After patting ourselves on the back for our well-received Gift Guide issue at a staff meeting recently, our crack team of shopping experts had a come-to-Yeshua moment in which many of us confessed—some tearfully—the awful truth: We hadn’t done our own holiday shopping. That’s right, the gift hunters had become the gift hunted.Then we started to think: hmm, perhaps there are others who face the same predicament. Could it be that people just like us end up doing their holiday shopping at the last minute? There was only one way to find out: to the Internet!
Twenty minutes and seven adorable cat videos later, we had our answer: 114 percent of holiday shoppers wait until the last minute to buy their gifts, give or take 40 percent.
Well, that’s the Internet for you. But still, it was clear that our team had to get back, get back, get back to where it once belonged: delivering impeccable advice about the best local gifts and where to find them—locally! With many of our hyper-specialized shopping experts returning from our last Gift Guide issue, and several new ones coming on board, here are the ultimate staff pics for last-minute holiday shopping.
Chelsy Patterson
I Have a Child Now Everyone! Editor
Kids’ Rain Boots
Jelli Beanz. 2555 Soquel Dr, Santa Cruz. $12.99
Helloooo world! I have to say, it is so good to be back from maternity leave. They say that giving birth can be hard, but let me tell you—it is. I would say it is about equally as difficult as climbing Machu Picchu. Not that I would know anything about climbing Machu Picchu, obviously, as I was spending the last three months raising my new child, yay!!! Anywhoozle, when it rains, you put rain boots on a baby, right? So here are some.
Art Supplies
Lenz Arts. 142 River St, Santa Cruz. Prices vary
Lenz Arts, a Santa Cruz staple for over 45 years, has a bunch of materials for artists of all stripes, including the “finger-painting toddler.” Which is great! Because I have a toddler! Wait, I mean a baby. But the baby will be a toddler in the future, so.
Everest Camping Daypack
Outdoor World. 136 River St, Santa Cruz. $24.99
When my new baby goes to school, it will need a backpack! Here’s a great one. This is NOT the backpack I used to climb Machu Picchu when I was on maternity leave, by the way, because that’s obviously NOT what I was doing on maternity leave you guys!!! COME OVER AND I’LL SHOW YOU MY PICTURES! (Of the baby, of course.)
Rex Yorfun
Cultural Critic
Dinner and a Movie
Nickelodeon Theatres and participating downtown restaurants. $45-$50
Oh, how I do love to offer a snappy witticism or two—or 12!—on all of the holiday season’s award-baiting prestige films. For instance, take Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas, the latest arthouse snore-a-rama from indie darling Grumpy Cat. The ever-cloying frump face hits a new low in overwrought dreck, this time bringing down an all-star cast—including Nala Cat, Oskar the Blind Cat, Hamilton the Hipster Cat and even poor Colonel Meow—with it. Of course, I only review videos on the Internet because I can’t afford to see real movies. Or at least I couldn’t, until the new “Dinner and a Movie” package that combines a movie at the Del Mar, Nick or Aptos Cinemas with dinner for two at one of the participating Santa Cruz restaurants that currently include Gabriella Cafe, Laili Restaurant, Hoffman’s Downtown, Hula’s Island Grill & Chocolate. Each restaurant is offering different course possibilities for the dinners, while the commemorative tickets make them a great gift for anyone in your life who needs a date night. “Dinner and a Movie” tickets can be purchased at the restaurants or at the Nick, Del Mar or Aptos Cinemas box offices. Now, to find a date.
John Doe
Invasion Leader Human Lifestyles Editor
Tokyo Milk Mix n’ Match Perfume
Bunny’s. 1349 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $18.95
One of the best things about being a human, I’m sure we can all agree, is having smooth, silky human skin. Each package of Tokyo Milk Mix n’ Match Perfume contains six individual vials to dab on your silky human skin that I also have. You can use two or three at a time, creating your own unique scent and disguising any lingering trace of sulfur from the meteor you came to this planet on.
Iconic Santa Cruz Prints
Artisan’s Gallery. 1368 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. Price $65
I have filled the walls of my nicely appointed condominium (which I live INSIDE of, thank you very much) with framed art prints of some of my favorite locations around my hometown of Santa Cruz: the town clock, Wilder Ranch and Seabright Beach. Sometimes I pedal to them on my bicycle, just like you. Other times I sip tea, and still other times I do bathe. Ha ha, see, there is nothing to see here, fellow humans!
Olive Oil Sample Pack
True Olive Connection. 106 Lincoln St, Santa Cruz. $29.99 to make your own; $25 for a pre-made selection
When I host a dinner party in my nicely-appointed condominium, I have found guests appreciate an array of hors d’oeuvres into which to sink their tiny porcelain-like teeth before the main course of cement blocks and other humans. I know I do. That is why I share my array of olive oils in flavors such as Basil, Wild Mushroom & Sage and Tuscan Herb with a spread of artisan breads. And it is always a crowd pleaser. Bon appétit!
Name Withheld By Request
Survivalist Compound Editor
Coconut Milk Candles
Zen Island. 126 San Jose Ave, Capitola. $7.95
There’s a widespread myth that most Americans “support” gun control
legislation and that it’s just us “crazy” “wackjobs” that are holding this country “hostage” with our guns. Well call me crazy all you want, but I am not in the minority here. Guns are the only thing keeping this country from falling to tyranny. They know we have guns and it stops them dead in their tracks. If that special person in your life loves candles, then I recommend you buy coconut milk candles at Zen Island. My personal favorite is the Illume Coconut Milk Mango 2×3 Candle for $7.95. It smells like heaven.
Bonding Dolls
Childish Santa Cruz. 1100 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. $20
Open your eyes people! Are you too busy with your Lady Gaga and your Britney Spears to see the truth? The media are distracting you from the real news. This country is going down the tubes. Meanwhile, all you care about is your iPods and MySpace profiles! Don’t say no one warned you! Also, if any of your friends are recent parents, might I suggest picking up a bonding doll at Childish Santa Cruz? Here’s how it works: you and your partner sleep with the doll a couple nights and your scent attaches to the doll. Then when your child sleeps with the doll at night, it recognizes your scent and it strengthens your bond. It will pay off in spades when they go through those terrible teenage years!
Electronic Dictionary Bookmark
Bookshop Santa Cruz. 1520 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz. $30
If you love your country as much as I do, then you might appreciate my new 954-page memoir, The Last American: A Tragic Tale of the Loss of the Once-Greatest Nation in the World, America. I didn’t write it because I wanted to; it is my calling. You won’t find my book in any bookstore or website. Please send your orders to my P.O. Box. I also suggest you head over to Bookshop Santa Cruz and pick up a Dictionary Bookmark as a gift for that bookworm on your list, so that they can conveniently look up definitions of words without having to fuss with an actual dictionary. I used one today. I looked up “America.” There was a picture of me.
Alexis Goldenchyld
EDM Editor
Vic Firth Isolation Headphones
Starving Musician. 1400 Ocean St, Santa Cruz. $29.99
Any good EDM fan knows the importance of having a good pair of headphones to cancel out all that nasty negativity from the outside world, and just focus on some electro excellence. Escape the holiday craziness to the apex of dubby beats paradise with the Vic Firth Isolation Headphones. Get your Merry Wompwomps this holiday season.
Downtown Tree Decorating
Downtown Tree, Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. Free
Living the life of a raver doesn’t come cheap—my wallet is still recovering from the EDC ticket cost, and Snowglobe is this month! Fellow EDM lovers, fear not—one suggestion for this year’s Christmas gift bag is free and entertaining! Just grab your besties and wander down to Pacific Ave. with your furry hoods and boots to get a glittering eye-full of the tree-decorating contest! Not only is it passable as a family-friendly warm and fuzzy outing, but, bro, check out those pretty dancing lights—sooo prettyyyyyy.
Surf Editor
Justice Pura
Surf Lesson
Richard Schmidt Surf School. 849 Almar Ave,
Santa Cruz. $100
We’re all at different levels in the school of surfing and the school of life. Some of us shred, and some of us just want to get our feet wet. A good teacher can work with people at all levels of experience. Monster wave master Kenny “Skindog” Collins says to check out Richard Schmidt School. The sickest part is you might even get to kick it with Richard Schmidt—the first Santa Cruz big wave surfer to ever make it nationally! Just remember: no matter how long you’ve been swimming, surfing or living, you’re still learning. Unless you’re a dolphin. Those guys are pretty smart.
FCS Dayrunner Board Bag
Arrow Surf Shop. 2324 Mission St, Santa Cruz. $54-$145
Some Sri Lankan priests say the best way to appreciate something in your life is to hide it out of sight in a shiny bag, meditate in afternoon sun—preferably around3:30pm—go for a jog, smoke hashish and then try to remember where you left that thing you hid. Oh sure, that may sound crazy—but I love board bags! These Dayrunners also protect your surfboard from getting dinged up in the car, which can lead to gnarly long-term damage when a scratch gets exposed to salt water or sunlight, and they’ll fit your board nice and snug.
Solarez Pro Travel Kit
Rip Curl. 1604 Mission St, Santa Cruz. $25
Down in Encinitas, we used to have a saying: “Things come and go, wood to ashes. Don’t let your small dings become way bigger scratches.” So if you forget to slip your board into your Dayrunner bag and it gets damaged, fix it up with this bitchin’ professional kit, complete with dual-cure laminating resin, microlite putty, sandpaper, grits, spreaders, two kinds of putty and scissors. And be more careful next time. Be one with the board, and the board will know your intentions.
Sex Wax Stockings
O’Neill. 110 Cooper St, Santa Cruz. $32.95
Stocking stuffers are hard. Me personally, I always forget to buy yo-yos on Christmas Eve, and then end up eating all the chocolate before the kids can because I’m so exhausted after a long day of shredding. Winter swells, dude, winter swells. Luckily, this sick stocking comes pre-packaged with lip balm, surf wax and all kinds of good stuff. The whole fam will be stoked, and when I say “stoked” I mean exuberant. “Trinket-wise, it’s the best,” says O’Neill floor manager Laura Roessler. Now if only I could remember whether Sex Wax is the stuff you put on your board to increase friction or to rub all over your body to make it nice and bumpy for the ladies.
Soft Top Surfboards
Play It Again Sports. 4770 Soquel Dr, Soquel. From $150; 5-to-10-foot sizes
If you have an adventurer on your gift list whose mind tends to write checks the body can't cash, soft top surfboards are a game changer for beginning surfers. They're perfect for adults who don't want to go out and get thrashed, and teenagers whose parents don't want them to go out and get thrashed. These boards have more balance, they're stronger, and the materials reduce belly and leg rash. Knock into a rock or drop the board off the car and it won't get damaged; hit someone else with it and they won't get hurt.
Dirk Travis
Security Specialist
Designer Keys
AA Safe & Security Co. 712 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz.
$4 and up
Security is an important part of our lives. As a professional security guard, I come face to face with danger all the time that could be avoided with proper security measures. There’s a lot of scum that litters our street, and I am sworn as a professional to protect the innocent, no matter how ignorant they can be to the danger of the world. One thing I’ve learned about civilians is that they will often only take proper safety measures if you make it fun for them. That’s why this year I am getting my family members custom made keys from AA Safe & Security. You can put football team designs on them, pictures of the family dog, all sorts of juvenile stuff. At least I can sleep soundly at night knowing that they’ll actually remember to lock up all their possessions, just because it’s so much goddamned fun to pull out their custom keys and look at them. Whatever.
A. Foot
Features Editor
Cowboy Boots
Tomboy. 1207 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. $25-$50
Writing about features is my passion in life. I also like neat SHOES. Such as cowboy boots from vintage clothing store Tomboy.
Zoya Nail Polish
Staff of Life. 1266 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. $9
I like to decorate my features with bright colored polish! Also, this polish is a **best friend forever** (BFF) of the environment. “Go green, or go to your home.”
Tights
Legs. 1517 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $18-$27
When my feet go out somewhere, they also like to take their legs with them. Hah, hah. 
That’s why this Features Editor wears bright-colored tights, leggings and sweater tights in attempt to be both festive and fashionable.
Alotta Bloom
Flower Power Editor
Bonny Doon Farm Soap & Salve
Herb Room. 1130 Mission St, Santa Cruz. $7.95-$11.95
It's no secret that I like flowers better than people. I give floral gifts whenever possible to those I've managed to tolerate, hoping to at least make them smell better. The 42-year-old Bonny Doon Farm packs more flowers into a small space than nature ever does, with intense essential oils that infuse their products, including rose geranium (my favorite), lavender and lemon verbena. The Gardener's Salve is a moisturizing wonder, and the quality of the lotion, soap and essential oils is equally rich. Buy them at the Herb Room, a local gem, where you can also make your own custom-scented products from bulk items like unscented massage oil, lotion, shampoo, facial cleanser and body wash, and mix them with one or more of many essential oils. Put your blend in one of the cool glass bottles—cobalt blue or brown apothecary-style—for a sweet handmade gift.
Vintage Flower Vessels
Lina Floral Design. 504 Bay Ave, Capitola. $10-$85
I can't be alone with my preferred life form, flowers, all the time, so when I have visitors I try to surround them with flowers. After my guests leave, I gather my babies, wilted as we all are after the exposure to lesser entities, and try to make it up to them. One of my favorite ways to treat flowers well is via the vintage vessels sold at Lina Floral. Always one to think outside the vase, owner Wendy Melrose goes beyond the standard glass vessels, gleaning unique pieces with unusual shapes and colors evocative of other times that will delight your unconventional beloved. Buy them empty or with one of Lina's divine bouquets. Your flowers will radiate!
Tab LaTure
Staff Musician
Top Hat
Moon Zooom. 813 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $16
I love birthday parties, with their streamers, frosted cakes and all the clapping five-year-olds. That cheery sound—as they say—is magic to my ears. As this paper’s resident musician, let me assure you that I never show up to parties to perform fancy card tricks without the proper attire, and of course that means a top hat! In my line of work, it’s all about being taken seriously.
Rabbit
Santa Cruz Animal Shelter. 2200 7th Ave, Santa Cruz. $50
Some people say I’m loony and confusing “musicians” with “magicians.” Well, tell that to this rabbit I just pulled out of my coat pocket! I think I’ll name him Robert.
Jeanette Brewster
Mo’ Betta Liqua Eddita
Organic Six-Pack
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. 402 Ingalls St,
Santa Cruz. $25
Three of Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing's organic flagship ales are featured in this six-pack of 16-ounce bottles. Two each: the robust, coffee-flavored People's Porter, the full-bodied and fully hopped India Pale Ale, and the copper-colored Amber Ale. It even comes in an elegantly designed box so there's no need to gift wrap—the ultimate sign of a last-minute gift. Available in the taproom.
Anne-Marie Harridaughter
Feminist Studies Editor
Smarty Pants Underwear
Legs/Jerry's Sports/Aptos Shoes & Apparel. $21.99
Who decided that women's undergarments should be made of non-fabrics like lace and mesh, be constricting or ride up the victim's bums for 12 hours a day? Misogynists, that's who. How are today's women supposed to manage work-hard-play-hard lifestyles and feel beautiful from the inside out when their insides are wrapped in layers of spandex, thong cords and wire? Well, no more! Ladies, tell your lover to stay out of Victoria's Secret and steer toward a new kind of wonder-garment straight from a Soquel designer: Smarty Pants. Zero panty lines? Check. Comfortable and breathable? Double check. Low-rise and cute in a boy-brief kinda way? Oh yeah. Wear them whenever you're being awesome (like, always).
Roland Dye
Games Editor
Pandemic
Comicopolis. 829 Front St, Santa Cruz. $39.99
I think we can all agree games are fun, unless you’re playing with a total cheater like my cousin Nikki. You know, the banker who you are absolutely positive is embezzling probably like hundreds and hundreds of blue, yellow and especially golden dollars at Monopoly—but can’t prove it because she has so many “offshore accounts” (mainly pockets and socks) to hide them in? Well, Nikki, let’s see you cheat at Pandemic, the cooperative board game in which players are part of a specialized unit of scientist, researcher, medic and more who have to stop a worldwide outbreak of disease. Can you all together find the cures before the outbreaks go global? Will one of you hog all the glory when you do? Remember: there’s no “i” in “team,” but there are two in “Nikki.”
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Level Up. 113 Locust St, Santa Cruz. $59.99 new; $47.95 used
Now that the Xbox One and Playstation 4 are out, a lot of gamers are doing the sensible thing: sticking with their Xbox 360s and PS3s that actually have great games developed for them. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is one of the hottest of these right now (though versions for the Xbox One and PS4 have since come out, too, if you must). The game is maybe the most enjoyable of the Assassin’s Creedgames to play, as you captain an upgradable pirate ship through the Caribbean in a fully open-ended adventure in which you can sack ships and loot to your heart’s delight while working inside a larger mission. And your crew stays loyal to you, although I wouldn’t count on any such thing in multiplayer mode. Et tu, Nikki?
Extreme Sports Editor
Rusty Hunt
Bell Super Helmet
Another Bike Shop. 2361 Mission St,
Santa Cruz. $125
Whenever my best bro does something EXTREME, I hit my head against his as hard as I can, because a simple “Hey, nice job, bro” won’t do. But I do not like to hit my head when going down a dusty mountain—which I do faster than a cheetah riding a Harley-Davidson down a waterslide. So when I go riding, I wear my Bell Super bike helmet. Weighing in at less than a pound, it’s robust enough to withstand heavy impact. It has vertical and horizontal adjusters and 25 air vents—four of them just above the eyebrow region. Plus it’s got a comfy little groove just below the visor where you can rest your goggles for when you want to get mud in your eyes.
Mini Hand Warmers (10-pack)
Outdoor World. 136 River St, Santa Cruz. $11.99
When ice climbing like a mother trucker up a steep frozen grade in 20-below temperatures, I take pride in how nearly frostbitten my hands feel, and I wonder if I’ll have to have another EXTREMITY chopped off. But maybe your loved ones are less hard-core. They might want some mini-hand warmers—which hold heat for seven hours at an average temperature of 112 degrees—as stocking stuffers. If you do go that route, I suggest getting all the hand-warmers hot on Christmas morning, throwing them in your holiday stocking and wearing it like a ski mask. See who can keep it on their head the longest! Winner gets more hand warmers.
Two-Hour Kayak Tour
Kayak Connection. 413 Lake Avenue #3, Santa Cruz. $25
People are talking, and yes, stand-up paddleboarding is, in fact, extreme. EXTREMELY relaxing! There is not a more fun way to check out the sea otters while working out your core. There are even specialized strokes to focus on your abs, arms and legs. Make sure you wear waterproof sunscreen! Kayak Connection will let you get your friends and family started with a gift certificate for a two-hour tour.
Olive Gourmand
Food Trends Editor
Lavender Shortbread Mix
Homeless Garden Project Gift Store. 110 Cooper Street, Suite 100G. Santa Cruz. $8
Christmas is a time for cookies and things that smell nice. And also for philanthropy and gift-giving. What if you could combine all of these festive and wonderful things into one gift? And what if that gift were under $10? World peace, that’s what. Enter lavender shortbread cookie mix from Homeless Garden Project, featuring organic ingredients and lavender buds from their farm. The recipient just adds butter, vanilla and love to concoct 16 tasty little treats. All proceeds go back to HGP, a local non-profit that provides job training and support services to those that are homeless. Mmm, warm and fuzzies.
Manresa: An Edible Reflection
Bookshop Santa Cruz. 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $50
Food-lovers rejoiced and salivated earlier this year when acclaimed chef David Kinch announced the publication of his first cookbook. It did not disappoint. A truly exquisite collection of recipes and photographs, Manresa celebrates the symbiotic collaboration between his Michelin-starred Los Gatos restaurant of the same name and Cynthia Sanderberg’s Love Apple Farms in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The inventive and inspiring recipes within are a treat for anyone who appreciates beautiful food that showcases the best of our local flavors. You may even want to try and cook something from it!
Mini Cupcakes
Buttercup Cakes & Farmhouse Frosting. 109 Locust St. $2 each
My nightmare: being caught without a reciprocal gift for that thoughtful friend/co-worker/relative-in-law/hostess. Seriously, I have always been very wary of all coffee dates with acquaintances during December. That is, until I discovered I can just pop into the cheery Buttercup Cakes and pick out half a dozen mini-cupcakes on my way to cocktail hour. Made from local and organic ingredients, these scrumptious little treats come in myriad unique flavor combinations (think Blood Orange with Earl Grey Frosting and Chocolate with Hibiscus Flower). And if my date is already thinking about New Year resolutions, the gluten-free and vegan flavors are equally delicious.
Kissandra McPaws
Cats Editor
Vintage Home Decor
Rescued Treasures. 325 Front St, Santa Cruz. Prices vary
At this thrift store owned and operated by the feral cat advocate organization Project Purr, you’ll find gifts such as Art Deco furniture, antique toys and even a five-foot-tall wicker elephant scratching post sculpture. BONUS: All profits from the store will go to Project Purr’s efforts to spay and neuter feral cats in our community. A-meow-zing Grace!!!
