Entertainment, Family Style
A family membership to COSI is the gift that keeps on giving for the family with children. The center has three levels of family membership – supporting, premium and basic – with additional perks such as free giant-screen movies and free add-on guests for the higher levels. $115-$275. www.cosi.org
Slope Opera
Skiing season is at hand, but what if you know someone who wants to ski or snowboard, yet hasn’t learned how? Snow Trails in Mansfield has a 3PEAT Beginners Card for skiing, offering equipment rental, a beginner’s area lift ticket and group lessons at three separate visits; and a Five for Fun Card, a transferrable card that can be used for five separate snowboarding visits. $99 for 3PEAT, $100 for Five for Fun. www.snowtrails.com/perfectgift, promo code CSD14
Of Smithical Proportions
A long list of artists and artisans have their work for sale at The Smithery, which opened in October in Grandview Heights. For the person on your list who loves unique jewelry, pick up the Color Block Earrings or Color Block Necklace from Spark Metal Studio. $64 earrings, $88 necklace. www.shopthesmithery.com
Straighten Up
Getting curls to cooperate is no easy task, but Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight by Aveda is designed to straighten curls with every use. You can pick up the product locally at Nurtur the Salon, with locations in Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights. $26. www.nurtursalon.com
Artistic Office
A top-notch businessman or businesswoman on your list deserves a top-notch desk, and Caretta Workspace, based in Lewis Center, aims to please. Its Artistic Series Desks – in straight and L-shaped forms and multiple sizes – accommodate all manner of wire and cables and have artistic legs crafted from solid cherry hardwood. $1,795.98-$2,688.60. www.carettaworkspace.com
Disc Assessment
It’ll be a little while yet before outdoor games are an option again, but if you know someone who enjoys yard or tailgate entertainment when the weather is nice, think about picking up Flimsee, a stick-and-cup game that also involves throwing discs. The game has been around since 2009 and is made in east Columbus. $39.99. www.flimsee.com
Burning Bright
Candles are always popular as gifts, but items from Columbus-based Candle with a Cause offer a little bit more. All its products are made from post-consumer glass bottles and soy wax, and each is custom-designed by a local nonprofit – such as Flying Horse Farms, Pets without Parents and Stonewall Columbus – that then receives 25 percent of the proceeds. $20. www.candlewithacause.com
The Road to Recovery
Call it more of a New Year’s gift than a Christmas gift, but for a friend whose hangovers are more brutal than most, you might contemplate Life Support, made in west Columbus. The drink is designed to improve the body’s ability to process alcohol, thereby reducing its effects the next morning. $29.99 per six-pack. www.lifesupport.com
(Everything Else Is) Less Than zerOzIn central Ohio, one of the first names in wallets is zerOz, which makes, in three sizes, slim wallets engineered for easy extraction of card, cards and suchlike items. The durable leather wallets’ design studio is in downtown Columbus. $35-$85. www.zeroz.com
