From chocolate to wine to cooking class dates, here are some local ideas to eat, drink and help you and yours be merry this Christmas.
Team spirits
Toast your teams with Beer Tubes, fun and functional drink dispensers available for home-based bars. Created by a Columbus-based company of the same name they come in a variety of colors and sports models, including (scarlet and grey) footballs, golf balls and race tires. Beer Tubes recently unveiled a Blue Jackets version, with the team logo and a goalie’s mask. $69-$129, www.beertubes.com.
Stay classy
Sign up your significant other for a cooking class at Easton’s Sur la Table and reap the benefits yourself! November and December’s classes include holiday hors d’oeuvres, baking basics, desserts, cookies, a chocolate workshop and Date Night: Elegant New Year’s Eve dinner. Prices range from $59 to $79, www.surlatable.com.
Top that
Show your support with the OSU Grill Topper from Westerville’s Outside Envy. This accessory is perfect for even novice grillers, turning an ordinary burger or steak into a statement of pride by searing the OSU logo or the word “Buckeyes” onto the meat. $14.95-$19.50, www.outside-envy.com.
Seasonal staple
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without the fruitcake. The Sisters Sweet Shoppe in Dublin offers Grandma's Fabulous Fruit Cakes made with rum, bourbon, brandy, real fruit and select nuts. New offerings are dark or milk chocolate-covered fruitcakes. $27.95-$52.95 depending on size, www.thesisterssweetshoppe.com.
Go nuts
Give a signature taste of Columbus with the Anthony Thomas Buckeye Snack Bucket, complete with the company’s signature buckeyes, buckeye pretzels and caramel corn, all presented in a reusable Ohio State bucket. $24.95, www.anthony-thomas.com.
A well-earned treat
Three Dog Bakery in the Short North sells snowman-shaped “pupcakes” for the holidays. These yummy, healthy treats are made of unsweetened apple sauce and whole wheat flour and are the perfect reward for your best friend. $2.75 each, www.threedog.com.
Pop life
Pam’s Market Popcorn in the North Market rolls out eggnog, peppermint-chocolate, candy cane and holiday crunch flavors perfect for the snackers on your list. 1-gallon, $16, to 6.5-gallon, $85, www.pamspopcorn.com.
Mama knows best
Schmidt’s famous Bahama Mamas can be shipped to out-of-towners craving the signature German Village sausages. The combo package comes with 15 links of Cryovac-packaged Bahama Mama smoked sausages and 15 links of Cryovac-packaged Knockwurst sausages. The Bahama Mama is a fully-cooked natural hickory-smoked sausage made by Schmidt’s German meat packing family with more than 120 years of experience. $70, plus shipping, www.schmidtssausageshop.com.
Ale, ale, the gang’s all here
Barley’s Brewing Company brews its celebrated Christmas Ale beginning in mid-November. The signature beer is made with orange zest, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks and organic honey. Grab a Growler-full – a half gallon glass container with a screw-top cap – for your hophead friends and toast the season in style. $16, www.barleysbrewing.com.
Spice things up
Things get hot in the kitchen, and Penzy’s Spices on Kenny Road has the perfect cinnamon blends for the baker on your list. The store features Chinese Cinnamon, Korintje Cinnamon, Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon, Ceylon Cinnamon, Ceylon Softsick Cinnamon, sticks, chunks and sugar, and, of course, Penzeys Cinnamon. $1.85-$32.10, www.penzys.com.
Blending in
Soine Vineyards in Powell has custom-made gift baskets featuring any combination of its three red or five white varietals offered. Soine Vineyards also produces blush and cranberry blends just in time for the holidays. Turnaround time is up to 10 days, so advanced notice is requested. $20-$50, www.soinevineyards.com.
Simple as pie
Just Pies – with Worthington and Westerville locations – offers a unique twist on a traditional holiday favorite with its Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie. The pumpkin pie/cheesecake combo is the perfect hostess gift and is part of Just Pies’ 28-item holiday selection. $4.50 for small, $10.95 for large, www.just-pies.com.
The fruits of labor
A perfect gift that doubles as a centerpeice is the Starry Sleighride with dipped pineapple from Edible Arrangements. This seasonal delight arrives in Santa’s sleigh and includes a bouquet of juicy strawberries, grapes, honeydew and cantaloupe, with chocolate-coated pineapple stars and daisies displayed in a frosty sled. $87, www.ediblearrangements.com.
O-H …
Sugarbush offers the Buckeye Booster, a snack extravaganza including chocolate bars, truffles, pretzels, nuts, shortbread, cheeses and summer sausage. The gift also includes Krema Buckeye Crunch, a yummy peanut butter and chocolate-covered caramel corn, which donates its proceeds to the OSU Cancer Center’s Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. $58.95, www.sb-gourmet.com.
Wine of a kind
Give the unique gift of your own specialty wine. Camelot Cellars Winery Ltd. on High Street in the Short North offers wine making for the holiday season, walking you through the process as you taste samples and pick flavors. After a 12-week fermentation process, come back to bottle the wine and create your own label for the bottles. $135-$349, www.camelotcellars.com.
Sweet Parisian temptations
For those with a sweet tooth, wrap up a Parisian Macaroon Cookie Gift Box from Pistachia Vera in German Village. These Gluten-free, light nut meringue cookies are sandwiched with either butter cream or ganache. Each gift box features one of each of the signature holiday flavors: pistachio, vanilla bean, caramel pecan, black raspberry, meyer lemon, coffee, peppermint chocolate, chocolate cassis, gianduja (milk chocolate hazelnut), white chocolate coconut, orange chestnut or gingerbread. $16, www.pistaciavera.com.
Dreaming of a green Christmas
Give the gift of environmental responsibility with a gift box of gingerbread cookies from Pattycake Bakery in Clintonville. These traditional Christmas cut-outs are vegan, organic and made from 100 percent natural ingredients and the packaging is made from reused cardboard boxes. $16-$20, www.pattycakeveganbakery.com.
The gift of choice
A certificate to the North Market is ideal for the foodie in your life, offering accessibility to the famous landmark’s 35 vendors selling everything from wine to locally-made salsa to pottery and fresh flowers. Available in $5 increments, www.northmarket.com.
Snack your way to the top
Satisfy snack cravings with a Whole Lotta Snacking Goin’ On gift basket from Katzinger’s Deli. Featuring magnificent cheeses, meat, condiments and other savory and sweet snacks, this gift basket is Katzinger’s most popular for the holiday season. Offered in two different sizes, it is perfect for any holiday party or for work associates. $89.95, $46.95 for junior size, www.katzingers.com.
Alicia Kelso is editor of CityScene.
Don't Miss:
The North Market Holiday Open House and Craft Extravaganza is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 5. It includes a plethora of holiday food samples and 45 local artisans and crafters. Visit www.northmarket.com.
Partake in a Sunday afternoon of food and merriment as the Ohio Village hosts Christmas brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 20. The event includes a visit by the Ohio Village Singers and author “Charles Dickens.” Visit www.ohiohistory.org.