Still shopping? Here are 11 local Christmas gifts anyone on your list will love.

Keith Magill, Daily Comet
·4 min read

Last-minute Christmas shoppers looking for gifts or stocking stuffers with local flair can find ideas galore at boutiques, restaurants and shops across Terrebonne and Lafourche.

You can pick any of them up quickly close to home, some for just a few dollars and others for more. Some offer gift cards online that you can buy without leaving home. Plus, by skipping the big box stores and online retail behemoths, you'll help local businesses or groups hit hard by Hurricane Ida as well as the COVID pandemic.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Gift cards

Many locally owned restaurants offer gift cards or certificates. Pick your favorite or try one of these suggestions: Milano or Christiano in Houma, Fremin's or Cinclare in Thibodaux or Big Mike's BBQ or Peppers Pizzeria in either city. Or give the more-practical person in your life a gift card from locally owned Rouses or Cannata's supermarkets.

2. Houma-made whiskey

Speaking of holiday spirits, Bayou Terrebonne Distillers' small-batch Contraband and Good Earth whiskies make tasty gifts. Its T-shirts and caps, with sayings like "Lache pas la patate" and "Good whiskey, good people. good earth," will also add local flavor to your Christmas gift-giving. Whiskey must be picked up at the distillery, 8043 Main St., in downtown Houma. Phone: 790-7722. Online: btdistillers.com.

3. World’s best beef jerky

One of the gift boxes available at Bourgeois Meat Market in Schriever.
One of the gift boxes available at Bourgeois Meat Market in Schriever.

That’s what Bourgeois Meat Market in Schriever advertises, and anyone who has enjoyed it would have a hard time disagreeing. This local institution will shrink wrap and send its Cajun-spiced specialty to anyone on your Christmas gift list. Pick up a bunch at the shop, 543 W. Main St., or order online at bourgeoismeatmarket.com.

4. Cajun Confections

TARC’s Cajun Confections, 158 Enterprise Drive in Houma, offers handmade chocolates in the shapes of alligators or fleur de lis, plus lots of other sweets. Plus, sales benefit this nonprofit, which aids local residents with mental or physical handicaps. You can also visit TARC’s restaurant and gift shop, 117 Moffet Road, Houma, for some great local and Louisiana-made gifts, including homemade salsa, jams and jellies, Cajun T-shirts and paintings and photos by some of the people the agency serves. Info: 851-2117.

5. Get reel

Visit The Reel Outfitters, a family-owned shop at 502 St. Mary St. in Thibodaux, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And while you're there, pick up some local or Louisiana made fishing gear. For instance, you'll find Backjack Lures from Chackbay, Crappie Psychics from Raceland, Delta Lures from LaPlace, Cajun Tackle in Morgan City and Humdinger lures from Donaldsonville. Phone: 235-7475. Online: facebook.com/thereeloutfitters.

6. Local art

Hand-painted Santa oyster shells and other one-of-a-kind art are available at Downtown Art Gallery 630 in Houma.
Hand-painted Santa oyster shells and other one-of-a-kind art are available at Downtown Art Gallery 630 in Houma.

You'll find one-of-a-kind original creations by local artists and craftspeople at Downtown Art Gallery 630 in Houma. Run by the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild, its Christmas show includes hand-painted ornaments, including Santa faces made with local oyster shells, paintings from small to large and more. It's open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Online: terrebonnefineartsguild.org. Phone: 851-2198.

7. Laurel Valley goodies

Laurel Valley Village in Thibodaux is the largest surviving 19th and 20th century sugar plantation complex in the U.S. Its country store, 936 Laurel Valley Road, offers plenty of gift ideas, including souvenirs, local honey and jam and homemade pralines. The store is usually open daily from 10 a.m. to  4:30 pm. Call 446-7456.

8. Sweet treats

Sweets from Weeping Willow Cafe and Bakery in Thibodaux are wrapped and ready to stuff in your Christmas stockings.
Sweets from Weeping Willow Cafe and Bakery in Thibodaux are wrapped and ready to stuff in your Christmas stockings.

Weeping Willow Café and Bakery, 704 W. 3rd St., Thibodaux, offers several boxed treats like cookies, candied pecans, caramel-and-pecan turtles and blueberry jam. Its popular peppermint bark makes a great holiday treat. The cafe also offers gift cards you can buy online. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Online: weepingwillowcafe.com. Phone: 448-0444.

9. Beer made in Houma

Spigot's Brew Pub, 622 Barrow St., Houma, will put together a sampler of its craft beers and ales, or you can get a giant glass growler filled with your favorite. Phone: 333-3103. Online: spigotsbrewpub.com.

10. Museum memberships

Terrebonne and Lafourche have plenty of museums that celebrate local history and culture. Most have seen attendance drop amid the pandemic. Purchase a membership or sponsorship or purchase tickets that make great stocking stuffers. Suggestions: Bayou Country Children's Museum in Thibodaux, Southdown Plantation and Museum in Houma, Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building in Lockport.

11. Theater tickets

Houma and Thibodaux both have active community theaters, with seasons starting soon.

The Thibodaux Playhouse's first play, "The Addams Family," starts Jan. 13. Buy tickets now at thibodauxplayhouse.com.

Le Petit Theatre in Houma, which just opened its newly renovated theater on Main Steet, has tentatively scheduled its first show for Jan. 20. Season tickets are priced at $75 and include five shows total. To buy tickets, call the box office at 876-4278 or visit houmalittletheatre.com.

This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: 11 last-minute Christmas gifts you can find in Terrebonne and Lafourche