Florida gift guide: Local goods to give this holiday season

Spread cheer this holiday season with these Sunshine State-inspired gift ideas from Florida makers and businesses

This holiday season, skip shopping at the big box stores in favor of purchasing one-of-a-kind gifts created by local Floridian makers. Your loved ones will unwrap the very essence of the Sunshine State itself when you give them gifts hand-crafted and inspired by Florida’s unique environment and culture.

From seasonal citrus gift baskets to Florida-grown slow fashion ensembles, this gift guide offers a few suggestions to please everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Natural sponges

Give the gift of self-care coupled with Florida’s unique history by purchasing natural sponges for your loved ones this holiday season. Buying online might be the quickest option, but you’d miss out on the adventure that is perusing the many sponge and gift shops that line Tarpon Springs’ Dodecanese Boulevard, a stone’s throw from the historic Tarpon Springs sponge docks where Greek American sponge divers have been procuring the delicate organisms from deep-sea sponge beds since the early 20th century. Time-honored, local shops sure to offer a variety of natural sea sponges fit for bathing, cosmetic, and decorative uses include The Sponge Factory, Spongeorama Sponge Factory, and The Tarpon Sponge Company.

Fresh, seasonal citrus

Offer your relatives in the snowy north a slice of Floridian sunshine with a gift box full of fresh, seasonal citrus fruit. Vero Beach’s Countryside Family Farms offers a variety of gift packages, but consider the aptly named basket o’sunshine, which contains a keepsake woven basket stuffed with navel oranges, ruby red grapefruit, and honey-sweet tangerines. Meanwhile, Joshua Citrus, a family-owned grove stand in Arcadia, sells Christmas tree and wreath-shaped gifts made with fresh citrus, orange marmalade, and orange blossom honey—all made in Florida and ready to ship across the country.

Organic self-care staples

Skin and hair care products serve as perfect stocking stuffers—this holiday season, ditch the big box beauty stores and opt for organic products created by local Florida makers. Luxor Allure, a skincare, hair care, and fragrance company based in Ocala, offers dozens of organic skincare and self-care items dripping in rich, decadent hydration. Choose among body nectars, exfoliating skin polishes, or kits like the Seduce Set, an irresistible combination of silk body wash, nourishing body souffle, and seduce roll-on oil designed for freshening up whenever and wherever romance strikes. Luxor Allure also offers a full line of hair products, from shampoo and conditioner to hair oil and scalp treatments.

Florida-grown slow fashion pieces

For the fashionista in your family who wouldn’t be impressed by the average, mall-bought outfit, wow them with a one-of-a-kind, handmade piece from Kasiopya, the Miami-based mother-daughter duo who creates their clothes using only natural fibers and a signature botanical printing process. Each silk garment from Kasiopya has been lovingly hand-dyed by company founder Tabitha Thomas, whose daughter, Nadezhda Amé, follows in her mother’s footsteps to help create multi-functional pieces that flow like so many waves in the Atlantic Ocean. Check out the body scarf, which can be worn as a headscarf, top, sarong, beach cover-up, or belt—available in seven earthy and vibrant tones.

From roadkill to jewelry and home décor 

Living in Florida—a wild, overgrown place teeming with life—lends its human residents an extra dose of appreciation for the natural world around them, as well as for the animals and critters who also call this corner of the earth home. Root + Bone, an online shop based in Gainesville that sells jewelry and home décor, lovingly provides second lives to Floridian animals who have passed by transforming their very bones into stunning pieces, including necklaces, earrings, and body harnesses, as well as home decorations like wall mounts and plant holders. Shop owner Megan Black, a University of Florida doctoral candidate in hydrology who collects and cleans every bone to create her pieces, has been collecting local bones since her childhood spent playing among the orange groves of southern Brevard County. 

Reversible, sustainable swimwear

As the Sunshine State experiences perfect beach days year-round, there’s never a wrong time to give someone the gift of a new bathing suit in which to soak up the sun and surf. Sol to Soul, a Miami-based swimwear company featured in Vogue this summer, aims to design inclusive suits that fit all body types and styles. Sustainably made from impossibly soft fabrics, Sol to Soul swimwear pieces are also reversible and convertible, meaning your favorite beach bum can style their suit in new ways each time they wear it. Check out Sol to Soul’s collection of crocheted and crystal-dotted cover-ups, too.

Shark tooth jewelry

Give your loved ones a keepsake present straight from Florida’s shores with shark tooth and fossil jewelry from Sharky’s Shop in Bradenton. Sharky’s creates jewelry from the teeth and fossils of a variety of sharks known to swim along Florida’s coastlines, including mako, lemon, and sand tiger sharks. For the person on your list who’s always sifting through beach sands in search of these hard-to-spot treasures, a gold or silver-wrapped shark tooth pendant means they’ll always have a piece of Florida to hold close to their heart.

Florida-scented candles

Jacksonville’s Wick: A Candle Bar has somehow captured the impalpable essence of Florida with its line of scented candles, many inspired by the scenes and smells of the Sunshine State. Choose among fragrances like sea kelp, cedar, cypress, and morning dew, or select a holiday-themed scent like hot cocoa or peppermint bark. Not sure which scent your loved one will prefer? Opt for an experiential gift and book a reservation at either of Wick’s Jacksonville locations, where guests pour their own natural soy wax candles and customize the perfect scent for body care products, oils, sprays, and diffusers.

One-stop, local shop for the audiophile on your list

Ask any music lover, and they’ll assure you that vinyl is making a big comeback among audiophiles of all generations. Treat the sound quality snob on your holiday shopping list to a new audio system from Tampa’s Sound Exchange, a long-standing, local business that prides itself on its large inventory of classic stereo equipment. Peruse stereos and speaker sets made between the 1950s to the 1980s—all restored to working condition, of course—and don’t forget to include a record or two in your gift to kickstart your loved one’s new collection.

Stocking stuffers for Old Florida fans

Old Florida Vibes is a High Springs-based online shop specializing in cheeky gifts full of humor and appreciation for Florida’s unique flora and fauna. Browse Old Florida Vibes’ shop containing stickers, hats, apparel, and more, and you’ll spot themes like “Florida Wild Woman” and “The Underwater State,” as well as stickers asking, “Have you seen this dog?” accompanied by a picture of a large, smiling alligator. In a reality fraught with environmental crises, Old Florida Vibes gifts are the perfect stocking stuffers to keep your loved ones chuckling through the proverbial storm.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.