1) All-natural Beards & Beavers beard oils double as face moisturizers and smell ridiculously good ($24.99 each, Saul’s Beauty Shop, 904 Dundas West, 416-368-7285, and MenEssentials, 412 Danforth, 1-800-833-1055, beardsandbeavers.com).
2) Here’s a retro design flask that fits seamlessly in many a front coat pocket for the wannabe Don Draper ($24.50, J.Crew, 110 Bloor West, 416-968-7117, and others, jcrew.com).
3) Imported from Hungary and delivered straight into your mouth, this Nicolas Vahe honey walnut mixture is perfect for those into creating epic cheese plates ($24, Drake General Store, 1151 Queen West, 647-346-0742, and others, drakegeneralstore.ca).
4) A laser-cut wood ornament set for the two-wheel devotee’s desk, tree or stocking ($14 for a set of two, lightandpapershop.com).
5) Essential oils work together to cure wintertime woes in these ultra-healing, all-natural bath bombs ($9 each, Consonant Skincare, Yorkdale, 3401 Dufferin, 416-783-2855, and others, consonant.myshopify.com).
6) Save these Seal-It glitter tape rolls to up your wrapping game or gift ’em to your favourite craft expert ($2.99-$5.50, Shoppers Drug Mart, 500 King West, 416-214-4724, and others, sealitglitterstore.ca).
7) Drake sitting atop the CN Tower has become as synonymous with the city as a broken-down streetcar. He’s immortalized in this pin by Stephanie Cheng ($10, The Weekend Variety, 1080 Queen West, 416-993-6510, shop.stephaniecheng.ca).
8) For nostalgists and fridge embellishers alike, these Honest Ed’s-inspired magnets are the perfect tribute to Bloor Street’s most iconic soon-to-close store ($9.99 for six, Studio Brillantine, 1518 Queen West, 416-536-6521, studiobrillantine.com).
9) A tropical vacation not in the cards? Distract them with this set of six stainless steel bird swizzle sticks ($24.95, Cocktail Emporium, 972 Queen West and others, 647-727-3600, cocktailemporium.ca).
10) Up their candy game with Squish’s mix of gummy champagne roses, pineapples and more ($14, Squish Candy Store at Hudson’s Bay, 176 Yonge, 416-504-4844, squishcandies.com).
11) Wenjack, Giller Prize-winning author Joseph Boyden‘s latest, tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Indigenous child who escaped from his residential school in 1967 ($12, Type Books, 883 Queen West, 416-366-8973, and other, typebooks.ca).
12) Local favourite BITE Beauty brings you a selection of the perfect holiday pairings, each free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and phthalates ($17 each, Sephora, 131 Bloor West, 416-513-1100, and others, sephora.ca).
13) Puppy plates, for those who believe pets deserve their gilded due ($5.99 for three, HomeSense, 195 Yonge, 416-941-9185, and others, homesense.ca).
14) For those who love ’em, sport ’em and appreciate ’em, these boob rubber stamps by Native Bear will add a thrill to letters, holiday cards and gift wrapping ($25, Likely General, 389 Roncesvalles, 647-351-4590, likelygeneral.tumblr.com).
15) A new and improved way to celebrate with bubbly your calories, these gold-dusted macarons contain both champagne’s taste and alcohol content ($25 for 10, Delysées Authentic French Bakery, 780 King West, 416-360-0095, delysees.com).
16) A psychedelic resting place for keys, rings or pixie dust ($25, Easy Tiger Goods, 1447 Dundas West, 647-748-6161, easytigergoods.com).
17) The Porcupine’s Quill Canadian classics, memoirs and design books replicate the look and feel like 19th-century letterpress printing ($22.95 each, Craft Ontario, 1106 Queen West, 416-921-1721, craftontario.com).
18) The way to a millennial’s heart: rewarding his or her social media prowess with this ribbon by Calgary-based brand Fair Goods ($5, etsy.com/ca/shop/fairgoods).
19) This ketchup bottle ornament is a constant reminder of the one chip flavour Canada holds above the rest ($13, Drake General Store, 1151 Queen West, 647-346-0742, and others, drakegeneralstore.ca).
20) For the blunt lover on the go, this sleek grinder card is wallet-size and extra-covert ($10, Tokyo Smoke, 850B Adelaide West, 647-348-6596, tokyosmoke.com).
21) Beautifully packaged and named for one of literature’s most polarizing muses, Lolita bitters by Bitter Tears is a perfect blend of tart cherries and Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans ($23, Cocktail Emporium, 972 Queen West, 647-727-3600, and others, cocktailemporium.ca).
22) These gloves silently express your disdain for the impending season ($24.50, Indigo, 55 Bloor West and others, 416-925-3536, chapters.indigo.ca).
23) In Heavy Metalloid Music, local journalist Jesse Locke tells the story of Hamilton proto-punk legends Simply Saucer. An essential for music freaks and city-proud folks alike ($20, eternalcavalierpress.com).
24) Apothic’s Dark Red wine blend is the closest you’ll get to drinking a blood-like liquid without, well, you know (392654, $16.95, LCBO, 1-800-668-5226, lcbo.com).
25) Brickworks Ciderhouse‘s limited-edition selection of Toronto-themed brews will rock the socks off cider aficionados (470674, $17.95, LCBO, 1-800-668-5226, lcbo.com).
Don’t miss our Holiday Food & Drink Special! Eat, drink and be LAZY
website@nowtoronto.com | @randibergman
