Dozens of last-minute gifts for the holidays

Do not be that person who, on Dec. 24, stands in line at London Drugs to buy a last-minute stocking stuffer. Here are a bunch of great gift ideas for just about anybody in your family — from your child who’s desperate to build a Quonset in the snow, to a smelly boyfriend who could use a candle in his loo.

None of this year’s gift ideas will break the bank and all the alumni businesses listed below can be found in our new Alumni Built business directory. That means, if you buy any one of the following stocking  stuffers, you’ll be sending business to your fellow alumni. Yep, our prezzie to you this year is a gift that keeps on giving!

Sweet dreams (are made of this)

Whether you load an entire basket with sweet morsels or just stuff one item into the toe of a stocking, you’ve got loads to choose from: Crave Cupcakes offers festive cakes, cookies, take-home cookie decorating kits and assorted holiday baking (Twix bars, caramel-salted nut bars, choco-chunk shortbreads, holiday confetti sandwich cookies), which you can pre-order now.

If you’re planning a corporate party or special event (they bake a lot of wedding cakes!), consider SWIRL Custom Cakes & Desserts — from 3D cakes and collections of dainty cake pops, to full-blown dessert tables, it’s no wonder they’ve nabbed so many awards.

At Cochu Chocolatier, you can go all-out and customize your order, or stick to Cochu’s already-divine, ready-to-eat caramelized sponge toffee, ‘racha peanut bar, margarita bonbons or champagne truffles. If you haven’t had a hot-chocolate bomb from Ten Degrees Chocolates . . . well, you simply have to change that, as a mug of chocolatey goodness will never be the same. A four-pack for $26 is a good start for all those skating and toboggan parties marked on your fridge calendar!

What every foodie wants

Relive the stress of planning a party by hiring Devour Catering, which made national headlines a few months ago when owner and alumna J’Val Shuster, BA’94, MA’98, held a Thanksgiving fundraiser, "I See You ICU," where her company delivered hundreds of traditional turkey meals to health-care workers in Calgary hospitals.

Or, support local farmers by ordering a box of naturally raised Alberta beef, pork, poultry or B.C. seafood from Bessie Box, co-founded by Shanika Abeysinghe, BA’16.

New this month is a partnership between UCalgary Alumni and Fresh Prep (a Western Canadian meal kit program with half the menu featuring vegetarian or vegan options). Unlike some meal kits, Fresh Prep uses seasonal ingredients (partnering with local Alberta businesses), reusable cooler bags and are now offering limited-time holiday favourites. UCalgary alumni get 75 per cent off their first order. Plus, Fresh Prep will donate $5 back to UCalgary Alumni for everyone who uses this code.

Beer, booze and other bevvies

For pure atmosphere, it’s hard to beat a night out with your dog and your buddies at Cold Garden Beverage Company. Suggests co-founder and alumnus Dan Allard, BComm’09, one of this year’s Top 40 Under 40 winners: "Some brand-new dog merch like a Cake Face chew toy is fun or a branded face mask (for humans) will be holiday hits." Also, he adds that beer drinkers, "might enjoy a pack of Vanilla Cappuccino Porter or Cake Face."

Not so far away from the Inglewood brewery is the 2021 Alberta and Canadian Brewery of the Year, the Establishment Brewing Co., founded by engineering grad Michal Foniok, BSc (Eng)’09. Establishment’s new festive suggestions are being released every week but you can’t go wrong with a Picture of Nectar or a small-batch brew of Fraction of the Sum (a golden sour with organic B.C. apricots) or a six-pack of their pilsner, a.k.a. Pilsgnar.

If you’re theming a basket with all-you-can drink items, scoop up a bottle of award-winning Romero rum from Calgary-based Romero Distilling Co., co-founded by Tomas Romero, BSc’04. In fact, if you’ve got a rum fan on your list, package up a distillery tour and tasting, priced anywhere from $15/person to $2,500 for two (the latter includes 40 bottles of custom-finished rum).

Louisa Ferrel, BComm’04, and her husband, Conrad, both Top 40 Under 40 winners in 2019, were the original minds behind True Büch Kombucha. The company reinstated its popular $110 holiday gift bags that included local goodies from Routine Cream, a Milk Jar candle, a face mask, Drizzle honey, stoked oats, creams, soaps, tea, coffee beans and so forth. While the gift bags are sold out as of press time, you may be able to find some of the individual items.

Complete your basket of bevvies with a bottle of bumbleberry fruit wine, courtesy of Field Stone Fruit Wines, founded by Marvin Gill, BMus’81, and Elaine Gill, BA’88.

If the holidays leave you (or anyone on your gift list) needing a serious reset, consider a single pouch of Rviita energy tea from alumnus Mitch Jacobsen, BSc (Eng)’15. Choose one of five flavours or a variety pack; all of them boast natural ingredients from organic honey to fruit juice and vitamins.

Step up your skin-care regime

What would you smell like if you were a . . . song, a really good song? That’s one of the many snappy lines on Routine Inc.’s hip website that lists a myriad of natural products from deodorants to lotions and potions for your hair, body, face and even home (candles). Because your home is your body, no?

Those classic cobalt blue jars and tubes of skin-care products that you’ve spotted around town likely belong to Neal’s Yard Remedies, operated by CEO Lisa Shelley, BComm’06. 'Tis also the season for this natural line of skin-care products to boost its supply of frankincense gift sets. Neal's Yard also offers a healthy lineup of host gifts, from garden mint and bergamot hand lotions to geranium and orange hand wash.

As for the perennial picky person on your list who wants nothing more than a GC for a spa treatment . . . well, jazz up that envelope this year with a hammam experience at Soma Spa, founded by alumna Lourdes Juan, BGS’05, MEDes’10.  

Unique gift ideas for kids

Some of the best gifts for kids help them experience the world in new, exciting ways — and can be replayed over and over again. Precisely why a subscription to Wild | Life Outdoor Adventures boxed adventure kits scores big points with us. Recently featured on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, co-founder Jenelle Peterson, BComm’09, has just launched holiday gift boxes for the little “nerd,” “explorer” or “survivor” in your life.

Now that your child may be back in school, their old shabby knapsack may need an update: check out Banana Backpacks for some original ideas and feel good about your purchase knowing that every sale supports education programs for students in the developing world.

As for adorable clothes, from onesies and bodysuits to ruffled tanks and funky socks, rove around Moose Jaw-based Cranberry Collective, owned by alumna Christine Keck, BComm’11. Cranberry also sells “shackets,” blouses and clothes aplenty for all other members of your family.

As for pint-sized frilly tutus and far-too-cute party outfits, funky bibs, onesies and little-kid bowties, visit Stinky Bunny. And, if there’s a newborn in your family, a cleverly designed terry-hooded bath towel from Oneberrie just might get your tyke into the tub more often!

Explore, experience — and call it a wrap

If there are people on your wish list who have gadgets and gear galore, consider tucking an adventure or an experience under the tree. Broadway Across Canada is back with a stellar lineup for 2022, including Hamilton and Come from Away. Alumni get first crack at the best seats at the Jubilee with this deal.

Candle-lovers can take a workshop at Milk Jar; animal-lovers can visit Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary near Cochrane; and beer fans can learn more about the brewing process during a guided virtual tour at Cold Garden.

For the beloved chef or mixologist in your circle, recipes and spices from the Silk Road Spice Merchant are online, including its nine-spice root beer kits and botanical gin kits — both are always a holiday hit.

And you’re not too late to book a chocolate pairing evening at Ten Degrees Chocolate on Dec. 23. For $55, you’ll learn how to pair chocolate with wine, beer, meats, cheeses and coffee, leaving you prepped and primed for the holidays. Gift cards for all these adventures are available, making it a snap to tuck one into a message from Santa.