Happy Holidays from the #CallunaCrew! The holiday season is all about sharing love with friends and family. We are grateful to live in the beautiful communities in and around Boulder and Denver, Colorado and are thrilled to highlight some of our favorite businesses as a part of our Calluna Events Holiday Gift Guide! We hope you can find special gift ideas to surprise the ones you love this year!
Thank you to the amazing businesses who participated and happy holidays to all!
Enjoy! Xo, Calluna
SHOPPING SMALL AND SHOPPING LOCAL
We LOVE shopping local where you not only support and put money into your local retailers and local community, but also where you can find lovely goodies to give to everyone on your gift list. Supporting local businesses is not only socially responsible, it is so much fun. Before you know it, you’ll have every stocking stuffed! Take a look and happy shopping!
• Perfect Petal Boutique: We love our friends at Perfect Petal not only as a trusted wedding partner and floral designers, but for their beautifully adorned boutique in the historic West Highlands neighborhood! This shop has everything from cutesy candles, lotions, cards, plants (and lots of em) and everything in between. We’ve never left empty handed… and we visit a lot 😉
• Miller Lane Mercantile: Beautiful & practical pieces for the everyday with a focus on quality and design. From kitchenwares to home decor, pottery, apothecary goods, accessories, and more!
• Eclectic Hive: While Eclectic Hive is known for their residential approach to event design, they recently diversified to introduce a retail line of Hive styling! The Hive Owner Jill’s passions are decor, design, travel, and fashion and that comes through in the first line of jewelry, books, home decor and gifts. We are already adding to cart and cannot wait to own a piece of the Hive for ourselves!
• Todd Reed: A long time favorite – if you’ve been around for awhile you know this is a Calluna gift guide tried and true gift guide vendor! Great for the special someone on your list – or a worthy destination for your gift to yourself for surviving this year. “American artisanal luxury jewelry company renowned for creating works of art using recycled metals and sustainably-sourced raw and fancy-cut diamonds. Each creation is one-of-a-kind, hand-forged and finished by master jewelers in the Boulder, CO studio.”
• Broomtail: A new to town one-stop-shop for clothing, accessories, goods and gifts for the little ones in your life! Support this working mama business owner who is a past Calluna Bride!
Photo Credit | Miller Lane Mercantile
Eclectic Hive | Cottonwood Pendant Necklace
Photographer | Paul Miller Photography
FOOD & BEVERAGE GOODIES
We all know the best way to support our favorite culinary destinations this season is ordering gift cards, calling for takeout or dining outside if you’re feeling adventurous.
If you’re local to the Colorado area, some of our team’s favorites:
Denver: Dio Mio, Rosenbergs, Tavernetta, Cart Driver, Work + Class, Seafood Landing (for Denver’s freshest fish delivery!)
Boulder: Frasca (try their At Home boxes!), Cured, Spruce Confections (our favorite office coffee spot!), Corrida, The Kitchen
Special shout out to our phenomenal caterers that are diversifying with small dinner parties, holiday meals and take home boxes. We love Occassion’s and GB’s offerings!
Our liquor stores need our love, too! For that 5 o’clock Feeling, our local favorite wine & liquor shops for all the vino (or cocktail supplies!) your heart desires:
Boulder: Boulder Wine Merchant, Hazel’s
Denver: Mondo Vino, Proof Winery
Food inspired stocking stuffers
• Merf’s: Four-pack of sauces for just $20! You can also buy individual sauces, including the new wing sauces. PERFECT stocking stuffers. Buy your sauces here!
• Brightland & Co: * Fancy * olive oils & vinegars that you may not buy any day – but a delicious splurge that’s worthy of spending more time in the kitchen.
A special note for Coloradans: Did you know you can still join your favorite restaurants IRL and dine in person? We know the chillier months are upon us but check out how your local restaurants are innovating this winter to accommodate outdoor dinning (and make that reservation!).
Photo Credit: Ace Eat Serve
FOR THE HOME
Be it the holiday season, 2020 quarantine or the cooler months, we’re clocking more hours with our families or home alone than ever. When we’re not * safely * venturing out to support our economy, let’s make the most of this slower season at home and take up a new hobby at home!
• Buy from local & Independent bookshops: There is nothing like getting cozy and diving into a good book! Bookshops are already such a special place, we love to buy a few good reads from our neighborhood shops (bonus points if it’s second-hand!). If you don’t have a hometown favorite, you have the option of buying books or gift cards from iconic bookshops online like, Shakespeare & Co in Paris, and The Strand in NYC (so fun! Especially for the traveller in your life).
• Photo Printing with Artifact Uprising: You know your never ending camera roll? Let’s get that off your device and into your life in a tangible way – topping the list as one of the more thoughtful gift ideas. We love this Colorado based printing company founded by former wedding photographers that was created around preserving the precious memories of our lives. Now more than ever, celebrating connection, family and together-ness in a permanent way is so important.
Photo Credit | Artifact Uprising
• Try a Puzzle or Two! A great way to pass time and keep yourself busy! We love these fun curated aesthetically pleasing puzzles and think you will too! Uncommon Goods and Whiled have been our go to two spots for aesthetically pleasing designs (believe us, it makes a difference).
• Take up a new hobby: Want to get off your phone or take some time away from the screen? Us, too. We’re trying our hand at We Are Knitters and it’s a beginner-friendly kit for anyone on your gifting list that wants to get a little crafty (and maybe even have a scarf or sweater at the end!).
Photo Credit | Uncommon Goods | Climate Action Puzzle
BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES
Now more than ever we’re learning where we put our dollars count. We’re making a personal commitment to come active and engaged allies of our BIPOC friends. Part of that means being intentional where our money goes and supporting their beautiful contributions to the arts, retail and space. We’re highlighting a few businesses that have been absolutely crushing it this year, both locally and nationally but encourage you to find Black, Indigenous, Trans and minority owned businesses owners you love and shout your support from the rooftops!!
Photo Credit by Love Strike | Alp & Isle
• T|W Totes: “As a luxury brand, T|W Tote wants to change how people look at fashion and lunch bags. Our insulated lunch totes are designed to keep your food warm or cold while you are on the go, whether you are a man or a woman looking to purchase a professional lunch bag.”
• BLK & BOLD: “Specialty Tea & Coffee Meets Community Impact. BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its profits to initiatives aligned to sustaining youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth homelessness.” Read more about their journey here.
• Harlem Candle Company: “The Harlem Candle Co. is a luxury home fragrance brand specializing in scented candles inspired by the richness of Harlem.”
• Be a Good Person: “An apparel brand that is inclusive, artistic, quality and community oriented. The purpose goes way beyond the concept of clothing––providing positivity” (ps – this company is founded and operated in Denver, CO!).
Photo Credit | Be A Good Person
THE NON-GIFT GIFT GUIDE
The Holidays are more than gifting materialistic items, this season we encourage you all to think of giving a gift that goes beyond the traditional norm. Consider giving a gift that gives back, brightens someones day or give someone you love a chance to unwind and take a much needed break! Because lets face it, we all need a break after this year.
Experiences
Alchemy Face Bar: Splurge on self-care and give the gift of a relaxing facial, natural or organic beauty products at this Calluna favorite face bar with locations in both Boulder and Denver. We won’t tell if you end up gifting this to yourself –– it’s an indulgence worth investing in!
Food Lab Boulder Co.: “Food Lab is offering live streamed classes where you pick up your ingredients from Food Lab and join online. These are perfect to mix up your cooking routine at home (and are a great way to spend time with friends and family from anywhere in the country)!”
Staycation at The St Julien: What better time to book a getaway in your own town than now?! 2020 has brought us many things, and the appreciation for our own town’s hospitality offerings is at the top of the list. Treat yourself to an evening of new surroundings without the risk of traveling outside of county lines. We love the idea of gifting this to a frontline, essential or health care worker in your life (or a parent or small business owner who needs a night off!).
The Wyman Hotel: Craving more of a road trip? Getaway at Wyman! Give a gift card, plan a future adventure, mini-moon or elopement! See our blog for more information about this chic boutique hotel. Gift Cards for the Wyman are available for purchase here.
Venue | Wyman Hotel
Photographer | Candace Cross Photography
FLOWER DELIVERIES | Make someones day a little brighter, whether it is a loved one or local business owner, this is a heartfelt and meaningful gift that not only looks gorgeous, but is sure to make someone feel loved this season!
• Did you catch our collaboration with The Perfect Petal earlier this year? Love Strike is the the intersection of floral design x public art x community elevation x celebration. You can now blow your boo’s mind with our flash-tastic floral explosions. Equal parts art installation, love bomb and surprise party. Order one of our party combinations. Support art. Bask in the glory of it all. Keep the images forever by the talented Alp & Isle.
We also love Fresh Sends & Beet & Yarrow for floral delivery this holiday season!
In collaboration with Perfect Petal, Photo Credit | Alp & Isle
Donations & Paying it Forward
This year has been a whirlwind and as our nation continues to battle this pandemic, we are motivated to give back to our communities. Gifting a donation in someone’s name as a gift to them or dedicating a specific portion of your holiday budget makes such a positive impact and long lasting ripples. If money is tight, give back with your time or resources already readily available to you. There’s no wrong answer on how to pay it forward this holiday season – it really is the thought that counts. Some ideas / destinations we love:
• Get together with your family, friends or quarantine pod and adopt-a-family, providing gifts or funds for the entire family. Sometimes basic essentials like socks and a warm coat are the most desirable gift items so we recommend doing some research on the best way to support your family.
• Support teachers with schooling supplies or ask them if any of their students need anything. Explore and contribute to #ClearTheList, a movement to crowdsource
• Get in touch with your local hospital and/or long term care facilities and chat with their volunteer department how you can support their employees who have been working tireless around the clock this year. Can you do a food drop? Make holiday decor for the hallways?
• Do you feel passionate about a specific community that you’d like to support? Are there people close to you that have been disproportionately affected this year (via the pandemic, social injustices or otherwise)? There are endless destinations to support meaningful on a micro or a macro level. We love the Colorado Event Alliance as a destination to support Frontline Workers from the events industry just as much as we love The Loveland Foundation, a resource to provide therapy to black women and girls and are eagerly supporting both causes this year.
However and wherever you shop, tips to keep in mind this season:
• Order online and pick up curbside to avoid long lines and big crowds, especially in the days of social distancing.
• With online purchasing more prominent than ever, make sure to get ahead of potential shipping delays and start early!
• Not sure what to get? Don’t fret! Many businesses, both locally and nationally, are offering virtual giftcards and subscriptions.
There are so many amazing holiday gift options to choose from this year, from shopping locally, to delectable eats, to donations, we hope this has sparked up some inspiration for your holiday shopping this year! We wish you all the happiest of holidays and send our well wishes for safety, health and prosperity in the new year!
Feature Photo | Artifact Uprising
