Oh Canada. You’re a big help when it comes to crossing off names on my holiday gift-giving list. From far and wide, I can tap into the best of Canuck goodies. Just surf this way:
For the foodie
The big food trend this year is home preserves. If you can’t make it, fake it with goodies from The Cider Keg, based in Ontario’s Norfolk County. Put together a gourmet basket with apple butter, Mom’s cucumber relish and apple pie in a jar.
Chocolate has universal appeal, especially when it’s as yummy as what Vancouver, BC, pastry chef Thomas Haas makes. Order wicked treats such as Aztec hot chocolate, famed chocolate Sparkle cookies and chai chocolate bars.
The best of the province is offered at Edible British Columbia, from birch syrup and bacon-infused salt to whole smoked scallops in a can.
For game players
The know-it-all on your list can use a challenge. Pick up the Trivial Pursuit game for Wii, the famous general knowledge board game invented by two Canadian fellows in 1979.
There aren’t too many things more Canadian than hockey. Shop at the official Hockey Hall of Fame’s website for cool collectibles like commemorative pucks plus pins, jerseys and mugs.
For the beauty queen
Winnipeg, MB, mom Adriana De Luca started Tiber River Naturals with making soap in 1999, and has cleaned up in the beauty biz ever since. Order skin boosters like lime margarita body butter, pumpkin pie soap and carmello (smells like caramels and marshmallows) foaming hand soap.
In the summer, near the Eastern Townships of Quebec, the fields are ablaze with blue when the lavender is in bloom. Bleu Lavande turns it into aromatic paraben-free products like massage oil, shampoo and room scent.
For the fashionable
Winnipeg, MB, jewellery designer Dayle Goertzen has put a fresh spin on vintage pieces with spectacular results. Her Vintage Bling jewellery is a favourite of red-carpet-strolling celebrities, but us regular folks can wear it, too.
Mukluks are warm, traditional footwear worn by the First Nations people in the Arctic regions of Canada. Sweetpedtooties has adopted the design for everyday wear for tots, teens and moms.
