Your local Etsy gift guide 🎁

Win the holidays with gifts from these local Etsy sellers

These concrete trays are a great addition to any room of the house. | Photo via Etsy

Pop quiz, San Diegans. What’s better than shopping local? For 100 points: Shopping local from the comfort of your own home, of course. Not only is it one of the best ways to support the local economy, but locally-crafted gifts tend to wow during the holidays (a big win in our book).

To kickstart your holiday shopping, we’ve rounded up 18 products we love from local Etsy shops — some of which hold the coveted Star Seller badge that’s given to sellers who consistently earn 5-star reviews, ship orders on time, and provide great customer service, aka less holiday stress for you.

Psst — Some of these items may sell out quickly due to limited quantities. Click on the link to the Etsy seller’s page to find something similar.

These custom kids puzzles are made with non-toxic paint, high quality birch plywood, and a beeswax finish.

🎁 Under $25

Mug with custom phrase ($19+) | Your coffee or tea-loving friend will love this white ceramic mug with a hand-painted phrase waiting at the bottom of the cup. | Style Dahlia

Personalized kids puzzle ($10+) | This handmade puzzle can be customized with a name and features different types of animals. | Woodily Toys — Star Seller ⭐

🎁 $25-$50

Kids bow and arrow set ($38) | A child-friendly bow and arrow set made from wood and felt that includes a cotton target. | Tangerine Studio

Gold plated moonstone ring ($38) | A timeless ring that is plated with 18K gold. | By Cila Jewelry — Star Seller ⭐

San Diego beach photography ($30+) | A beautiful photograph of the sun setting at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas. | Color Pop Photo Shop

This lamp’s wooden base comes in three different finishes.

🎁 $50-$100+

Personalized whiskey decanter set ($61.99+) | This glass decanter set includes up to 30 words of custom engraving. | SwankyBadger

Steampunk desk lamp ($96+) | A rustic light fixture featuring Edison light bulbs that omit a warm glow and create a cozy atmosphere. | Urban Industrial Craft — Star Seller ⭐

11 MORE GIFT IDEAS

Small Biz Saturday

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Thursday, Nov. 24

Holidays at LEGOLAND | Through Sunday, Jan. 8| 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Legoland, One Legoland Dr., Carlsbad | $89-$119 | Meet holiday characters and check out a 30-ft Christmas tree made entirely of LEGOs — with 400+ LEGO ornaments and lights.

Friday, Nov. 25

Liberty Station Tree Lighting + Holiday Festivities | Friday, Nov. 25 | 5-9 p.m. | North Promenade, 2848 Dewey Rd., San Diego | Free | Santa shows up, the tree lights up, and skaters can lace up at the Rady Children’s Ice Rink.
Tree Lighting at Fairmont Grand Del Mar | Friday, Nov. 25 | 5-9 p.m. | Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Court | Free | Enjoy festive treats + the lighting of a 32-ft holiday tree.
Social Distortion | Friday, Nov. 25-Saturday, Nov. 26 | 7 p.m. | The Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., San Diego | $39.50 | Rock out with the longtime SoCal punk band.

Saturday, Nov. 26

Surfin’ Santa | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 1-5 p.m. | Seaport Village, 849 W Harbor Dr, San Diego | Free | Decked out in board shorts + a Hawaiian shirt, this SoCal-style Santa will arrive by watercraft to kick off the holiday season at the landmark.
Sing-a-Along A Sound of Music | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 2 p.m. | Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego | $35 | Sing-along to the classic at this interactive film experience — don’t worry, the lyrics are on the big screen.

Sunday, Nov. 27

Chunky Knit Friends | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 1-2:30 p.m. | AR Workshop Coronado, 1033 B Ave., Ste. 101, Coronado | $35 | Create a gnome or snowman just in time for the holidays at this crafty workshop.
Peggy Gou | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 8 p.m. | Soma San Diego, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd Ste. I, San Diego | $39.50 | The South Korean DJ + record producer drops beats.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

BROWSE LOCAL EVENTS

Weather

75º | Sunny + warm | 0% chance of rain
How ‘bout that holiday warm-up? The National Weather Service says San Diego County can expect “full sunshine” today, with some Santa Ana winds. There’s a Wind Advisory in effect through 1 p.m. tomorrow for local valleys and mountains, including along Interstate 8. ☀️ (National Weather Service)

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 6:27 a.m.
Set: 4:44 p.m.

Tide

Low: 2:19 a.m. + 3:50 p.m.
High: 8:38 a.m. + 10:16 p.m.
Water Temperature: 60º

Civic

San Diego County offices — including family resource centers, animal shelters, and libraries — will be closed today + tomorrow for the Thanksgiving holiday. All county-operated COVID-19 vaccination sites will be closed today-Sunday, resuming normal hours on Monday, Nov. 28. 🗓️

Trending

A “Ted Lasso”-inspired billboard on Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach has locals buzzing. The yellow sign features a pep talk from the fictional coach to San Diego native Luca de la Torre, one of the 26 players on the US Men’s National Team competing in the World Cup. We think Lasso nailed the local vibes. 🏄 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving. However you celebrate, make today a day of rest, reflection, and community. We here at SDtoday are thankful for our city, and the fact that there’s always plenty to talk about. 🦃

Watch

Flavortown, USA. An episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” airing at 9 p.m. tomorrow features Guy Fieri’s visit to two San Diego hotspots. He checks out the “next-level shawarma” at Shawarma Guys food truck in South Park, and the bone marrow tacos at Tuetano Taqueria at Old Town Urban Market. 📺

Eat

Kansas City Barbeque — the iconic “Top Gun” bar in downtown San Diego — will offer free Thanksgiving dinners to active-duty military service members today, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The bar has upheld this tradition for the past 38 years and yes, the piano where Goose jammed is still there. 🍗 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Outdoors

County Parks and Recreation wants locals to celebrate “Green Friday” tomorrow by swapping shopping for outdoor experiences. The department’s family-friendly activities include a 3-mile loop hike at the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve, a dam tour at Otay Lakes County Park, or stargazing at Sycamore Canyon. 🌄

Pets

Ashley Milo, supervisor at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility, is offering a few Thanksgiving pet safety tips. Milo suggests creating a safe space — like a quiet room — for your pets to retreat to during the busy and potentially stressful holiday gatherings, and reminding your guests to not feed table scraps to your pets. 🐶

Announced

If you love this newsletter (and supporting local) as much as we love strolls in Nate’s Point Park, morning lattes from Nostalgia Coffee + Saturdays spent brunching at Hash House A Go Go (which is a lot) — we’ve got something for you: SDtoday just launched a membership program. Learn more + sign up. 🎉

Shop

Amazon’s best deals of the year begin today and last just 48 hours. Snag gifts now for everyone on your list — like this portable waterproof speaker and this Bluetooth movie projector. Plus, select Amazon Fire TV devices are up to 50% off for a limited time.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Shop small, shop local 🛍️

Small Business Saturday 2022 in San Diego

Plants and gardening supplies? Check. | Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 26. What started as an American Express campaign in 2010 to inspire consumers to shop locally has become an annual tradition that’s celebrated nationally. We’ve rounded up a few ways to shop small + local.

🪴 North Park Nursery, 2335 University Ave., North Park
This locally-owned and operated shop offers a plethora of plants and gardening supplies.

🎶 Vinyl Junkies Record Shack, 2235 Fern St., South Park
Just the coolest place to browse for tunes. Don’t miss the Digger’s Den in the back, where you might find a gem for just a few bucks. Here are nine more small, local record shops to browse.

👗 Sea Hive Station, 2750 Dewey Rd., Ste. 103, Liberty Station
This buzzy, 23,000-sqft marketplace features vintage and artisan-made goods from 150+ San Diego-based brands and small businesses.

7 MORE SMALL BUT MIGHTY SHOPS

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Monica.

Editor’s pick: Happy Thanksgiving. I’m forever grateful to live in San Diego — from the beautiful beaches and Embarcadero, to the bayfront bike rides, hiking trails, food halls, cute coffee shops, and so much more. It truly is America’s Finest City.

I’m also counting my blessings for my family, friends, and co-workers — especially my co-editor, Michael. We love putting together this newsletter for you and we’re thankful for your readership and support every day. 💜

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We dished on fun topics to discuss around the holiday table.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Monica Garske, Michael Beausoleil, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Julie Brown | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

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