely know a brewer or are a brewer. We won't judge you; in fact, we support it. Sign up solo or with a friend for a beer-making class at Cleveland Brew Shop (4146 Lorain Ave., 216-574-2271, clevelandbrewshop.com), the Ohio City shop helmed by Platform Beer co-owner Paul Benner.
Afterwards, deepen your brewing knowledge by booking a tour on the Cleveland Brew Bus (440-876-7188, clevelandbrewbus.com), which safely shuttles beer geeks to three different breweries, offering delicious beer tastings at each location.
Let's assume you come home with a growler or two (or three). You'll need a hometown pride Cleveland skyline beer glass from local glassware company Blastmaster (buy at CLE Clothing Co., 342 Euclid Ave., 216-244-3526, blastmaster62.net) to show off those suds in style. Might as well set them on Guardians of Traffic coasters from Foundry Woodprints (foundrywoodprints.com).
For The Wine Lover: It's your go-to choice for that picky person who refuses to drop any hints about what he or she wants. And for good reason: You can't go wrong with wine. Enter Persona, a medium-bodied syrah with inflections of berries and spice from Pepper Pike-based Sonkin Cellars (sonkincellars.com) that's been garnering national attention. Stop it up with an upcycled oak wine stopper from local Darbynwoods (darbynwoods.etsy.com).
Wine and dark chocolate are a perfect match, so pair with a box of confections from Tremont mainstay Lilly Handmade Chocolates (761 Starkweather Ave., 216-771-3333, lillytremont.com). Mix and match dark flavors such as Rose Champagne Cheers Truffle and red wine-soaked Strawberry Red Planet Truffle.
Tie it all together with the tart sweetness of Hiram's goat cheese maestros Mackenzie Creamery (440-226-0772, mackenziecreamery.com) on the heels of their recent American Cheese Society award in the chevre category.
For The Locavore Connoisseur: There may be no better gift for food-obsessed than "The Deck" from Cleveland Independents (clevelandindependents.com), the collective of Cleveland restaurants. This pack of playing card-style gift certificates offers 52 different deals plus two wildcards that lets your friend return to a couple of their favorite destinations.
If your gift recipient likes to keep tabs on all the new up-and-coming food start-ups, they likely know about the community kitchen/biz incubator Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen (2800 Euclid Ave., 216-314-7196, cleculinarylaunch.com). Their Delightful Delicacies basket is stacked with holiday preserves, hot sauce, mustard, pepper relish, ginger cookies and other goodies from its members.
If your farm-to-table friend is itching dig in the dirt, set him or her up with an overnight stay at the Culinary Vegetable Institute (culinaryvegetableinstitute.com). There they'll tour the impressive Chef's Garden and spend the day harvesting ingredients along with one-on-one culinary sessions.
To tide your foodie friend over between CSA seasons, get them a FarmShare Ohio Picnic Basket (216-225-6311, farmshareohio.com), which is loaded with enough local cheese and crackers, artisan bread, salsa, and other snacks to get them through to spring.
