30 Gifts Under $30

Cochrane artist Stacey Bru’s charming comics series about living with anxiety is a great introduction to the world of zines and makes for a cool stocking stuffer.

$5 at Phoenix Comics, 1325 9 Ave. S.E., 587-352-9870, phoenix-comics.ca

This tiny Danesco grater is a workhorse that produces delicate shavings of ginger, parmesan or whatever else you need a soupon of. And it’s something they’ll use more often than they think.

$5.95 at Savour Fine Foods, 1331 9 Ave. S.E., 403-532-8222, savourfinefoods.com

For the citrus lover in your life, these preserved lemons from CRMR Kitchen are packed with flavour. Use then anytime you’d use regular lemons, especially stuffed into roast chicken.

$6.50 at Urban Butcher, Willow Park Village, 403- 245-6662 (and two other locations), urbanbutcher.ca

Wine and chocolate? Yes please! Cococo’s Canadian Icewine Truffles are the treat every wine and chocolate lover wants in their stocking.

$10 for a package of three at Cococo Chocolatiers, Bankers Hall, 403-288-3010, (and nine other Calgary locations), cococochocolatiers.com

This liquorice comes in salty or sweet, black or red, caramel and chocolate coated. It’s a Scandanavian treat sold in Calgary at Piece on Peace where you can get all sorts of gifts including jewellery, pyjamas, pantry items and beauty products.

Lakrids liquorice starts at $11 at Piece on Peace, 5 Spruce Centre S.W., 403-663-9433, pieceonpeace.com

The Touch Organic Tea Floral Label Collection is beautifully packaged tea and offers 20 pyramid bags in flavours such as jasmine, passionfruit or ginger orange.

$11.50 at Marlow Floralworks, 2101 4 St. S.W., 403-228-6335, marlowfloralworks.com

photograph courtesy of lannie rae gourmet

These pancake and waffle mixes are blended in Cochrane and sold at a few places in Calgary and the surrounding area, including Greater Goods. Winter flavours include pumpkin pie, cherry amaretto and rum and eggnog. Give them as a gift and buy a few for yourself for those cozy, pyjama days between Christmas and New Year.

$12 at various locations, lannierae.com

Canadiana kitsch is oh so cool right now. Get it on the rocks with Drake General Store’s printed bar glasses.

$12 each at the pop-up store in the Hudson’s Bay Downtown, 200 8 Ave. S.W., 403-262-0345, thebay.com

Unlike that other cold remedy, Organic Cold 911 tastes great and it works.

$12 at David’s Tea, multiple locations, davidstea.com

Keep your coins purr-fectly safe in this cat coin purse imported from Asia.

$12.99 at Unique, 1, 338 10 St. N.W., 403-245-6778

Locally made Bar Country dehydrated cocktails are all you need for a cocktail party on the go. Just add water, booze and shake.

$15 for a package of six (a variety of cocktails available) at Meraki Supply Co., 103, 305 10 St. N.W., merakisupplyco.com 

A full-sized pinball machine is tough to fit under the tree, so go for this table model instead.

$15.75 at the Glenbow Museum Shop, 130 9 Ave. S.E. (Stephen Avenue entrance), 403- 268-4119, glenbow.org/shop

These earrings were all made through the Trade Alternative Reform Action or TARA program in India. The community development and business program works with hundreds of artisans to sell their products internationally, while being paid fair wages.

$16 each at Ten Thousand Villages, 220 Crowchild Tr. N.W., 403-270-0631 and 8318 Fairmount Dr. S.E., 403-255-0553, tenthousandvillages.ca

This is salty and sweet heaven that can be drizzled on almost anything to make it a extra special.

$16 at Luke’s Drug Mart, 112 4 St. N.E., 403-266-4142, lukesdrugmart.com

It’s a candle, it’s a massage oil – it’s relaxation in a jar and it’s locally made in Okotoks with soy wax, shea, hemp oil and essential oils. Burn the Sweet Dreams Natura Soy Massage Candle then use the melted wax for a soothing massage.

$19 at Kensington Florist, 3, 1145 Kensington Cr. N.W., 403-270- 4026, kensingtonflorist.com

photograph courtesy of mind the minimal

Etsy seller Mind the Minimal creates these concrete planters that tap into the mountain trend and would look lovely on a co-workers desk.

$19.60 on Etsy, etsy.com

photograph courtesy of williams-sonoma.

The Harry Potter fan in your life will appreciate a spatula with the emblem of their house on the silicon head. Now, you just have to figure out if giftee belongs to Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Gryffindor.

$19.95 at Williams-Sonoma, CF Chinook Centre, 403-410-9191, williams-sonoma.ca

A solid cast-iron pirate-face dish can hold loose change, keys or whatever else your matey has laying around.

$19.95 at Stuff, 102, 709 11 Ave. S.W., 403-209-2606, stuff4him.ca

photograph courtesy of the library store

The Calgary Public Library Foundation has a store full of all sorts of bookish swag, including T-shirts, socks, mugs, bookmarks and posters. This one is an 11×17 print of the famous Star Wars location. You can also buy sets of three or four prints for $40 or $50. The store is online and in the East Village.

$20 at the Library Store, 429 8 Ave. S.E., 403-221-2002, librarystore.ca

While this is a great gift for the hirsute hombre in your life, it’s his bathroom sink that will really appreciate the beard bib’s knack for catching shavings.

$20 at Kent of Inglewood, 1319 9 Ave. S.E., 403-457-1595, kentofinglewood.com

Multi-coloured and multi-practical, this Rainbow Multi Tool Set has a multitude of uses.

$22 at Indigo and Chapters, multiple locations, chapters.indigo.com

A great introduction to the world of woolcraft, this easy needle felting kit will produce a furry, felted friend that fits in the palm of their hand.

$24 at 28 Blankets, 1317 9 Ave. S.E., 403-263-8088, 28blankets.com

Hand screen-printed using non-toxic water-based inks, this tea towel by Fine Mesh features all the YYC landmarks that give this city its character.

$24 at Plant, 1327 9 Ave. S.E., 403-585-4226, plantshop.ca

photograph courtesy of homesense

Put a pin in this cork globe from HomeSense. Give it to the person in your life who has a serious case of wanderlust so they can track where they have been and where they want to go.

$24.99 at HomeSense, multiple locations, homesense.ca

These candles are hand-poured in Calgary by Holly Singer and come in scents like French laundry, suede and citrus. The Dandy smells like mahogany, firewood and pine, which is very Christmassy. You’ll find them around Calgary at stores including Meraki Supply Co., 27 Boutique and Our Daily Brett. We picked one up at Outside the Shape

$25 at Outside the Shape, 122 10 Ave. S.E., 403-540-9993, milkjar.ca

Local make-up academy Artists Within has its own line of products and the AW03 matte lip colours have something of a cult following. You can’t go wrong with the classic “Ruby” red for Christmas, or the more neutral “Flirt” – a good colour for any season.

$26 at Artists Within, 306, 822 11 Ave. S.W., 403-208-0034, artistswithin.com

This pig paper towel holder adds a certain rustic charm to the kitchen counter that regular spindle holders can’t match.

$29 at Urban Barn, 2500 4 St. S.W., 403-245-1031, urbanbarn.com

image courtesy of lee valley tools

Lee Valley is a go-to source for kitchen gadgets that solve all the annoyances you have while cooking, like having to stay by a pot to keep stirring. This auto-stirrer will do it for you. Watch the video to see how it works. If you are trying to avoid lines and crowds, order your Lee Valley products in advance and pick them up at the door around the side.

$29.50 at Lee Valley Tools, 7261 11 St. S.E., 403-253-2066, leevalley.com

The Burton Beeracuda is the best thing to happen to six-packs since, well, anything. The insulated “over-the-shoulder beverage holder” fits six cans end-to-end and features an attached koozie up front for when you want a cold-one close at hand.

$29.99 at the Source Snowboards and Skateboards, 738 11 Ave. S.W., 403-270-3719, sourceboards.com

Arborist toques have a vintage vibe. We’re partial to the Alberta toque, but you can also show your devotion to other provinces.

$30 at Steeling Home, 1010 17 Ave. S.W., 403-245-0777, steelinghome.ca