Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone and your family has overstayed its welcome (or vice versa), it’s onto the real fun: finding your loved ones cool and unique gifts for the holidays! If you’ve made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday and you still have friends or family on your shopping list (or just want some cool stuff for yourself, we’re not judging), you’re in luck, ‘cause this right here is the Seventh Annual Submerge Holiday Gift Guide and it’s packed with tons of good stuff! We have a little something for everyone here, available everywhere from small local shops and regional creators, to stuff that we just think is awesome and is easily available online. Giving gifts feels good. Giving really great gifts feels even better, and we think all of these things would make pretty freakin’ cool gifts. So please, dive on in, and remember to try and shop local when you can!
Ugly Rockin’ Christmas Sweaters
With these Ugly Rockin’ Christmas Sweaters, you’ll be sure to crush the competition at any holiday-themed party this year! Wearing one of these says, “I’m festive and I listen to good music.” There are a ton of artists out there that have their own versions of these ugly Christmas sweaters, but here are some of our favorites and where you can order them online. For Sacramento hardcore band Hoods, go to Merchnow.com/catalogs/hoods ($28). For old school punk rockers Descendents, go to Kingsroadmerch.com/descendents ($64.99). For hip-hop/neo-soul crew and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots, go to Shop.okayplayer.com ($45). For the iconic ex-Smiths vocalist Morrissey, go to Viva-moz.com (£44.99 = $71). For So-Cal metal band Devil Driver, go to Indiemerch.com/devildriver ($70 including sweater, scarf and ornament).
One-of-a-kind Locally Made Wood Necklaces by Real Life Dollhouse
Local jewelry maker Julie Gesicki (aka Real Life Dollhouse) creates insanely rad one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry that are stylish, hip and sure to spark up conversations and rack up compliments! Just some of our favorites, available at Etsy.com/shop/RealLifeDollhouse, are the Wooden Darth Vader Death Star Necklace ($95), the Pac-Man Wooden Inlay Necklace ($45), the White Deer on Rosewood Bib Necklace ($75) and the Wooden Howling Wolf and Moon Necklace ($74.50).
Bike Tube Messenger Bag from Origin Recycled Goods
This messenger bag was designed by avid cyclists and it shows! Made with 100-percent upcycled goods including cleaned and salvaged bike inner tubes. Each piece by Sacramento-based Origin Recycled Goods is completely unique and made with a minimal footprint. $85 available in limited quantities at the Display: California “Holladay pop up shop” (3433 Broadway, Sacramento) and online at Originrecycledgoods.com. Origin also has a few really awesome backpacks available ($85), as well as wallets ($25) and more.
Handmade Soap from Sudz by Studz
Two local gents started Sudz By Studz with a mission to create affordable and natural skin care products that are handmade, cruelty free and/or vegan, and that are created from local ingredients you can actually pronounce! Their bars of cold process soap range from $5 to $10 and come in such amazing scents as Sparkling Blackberry Sage (made with sweet berries and earthy sage with hints of sparkling soda), Bliss Bar (made with clary sage, ylang ylang and lavandin essential oils), Candy Cane (smells just like you think it would) and many others. Hit up their website at Sudzbystudz.com or keep an eye out for the Studz at local events.
The Whisky Lover Set
For the manly man on your list (or just the whisky-sipping lady), Teroforma’s Whisky Lover Set is a no-brainer. Freeze the hand-made soapstones, which stay cold for a long time, and then plop a couple into a glass with your favorite whisky and enjoy it without it getting watered down by a melting ice cube! For $60 at Lumens Light + Living (2028 K Street, Sacramento or Lumens.com) you get two mouth-blown glass tumblers and six Whisky Stones.
Tommy Turtle, Billy Beaver and Catie Crocodile Plush Dog Toys at Incredible Pets
Pets are family too, so make sure not to overlook them when holiday shopping. Some of the cutest dog toys we could find locally were these Plush Dog Toys for $9.99 at Incredible Pets (five regional locations!). Pick up a Tommy Turtle, Billy Beaver, Catie Crocodile or any of the others (Sammy Squirrel, anyone?) and your little fur baby will be stoked!
Republic FC Collection by Official
Sacramento’s champion soccer team the Republic FC has partnered up with locally owned and operated headwear/street brand Official Crown of Laurel to bring you a limited collection for the holidays! Hit up Getta Clue in the Downtown Plaza, Goodstock Boutique in the Arden Mall or the Republic FC Team Store (2421 17th Street, Sacramento) to get your paws on snap-back and strap-back hats ($32), beanies ($24), a lightweight nylon hooded windbreaker ($59) and custom scarf ($28)! Once they’re gone, they’re gone, so hurry up if you want to rep these local brands at next year’s Republic FC games!
Vintage Suitcase Boom Boxes by The BoomCase
Hands down, these are the coolest boom boxes we have ever seen (or heard)! The BoomCase hand makes each unique piece right here in California. Just plug your smartphone, iPod or any other device directly into your BoomCase (bluetooth connectivity is available too) and enjoy amazing sound quality for 18 hours on a single charge! Then just recharge it and you’re good to go again. They’re a little pricey ($725 available at Display: California’s “Holladay pop up shop” at 3433 Broadway) but they are totally worth it!
Atari Flashback 5 Classic Video Game Console
Save yourself from an allergy attack caused by rummaging around a dusty attic looking for your ancient Atari machine and get an Atari Flashback 5 Classic Video Game Console instead! This bad boy has 93 games built in and is ready to plug-and-play on any TV screen. Classics such as Jungle Hunt, Asteroids, Space Invaders and Centipede are on here, along with many others. Just $39.99 at Toys R Us (1919 Arden Way), or online at Toysrus.com.
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