Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

If your holiday gift list is long and your budget is small, fear not. Philadelphia shops offer loads of presents guaranteed to be thoroughly thoughtful and completely unique for all those difficult-to-buy-for people in your life—from your gourmet-loving girlfriend to your style-conscious co-worker. Here are 25 ideas that can satisfy the needs of everyone on your list. Best of all, they’re all less than $25, which means you might actually stay within budget this year. See them all on gophila.com/holidays.

For The Fashionista:

1. Mini-wallet – Heavy-duty cotton goes fashionably functional to keep credit cards, cash and keys neat, organized and compact. Available in a variety of patterns. $25. 1154 Lill Studio, 115 S. 13^th Street, (215) 923-8030, 1154lill.com
2. Handbag Hook – Get that designer handbag off the restaurant floor and hang it beneath the table with a fold-up handbag hook, decorated in a faux cloisonné design or with gem-like stones surrounded by rhinestones. $15. j. karma, 63 N. 3^rd Street, (215) 627-9625, jkarmaboutique.com
3. Money Clip – Feel like a millionaire when you stash your cash in this hand-crafted money clip. Made of rare burled woods from the Pacific Islands, each piece is highly polished and one-of-a-kind. $24. The 5 Senses, 133 W. Market Street, West Chester, (610) 719-0170, the5senses.com
4. Faux Snakeskin Bangle Bracelets – Style comes in three sizes—thin, thinner and thinnest—in this trio of faux snakeskin bangles rimmed with gold trim. Available in red, tan or black. $20. Three Sirens, 134 N. 3^rd Street, (215) 925-3548, threesirens.com
5. Business Card Case – Add some pizzazz to the 9-to-5 routine with colorful, rhinestone-accented business card cases in fuchsia or turquoise. $24. Tony, 47 N. 3^rd Street, (215) 592-8669, tonyonthird.com

For the Foodie:

6. Table Topics Gourmet Edition – What piece of kitchen equipment do you covet? What’s the best meal you’ve ever cooked? Start a gourmet gabfest with 135 food-related conversation topics and question cards packaged in a stylish cube. $25. Foster’s Homeware, 399 Market Street, (215) 925-0950, shopfosters.com
7. Demi-grande Chocolat Gift Box – Each of the 24 pieces of hand-dipped, rich, dark chocolate are filled with raspberry, coffee, hazelnut and other tasty flavors that are worth every last calorie. $15 per half-pound. Lacroix Restaurant, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square, (215) 790-2533, lacroixrestaurant.com
8. Laptop Lunch – Healthy lunches can be fun lunches when you pack it in this colorful, microwaveable carrying case that opens into a convenient tray. A removable inner liner, sealed lid, dip containers and stainless fork and spoon make it easy to send the kids off with a hearty meal. $20.99. MainLine GreenHome, 812 Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, (610) 644-7336, mainlinegreenhome.com
9. Cabernet Chocolate Sauce – Flavored with a subtle hint of cabernet, this chocolate sauce is meant to be drizzled over cake or ice cream, but it’s so yummy your favorite foodie might want to eat it straight up with a spoon. $20. Pinot, 227 Market Street, (215) 627-9463, pinotboutique.com
10. Music Cooks CD & Recipes – Whip up some hors d’oeuvres with 25 easy-to-follow recipe cards, listen to the companion mood-setting smooth jazz CD, and you have an instant cocktail party on your hands. $21.99. Union Gourmet, 1111 Locust Street, (215) 238-8800, uniongourmetmarket.com

For the Kids:

11. Vintage Batman Wall Art – Straight from the pages of DC Comics, the masked superhero strikes an iconic pose on a lightweight metal wall hanging. $15. Absolute Pop, 137 S. 13^th Street, (215) 733-0196, absolutepopart.com
12. Charm Locket – Dream of faraway adventures and adorn a necklace, bracelet or even a zipper with a whimsical suitcase-shaped gold-toned charm that can also be a tiny locket. $20. Fivi, 138 N. 3^rd Street, (215) 965-8685
13. Patriots, Pirates, Heroes & Spies – Stories of imaginative inventors, rowdy pirates and other little-known tales from America’s past that have fascinated audiences at the Once Upon A Nation storytelling benches in Historic Philadelphia are now captured in an easy-to-read children’s hardback book. $9.95. Independence Living History Center, 115 S. 3rd Street, (215) 629-4027, historicphiladelphia.org
14. Froggie Bedroom Slippers – Kids will look forward to bedtime so they can don these cute, bright green chenille frog-shaped slippers. The one-size fits-most foot warmers also come in the shapes of pink pigs and white sheep. $21. Lemons & Limes, 8133 Germantown Avenue, (215) 242-3080
15. Hand-painted Ceramic Piggy Bank – Kids will want to save some of their allowance when they drop coins into the playfully colorful ceramic piggy bank. Each bank is hand-painted with different designs—stripes, flowers, dots or squiggles and come in fun shades of bright green, blue, pink, red and other primary colors. $12. The Papery, 57 N. 3^rd Street, (215) 922-1500, paperyofphilly.com

For the Home:

16. Thank You Notes – Choose from one of three colorful floral designs and say “Many Thanks” with these hand-crafted notes. $25. Fabulous Stationery, 102 S. 18^th Street, (215) 564-2723, fabulousstationery.com
17. Enviro-Sax – When the urge to splurge hits, just whip one of these lightweight, eco-friendly shopping bags out of your purse and you’re ready to shop. 3 for $25. Hello World, 257 S. 20^th Street, (215) 545-5207, shophelloworld.com
18. Wine Totes – Show up at one of Philly’s many BYOBs or at a dinner party in style with these chic cotton wine totes embroidered with “Good Food,” “Good Wine,” “Good friends” and “Life is a cabernet my friend.” $12 each. Scarlet Fiorella, 113 S. 13^th Street, (215) 922-1955, scarletfiorella.com
19. Jewel-toned Serve Ware – Even the simplest meal tastes like a gourmet feast when served with jewel-toned tableware. Imported from Paris, each butter knife, cheese plane or bottle opener sports a pearl-like handle available in sapphire, emerald, gold, ruby and other colors. $25 per piece. Town Home, 126 S. 19^th Street, (215) 972-5100, townhomeonline.com
20. Wooden Bowl – Accented with a zebra, elephant, giraffe or leopard, these hand-carved bowls from Kenya will cause a mini-stampede, especially when filled with nuts or candies. $24. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South Street, (215) 898-4000, museum.upenn.edu

For the Beauty Buff:

21. Hand & Foot Balm – Cold weather calls for heavy-duty care and this herbal and essential oil-infused intensive hydrating treatment will keep all the digits soft and moisturized all winter long. $20 for 4 oz. 3000 B.C. WellMed Spa, 8439 Germantown Avenue, (215) 247-6020, 3000bc.com
22. Scented Soaps – A morning shower turns into a luxurious event with this trio of hand-made soaps drenched in shea butter, aloe, herbs and aromatic essential oils. $19.95. Duross & Langel, 117 S. 13^th Street, (215) 592-SOAP, durossandlangel.com
23. Relaxation Tea & Beauty Pack – Take a break from the hectic holidays with this combo of relaxing Serenitea (green tea, lemon, chamomile blend), soothing bath salts, scented soap by skinnyskinny and delectable tea cookies. $25. Tbar, 117 S. 12^th Street, (215) 625-3936, tbarteas.com
24. Shaving Cream – Just slather on this shaving cream, luxuriously rich with coconut oils, essential oils and glycerin, and enjoy the smooth, sleek shave you’ve always dreamed of. $22. The Art of Shaving, 1528 Walnut Street, (215) 875-6702, theartofshaving.com
25. Cooling Eye Balm – Holiday parties can take their toll, but a dab of this chamomile and herbal extract balm will have you looking like you just woke up from a refreshing night’s sleep. $25. Ursula’s About Phace, 1700 Sansom Street, Suite 201, (215) 557-1562, aboutphace201.com

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Caroline Bean, (215) 599-7433
• Morgan Obidowski, (215) 599-2298