Local Specialties as a Holiday Gift Idea

Think about the town you grew up in. Was there a special food you could only buy there? Maybe you had a favorite bookstore, clothing shop, or place to visit that just can’t be duplicated anywhere else. Almost every place has some form of local specialty that you can’t find elsewhere. This holiday season, consider your local specialty as a holiday gift idea.

In New York, there are salt potatoes, apple orchards, and certain brands of hot dogs that are hard, if not impossible, to find anywhere outside of the state. If you have a former New Yorker to buy for, find out if they miss any of those things. Chances are, they’ve been pining for some New York cheesecake or salt potatoes. Sending them that taste of home for the holidays is always appreciated. Many companies offer shipping of their edibles, even frozen foods, directly to individual customers. It’s also possible, but usually expensive, to ship food overnight.

Washington State is probably most well-known for its coffee. It also boasts many homemade pet treat businesses and local artisans. There are some wonderful holiday gift ideas online for people who used to call Washington home. Coffee beans from Seattle are widely available online and often available in lovely gift sets perfect for holiday gift giving. Other holiday gift ideas are handmade recycled paper products from Washington, and books or music from Seattle artists. Smoked salmon is another Washington specialty that can be purchased online and shipped as a gift.

One holiday gift idea for an ex-Californian could be their favorite California wine. Foods available in California are very different from the east coast. Some foods – restaurant food excluded – that are California-specific include certain jellies, like California lavender lemonade jelly, and hot sauces like California pepper sauce. Another holiday gift idea from California is plant growing kits. Kits are available for trees and plants that only grow on the West Coast.