This week is full of beloved traditions — the Macy’s parade, Thanksgiving dinner and NFL games. But there’s one that’s considerably less fun: Lining up outside big box stores in the wee hours hoping to score Black Friday deals on holiday gifts.
But we can help you break away from the crowds. Here’s a list of 16 gift ideas under the categories of Eat, Drink and Play, all which support Bay Area businesses.
EAT
1. Dim sum and dumpling ornaments
For the dumpling fanatic in your life, pair this adorable set of holiday ornaments with an outing to Din Tai Fung, the Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed Taiwanese dumpling house in Santa Clara’s Westfield Valley Fair mall.
The ornaments, one of a xiao long bao dumpling and the other of Bao Bao, a mascot, are available for purchase in-restaurant and will be available Nov. 6 through Dec. 31. They might also work well as stocking-stuffers.
But don’t go there for the ornaments and skip the real attraction: the dim sum menu itself, especially the legendary xiao long bao soup dumplings. The restaurant’s fare elicited descriptions of “dumpling nirvana” from our reviewer after the restaurant first opened in 2016.
(Mary Orlin/Staff)
Details: The set includes two ornaments ($38). Din Tai Fung is open 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays at 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara; dtf.com/en-us/locations/santa-clara
2. Sea urchin foraging class
Consider this gift option for someone in your life who’s into nature, the environment or the outdoors — or just really loves uni. A Fork in the Path offers a range of foraging classes, including for mushrooms, seaweed, acorns and mussels. But it also offers a sea urchin foraging class with the tagline, “Save kelp, eat urchin!,” which sounds very fun.
Sea urchins are exploding in population along the California coast, wreaking havoc by eating up the sea’s kelp forests, which are a habitat for many other marine creatures.
But uni, the harvested reproductive organs of the sea urchin, is a briny, sought-after sushi component — so why not learn how to collect it yourself? The half-day class on the Sonoma Coast ($100) comes with a lesson on intertidal ecology, a chance to contribute to a healthier ocean and information on how to harvest sea urchins sustainably and prepare them. (You’ll have to pick up a fishing license ahead of time, and can bring up to 35 home.)
You can also buy a beanie ($98) or scarf ($48) dyed with purple sea urchins from San Francisco-based Seelie Studio, which offers dyeing workshops as well.
Details: Go to forkinthepath.org/schedule/sunset-urchin-uni-class for the latest class schedule. Learn more about Seelie Studio at seeliestudio.com.
3. Pique hot sauce
Pique is a type of hot sauce hailing from Puerto Rico that is spiked with chiles, garlic and spices; fermentation often gives it a complex zip. You’ll find it on countertops in cities with large Puerto Rican populations, like New York, but regrettably not so much in the Bay Area, land of sriracha and San Jose orange sauce.
Sol Food, a restaurant with locations in the North Bay, makes its own bottled pique. It has just five ingredients, but is so sought-after that people online have tried making copycat recipes. The restaurant says it is “perfect for a finishing touch on your favorite meal, fresh oysters or spicy cocktail.”
Details: A 12-ounce bottle of hot sauce is $16, or you can pair it in smaller bottles in an $18 gift box with the restaurant’s lemon-garlic salad dressing (also great for marinades). Visits solfoodsauce.com.
4. Olive oil sets, Amphora Nueva and The Olive Shop
An olive oil sampler always sounds like it would make a nice hostess or BFF holiday gift, but how can you check out flavors before you plunk down your credit card?
Turns out there are Bay Area olive oil shops that take the mystery out of the purchasing process. They offer not just expertise but also a tasting bar.
Step inside The Olive Bar in Campbell or one of the Amphora Nueva shops in Castro Valley, Lafayette, Danville, Berkeley or San Anselmo and check out the array of olive oils and vinegars on tap. You’ll be offered samples to help you make the best decisions for your gift recipients (or for your own kitchen).
Both businesses source premium, extra virgin oils from around the world. As the Amphora folks say, “We believe that olive oil is like fruit juice: highly perishable and best when it’s fresh.”
What’s popular? Customers like to pair Tuscan Herb olive oil with a Black Mission Fig vinegar, the Castro Valley staff says.
Details: Prices for small combos can start as low as $8-$10 at Amphora. Shop hours vary by location; find hours and addresses at amphoranueva.com. In Campbell, The Olive Bar is open 10 a.m-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays at 232 E. Campbell Ave.; theolivebar.com
5. Frog Hollow Farm’s ‘legendary’ fruit conserves
If any Bay Area farmers have earned the right to call their produce “legendary” in their website, it’s Al and Rebecca Courchesne, owners of Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood. Tending their famous stone-fruit orchards in East Contra Costa since the 1970s, the Courchesnes were early pioneers in the organic farming movement and continue to be devotees of sustainable, “slow farming” practices.
The result has been decades of sweet, juicy peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, nectarines, plums and pluots, which are sought out at farmers markets and at high-end restaurants around the Bay Area. Famous fans have included Alice Waters, Tyler Florence and “Top Chef” Richard Blaise.
For the holidays, Frog Hollow Farms sells several gift baskets that spotlight conserves made from their fruit. If you want to keep things simple, there’s the Harvest Trio of organic preserves ($36.99), which Martha Stewart once promoted on her TV show. This trio features three jars of Frog Hollow’s bestselling conserves: apricot, nectarine plum and peach. If you want to get more fancy, the As Good As It Gets Gift Basket comes with four different conserves, well as a jar of lemon marmalade and cookies, brownies and other treats baked in their farm kitchen.
Details: The Harvest Trio is $36.99, while the As Good As It Gets baskets can be purchased for $144.99. Buy them at froghollow.com.
DRINK
6. CasaQ’s Xocolatl Mexican Hot Chocolate
San Jose’s Darlene Tenes, an entrepreneur and community leader, grew up drinking Mexican hot chocolate, that cinnamon-y and slightly spicy concoction. But she always wanted a version that was “a little richer with higher-quality ingredients than what is found in the grocery store,” she says, so she embarked on a recipe development project.
The idea was a natural for Tenes, who runs a Latino lifestyle company called CasaQ in addition to the Farmworker Caravan nonprofit. After many tasting panels her “sweet and savory” Xocolatl Mexican Hot Chocolate was introduced in 2021. Her proprietary mix combines high-quality cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla along with a touch of cayenne pepper.
A West Coast company makes the hot chocolate to Tenes’ specifications and packs it in colorful tins. This year, two new flavors — San Patricio’s Irish Mint and La Luna Spiced White Chocolate — join the original and two other flavors, Dulce de Leche Caramel and Campfire S’mores.
Details: Available by the tin ($15.99) and in a three-tin tote bag ($40) at CasaQ.com. Also stocked at the Hudson store at San Jose International Airport.
7. Proyecto Diaz Coffee
Located in industrial West Oakland, Proyecto Diaz is one of the rare cafes that grows its own coffee. Co-owner Fernando Diaz comes from a long line of coffee growers and has a family coffee farm in Oaxaca, Mexico — whose beans are for sale here, with 10% of the profit going to refurbishing the farm.
“For over 100 years, the Diaz family has been toiling the soil and harvesting the fruit of our labor — coffee,” the company says on its website. “The trees were planted by great grandfather, the cherries were harvested by grandfather and now two of his sons, and the coffee is being roasted by another of his sons and his grandson.”
The cafe also stocks coffees from all over Latin America, much of it sustainable and from small-scale producers. If you’re in the mood for a jammy, juicy winter blend from El Salvador and Brazil, or experimental Mexican coffee fermented with wine and native yeast, you’re in the right place.
Details: Proyecto Diaz’s family-farm-grown coffee beans, named El Carmen, are available for $22.50 for 12 ounces, and can be picked up at 1430 34th St., Oakland, or shipped via proyectodiazcoffee.com.
8. Livermore Valley Wine Passport
Wine drinkers are spoiled for choice in Livermore, but this gift will help. With a Livermore Valley Wine Passport, passport holders (and a guest) have 12 months to enjoy complimentary wine tastings at any of the 33 participating wineries.
Explore the area’s multigenerational vineyards and understand why cabernet franc has become the trendy wine of choice for many Livermore establishments. Two of Livermore’s wineries, Darcie Kent Estate Winery and Rosa Fierro Cellars, were recently named among the top 10 women-owned wineries in the United States.
Details: Livermore sells the passports for $350, but is offering Bay Area News Group readers a special $50 discount with code LVPass50, valid from Nov. 23 through Dec. 31. Learn more at lvwine.org.
9. Amaro gift set
Brucato is a distillery and restaurant in San Francisco that makes its own amaros, herbal Italian liqueurs often sipped as a post-meal digestif. This being California, of course it utilizes the bounty of the land to source ingredients: thus the nature-y monikers of its flagship spirits – Chaparral, Orchards and Woodlands.
For the sophisticated sipper on your holiday list, Brucato is offering gift sets of those varieties ($90 for three 375-milliliter bottles, available for pick-up or shipping nationwide). The recipes feature a cornucopia of wild ingredients to delight the palate, from apricots to Meyer lemons to black figs and the native herb Yerba Santa. “Complete with a postcard for your personal message,” the distillery writes, “it’s the perfect way to share your love for Brucato — impress guests with cocktails, sip neat after a feast — and let the tasting begin!”
Details: Brucato’s gift sets featuring its flagship spirits, Chaparral, Orchards and Woodlands, are available at $90 for three 375-milliliter bottles and can be picked up at 275 S. Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, or shipped via brucatospirits.com
10. Epidemic Ales growler & holiday beer
Every December, Concord’s hometown brewery begins selling its holiday beer, Always Naughty West Coast IPA, which checks in at 7% ABV (a four pack of 16-oz cans costs $18). This year, the beer will be released on Dec. 8 and sold while supplies last.
Not sure which beer your special someone will want? A safe bet is the 64-ounce, stainless steel etched growlers ($45) and a gift card for a fill-up. The first fill is just $15, and the brewery is happy to let folks taste any of the 32 beers on tap before making any decisions.
The brewery is coming off an award-winning performance at the Great American Beer Festival, where the Lager at World’s End won a bronze medal.
Details: Opens at 3 p.m. weekdays and noon weekends at 150 Mason Circle in Concord; epidemicales.com
11. Sake club and gift sets
Umami Mart in Oakland has always been a great source of Japanese home products, whether that be a Hinoki bath stool or cocktail bitters made from prized mizunara oak trees. Fittingly, it offers some great finds for sake lovers.
The first is a monthly club called Sake Gumi that features bottles handpicked by the store’s sake director, Yoko Kumano. Shipped or picked up in person, the club has two tiers: silver (one bottle a month, $55) and gold (two bottles, a zine, a tote bag and two free drink passes, $110). Both tiers come with store discounts and one free pour a month at Umami Mart’s back bar.
The second option is curated sake gift sets ranging from cute one-cup carafes ($32 for three) to up to half-a-dozen bottles. A “House Sake Pack” includes four bottles of store favorites that are versatile and easy to drink ($112), for instance, while a “Kanzake Six Pack” has heavier sakes, aged and nutty and meant to be enjoyed warm ($247).
Details: Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily at 4027 Broadway, Oakland; umamimart.com
PLAY
12. Filoli gift membership
The folks who oversee the grandest estate on the Peninsula describe a Filoli membership as a gift of “joy and tranquility.” We would add to that: It’s an amazing bargain, what with adult admission tickets priced at $32-$34 per day.
For $129 for one person or $149 for two people, members can enjoy unlimited daytime visits to the Woodside estate, the historic Georgian Revival mansion and its stunning gardens and natural spaces throughout 2026. The price is even lower if your gift is for seniors 65 and up and students ages 18-24 — two annual tickets for $129.
Filoli is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. There’s something to see every season, from the vibrant yellow gardens of daffodils early in the year, to the summer fruit trees, to the autumn colors and then winter’s blooms and festivities.
Members receive discounts of 10% to 20% off events, including teas, Summer Nights and classes, and on food and other purchases. Higher-level memberships offer additional savings on events.
TIP: For a sweet gift presentation, deliver word of the membership with a jar of Filoli honey, sourced from the estate.
Details: Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 86 Cañada Road, Woodside; https://filoli.org
13. Maika lunch tote and pie carrier
“It doesn’t get easier. You just get stronger.” That’s the message emblazoned on a line of bags and assorted merchandise items — including a lunch tote that doubles as a pie carrier ($40) — as part of a line called Maika’s Wish from the Oakland-based brand Maika, available online. That in itself would make it a lovely, uplifting gift for the holiday season. But there’s more to the story.
The design and text behind that message are actually part of a mural that was created by the brand owner Viola Sutanto’s daughter, Maika, whose name means “dancing flower” in Japanese. Maika, after being diagnosed with aplastic anemia, was connected with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The foundation helped to facilitate her wish to paint a mural in Oakland in 2021, which is now visible on the side of 233 Broadway, near Jack London Square.
After receiving a bone marrow transplant from her brother, she’s doing a lot better, but Sutanto’s experience with grappling with a life-threatening illness in the family has shaped the brand’s approach to “finding big joy in small moments,” according to the brand website.
Details: Learn more at maikagoods.com.
14. Bay Trail map cards
Fancy a hike but aren’t sure where to go? Get yourself a pack of these Bay Trail Map Cards ($15), shuffle and pick one at random — you’re guaranteed a great outing in the scenic outdoors.
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a network of 350-plus miles of hiking, biking and ADA-friendly paths that circles the inner bay along the waterfront. When eventually finished, the trail will stretch for 500 miles through 47 cities and 130-plus parks and over seven tall bridges. It includes some of the most gorgeous terrain in the region, with stunning city skylines, misty cliffs, sunny beaches and primo picnicking spots.
The deck of 25 cards breaks the trail up into easily traveled portions, and includes a large fold-out map of the entire network with recommended excursions.
Details: Published by the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission (mtc.ca.gov), you can purchase the San Francisco Bay Trail Map Cards at Sharp Bicycles at 969 Moraga Road, Lafayette; Xtracycle at 237 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley; and the Oakland Museum of California at 1000 Oak St., Oakland; shop.museumca.org
15. Silver screen experiences
For all the talk about a dying film industry, operators of independent theaters across the Bay Area are working really hard to keep moviegoing alive for true lovers of the feature-film experience.
As Nicole Kidman says in her famous AMC Theatres ad, there’s still that “indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim” and people are together, watching “dazzling images on a huge silver screen.” Pretty much every independent theater in the Bay Area makes it possible for you to share this cinematic experience with a loved one. They sell gift cards online, as well as at their box offices, and you can usually purchase them in any amount, with the card also allowing for purchases at concession stands.
Details: Here are the theaters or small chains that sell gift cards. Unless otherwise indicated the cards are sold online.
South Bay: Pruneyard Cinema, Campbell, pruneyardcinemas.com; CineLux theaters in Los Gatos, Campbell. San Jose and Morgan Hill and Gilroy, cineluxtheatres.com; 3Below Theaters, San Jose 3belowtheaters.com; Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Mountain View, Santa Clara’s Valley Fair shopping center and San Francisco, https://drafthouse.com; Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, San Mateo, https://www.cinepolisusa.com/san-mateo.
Contra Costa County: Orinda Theater, Orinda, orindamovies.com; Cinema West’s Rheem Theatre in Moraga, the Veranda Luxe and Imax in Concord, and the Livermore Cinema, cinemawest.com; the Vine Cinema and Alehouse, Livermore, vinecinema.com; West Wind Drive-In theaters, Concord and San Jose, westwinddi.com
Alameda County: Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Berkeley, rialtocinemas.com/elmwood; Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland, (only available at the box office), renaissancerialto.com; The New Parkway Theater, Oakland, thenewparkway.com; Landmark Theatres, Oakland, Palo Alto and San Francisco, landmarktheatres.com.
16. Mount Diablo guidebooks
Of the Bay Area’s well-known mountains, none stands out more than Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County. Its singular, triangular silhouette is visible from points all across the region. And, on clear days, the 3,849-foot summit offers breathtaking, 360-degree views of the entire Bay Area and beyond to the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada.
But more than the vistas, Mount Diablo is steeped in more than 100 million years of geological history and is the center of creation myths for the Miwok and Ohlone people. The 20,000-acre state park also is a major Northern California destination for hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, rock climbing and learning about the region’s plants and wildlife.
For lovers of Bay Area history and outdoor adventures, the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association publishes a range of informative and colorful books and guides that can be purchased through its online store or at the Summit Museum and Mitchell Canyon Visitors Center.
Highly recommended is “The Mount Diablo Guide,” fourth edition (2023). It offers a comprehensive overview of the mountain’s geological and cultural histories, its biodiversity and its many trails, campgrounds and other amenities. Since the mountain also has become a popular destination for bird-watching, the association publishes “Common Birds of Mount Diablo” (2022), which offers photos and detailed descriptions of the some 70 species that are regularly, occasionally or only rarely spotted in the park.
Details: Both books can be purchased online at https://www.mdia.org/, at the Summit Museum, open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, or at the Mitchell Canyon Visitors Center, open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends at 96 Mitchell Canyon Road, Clayton. “The Mount Diablo Guide” costs $15 in person, $18 online with shipping. “Common Birds of Mount Diablo” cost $5 in person, $7 online.