Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide

So if you're anything like me, you've waited until the 22nd to do the majority of your Christmas Shopping. Welcome, fellow procrastinators, this is your guide to no-overnight-shipping and local buys.

Rishi Tea Sets - Anaba Tea Room and Garden Room in Shorewood has tons of great stuff like vintage-looking mercury Christmas ornaments, fancy gardening odds and ends, and so many types of Rishi tea it will make your head explode. Rishi tea is a Milwaukee company so extra props for supporting local business.

Alessi Sculpture Fruit Bowl - The Milwaukee Art Museum gift shop is one of my favorite places to find unique gifts. They have a great assortment of kids books and unique toys and their prices aren't that bad. I really like their sculpture-esque serving bowls.

City Tins - I love these dang things. Inside are deep discount coupons for the best restaurants in the city. Great gift for young couples. You can buy them at Outpost, Lockers in the Public Market, or Beans & Barley.

Chemex Coffee Maker - Alterra Coffee sells these primo yet simple coffee makers. I've had coffee from them once and I can attest that it IS one of the best ways to make coffee - nice and smooth with no grainy/bitter after taste. For coffee connoisseurs this will make them jump with glee.

Pabst Theater Gift Card - I know teenagers are hard to buy for. Even I knew I was difficult to buy for back then. But the one thing I knew (and every teenager knows) is that concerts are rad.

Assorted Spices - The Spice House has the best spices and walking into their store is a instant aromatherapy session. For avid cooks or just people hard to buy for - you can always find something exotic and rare like West Indies Cardamon pods or common and useful like their special hot chocolate blends.

Slate Cheese Board - For us in the land of cheese and curds, Wisconsin, cheese is its own food group. Since cheese and sausage platters are a staple appetizer, why not give those a nice cheeseboard to show off their stuff a little. You can buy these at The Home Market, The Public Market, and West Allis Cheese and Sausage Co. This particular one is from the Milwaukee Art Museum gift shop.


Rifle Paper Co. Notebooks - Most girls like lotion, candles and fancy paper. Rifle Paper Co. is one of my mega design crushes. I go on their website to oogle about once a day. So these notebooks from Anthropologie (in stock in the Third Ward) would make a nice stocking stuffer, or as a set with a nice pen set, a journal, or other stationery. Monograham in Delafield also sells Rifle Paper Co. goods.

Milwaukee Brewers Jersey - Guys will never turn down a jersey or fan gear. The Brewers stadium store is open late and does personalized stitching to add a player's name or your name. Otherwise, Sports Plus at Mayfair mall stocks a good assortment of all Wisconsin team gear.

Bridesmaids - Filmed in Milwaukee (parts of it), this movie makes me laugh so hard. This would be a great gift for a girlfiend, BFF, or sister.