||| FROM AMY N. NESLER FOR VISITORS BUREAU |||
“I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Christmas is all around [us], and so the feeling grows…” If that feeling is finding the perfect gift for family near and far, there’s something from the San Juan Islands for everyone on your list.
Giving a gift from the San Juan Islands is the next best thing to being there. During these holidays like none other, islanders encourage you to shop online and bring the Islands right to your doorstep. The new Holiday Gift Guide www.visitsanjuans.com/gift-guide features gifts for the foodie, nature lover, art lover and more. Find soothing island-made skin care and wellness products, as well as gift certificates to your favorite lodgings and restaurants for future travel. You can even adopt a whale!
For the Foodie
Lonely Planet dubbed the San Juans the ‘gourmet archipelago’ for the wide range of tide-to-table and farm-to-fork experiences. You can add some of these island flavors to your holiday fare with oysters from Westcott Bay Shellfish and a dash of sea salt from San Juan Island Sea Salt. Shrubs from Girl Meets Dirt will give a little extra oomph to your signature cocktails and mocktails. And ring in the New Year with the Wave Crest White from Lopez Island Vineyard!
Since travel is challenging right now, we hope to also bring a little comfort and joy to you through these San Juan Islands-inspired holiday cocktail recipes. They are our gift to you from the restaurants and resorts on Orcas Island, Lopez Island and San Juan Island, direct to your home.
For the Nature Lover
Is there an aspiring naturalist in your house? Introduce them to the whales of the Salish Sea with an orca adoption from Friday Harbor’s Whale Museum, along with a variety of other whale-themed gifts.
Know someone dreaming about a post-COVID island sailing vacation, look no further than Classic Day Sailing.
For the Art Lover
The San Juan Islands were named an “Arts Hot Spot” for Washington state, and this community of creatives has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Find everything from Paula West pottery to Northwest Coast Native American art from Arctic Raven Gallery and add some island class to your home, office, and garden. Create an island ‘window’ with one of Teresa Smith’s oil paintings or buy a gift certificate to pick out art jewelry, sculptures, painting or glass from Waterworks Gallery. Have a DIYer on your list? Check out the kits from Orcas Island Leather Goods!
For Self-Care: The Ultimate ‘Santa-ment’ for 2020
Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well as the others on your list. Pelindaba Lavender has soothing products for your bath, your home, and your critter! Island Thyme Botanical Bodycare will help smooth out any remaining pandemic-induced tension with their herbal salves and bring some holiday scent with their Spruce and Cedar or Cinnamon Clove artisan soaps. Spray your way to calm with OrcaSong Farm’s Forest Bath aromatherapy and other healing products.
Need more ideas? Check out www.visitsanjuans.com/gift-guide for a complete list.
