Holiday gift guide: 10 unique, oh-so-Florida picks for your friends and family
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Relax, there's still time to get creative with your holiday shopping. This year, why not surprise your friends and family with unique gifts made right here in Florida? From the sports fan to the coffee fiend to the self-care guru, this guide will help you choose a local gift for everyone on your list.
1. For your Naples neighbor who'd appreciate a local gift: Soothing soaps
Plenty of places make fancy soaps and bath products, but the ones from Naples Soap Company stand out for their nature-inspired scents and ingredients. (It was founded by a mom for herself and her daughter who suffered from eczema.) Anyone will enjoy the Naples-based company’s smoothing and soothing sea salt scrubs, soaps, and body butters with fragrances such as coconut-lime and lavender-vanilla.
2. For the chocoholic: Gourmet treats from down the street
A post shared by Norman Love Confections (@normanloveconfections) on Oct 10, 2019 at 10:32am PDT
We all have someone in our family or friend circle that can’t get enough of sweet treats. Skip the manufactured sweets and tap into these handmade confections that are personally crafted by pastry chef Norman Love in Fort Myers. Love has been featured in The Today Show, The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, O Magazine, Forbes, Huffington Post, and others.
Norman Love’s Confections have been named the best premium chocolate company in the United States six times since 2006. You can find products at select locations in Naples, Fort Myers and Estero, or shop online.
3. For the one who craves citrus: A crate of fresh-picked oranges or grapefruit
Anyone with ties to Florida knows one immutable fact: Winter is citrus season. Sun Harvest Citrus in Fort Myers ships their wares by the crate, starting in mid-November, making the holiday season the only time for nature’s sweet, juicy treats.
4. For the one who can pinpoint their favorite spot: A customized map of any address
With over 65,000 square miles, there’s a lot of land to appreciate in the southernmost of the lower 48. But with a Grafomap, you can select the area around your recipient’s favorite spot and have it printed in a number of designs on paper, canvas, or metal.
5. For the one whose sense of smell always take them right back home: A Florida-themed candle
Some can’t shake that burning yearning for their home state, and for those giftees on your list, may we suggest a homesick candle. The Florida version is fragranced with a blend of citrus, bergamot, vanilla, and amber musk that will no doubt bring back scentsational memories of time spent in the Sunshine State
6. For the caffeine fiend: Florida-based coffee with a yummy twist
A post shared by ＢＵＤＤＹ ＢＲＥＷ ＣＯＦＦＥＥ (@buddybrewcoffee) on Oct 15, 2019 at 1:57pm PDT
Do you smell that? It’s the invigorating scent of coffee. Imagine the java fanatic in your life unwrapping freshly roasted beans, which aren’t always easy to find in every supermarket, for the holidays. The Buddy Brew Old Florida Roast blend offers a “taste of Florida” for those pesky, groggy mornings.
Buddy Brew has seven locations from Tampa Bay to Sarasota, or you can shop online.
7. For anyone who appreciates the catch of the day: Cold-shipped seafood
If you happen to be in the Pensacola area, you could stop by Joe Patti’s World Famous Seafood in person to pick up your favorite seafood lover’s favorite foods. But if not, no worries—they ship, too! Choose from shrimp, fish (whole and fillet), crab, and more, fished straight from the Gulf or imported from around the world.
8. For the baseball fan: tickets to spring training
To many Florida sports fans, the best part of the baseball season is before it even begins. Spring training brings 15 major league teams to the state for preseason games in February and March. In these smaller stadiums of Jupiter, Venice, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and others, your recipient can cheer (or jeer) the players from practically on the field.
9. For the avid reader: Quirky suspense novels by a native son
The popularity of journalist Carl Hiassen’s Miami Herald column is only eclipsed by the popularity of his best-selling Florida-set novels for adults and kids, from 1986’s “Tourist Season” to 2018’s “Squirm” for the younger set.
10. For the adventurous eater: Alligator meat snacks
Florida is alligator territory so take a bite out of the holidays with Alligator Bob’s Premium Meat Snacks made by one of Florida’s legendary state gator trappers, Alligator Bob.
If the alligator fan in your life likes experimenting with the unique taste of exotic game or enjoys trying new flavors, they’ll love the five-pack snack stick sampler, which comes with an array of exotic game snack sticks.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
This article originally appeared on Reviewed.com: Holiday 2019: 10 gifts for people who love Florida
