The ultimate holiday gift guide for the Austinite in your life
Whether you're fairly new to town or a decades-old resident, odds are you have a bit of Austin pride.
Some have more local love than others, though, and if you're trying to find the perfect holiday gift for that hardcore Austinite in your life, this is the guide for you.
Here are some ideas:
Austin snack baskets
This company, City Gift Baskets, offers a variety of delicious bundles themed after different Austin areas. For example, the Keep Austin Weird basket includes mixes from AustiNuts, Salt Lick Barbecue Sauce, Kerbey Lane buttermilk pancake mix and more.
The Domain basket includes Cornucopia Popcorn, Lammes milk chocolate longhorns and Chinook roasted sunflower seeds, and the Zilker Park basket includes Uncle Ray's pecan brittle, Zilker Park sour balls from Austin Candy, Austin Chile Company salsa, Siete tortilla chips and more.
Whataburger holiday merch
Gift cards are overrated, so when it comes to fast food, give the gift of merch that will last beyond your meal. At Whataburger, merch now includes some holiday-specific items such as a burger-and-fries-covered Christmas sweater, a bright orange pajama set, fry slippers, a Whataburger nutcracker and Merry Christmas table tent.
Austin-scented candle
Not only does this gift smell great, but it supports a small business. The Etsy store MoonwicksCandles, based in Massachusetts, offers the candle "Smells Like You're Moving to Austin," and the scent is up to you and what reminds you of Austin the most. Scent options include clean cotton, sea salt and orchid, white sage and lavender, apple harvest and cinnamon vanilla.
The side of the candle appropriately says, "Smell the warm and comforting aroma of keeping it weird."
BookPeople in a Box
BookPeople is Austin's most well-known bookstore, and it offers a curated mystery box for bookworms. The boxes include two to five books that a seller handpicks based on preferences provided to the online order form.
The bookstore also offers a similar mystery box for children and teens.
Jo's Coffee apparel
Take home the "I love you so much mural" with a t-shirt from Jo's Coffee. The iconic phrase also comes on a baby onesie, and other apparel includes a tote bag, tube socks, Jo's latte cup dog toy and more.
Austin landmark items from South Austin Gallery
South Austin Gallery depicts iconic Austin spots, such as 290 West Club, 6th Street, Alamo Drafthouse, Amy's Ice Cream, Broken Spoke and much more, on a variety of household items. This includes coasters, cutting boards, magnets, ornaments, mugs, tumblers, pet tags and photo prints.
Willie Nelson's new book
Released on Halloween, Nelson's "Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs" seems perfect for fans of the music icon.
The Amazon description reads, "From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and 'family,' as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, and many others."
El Arroyo sign book
Very few Austinites haven't seen the famous El Arroyo sign, and now its many phrases can live on in the form of a coffee table book. If your loved one isn't a book person, you can gift them a card with whatever phrase they'd like best.
Statesman merch or subscription
You know we had to plug. The Statesman offers prints, t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, coffee mugs and stickers. You can also give the gift of local journalism with a subscription to our publication.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: The ultimate holiday gift guide for the Austinite in your life
