With all the talk of shipping delays, there is no better time than to shop local. We’ve teamed up with Colorado.com for ideas for our annual Colorado holiday gift guide (plus, we have thrown in some of our favorites).
Also, don’t miss our annual Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza with $1,000+ in prizes coming this week! Need more inspiration? See last year’s 75 Best Gifts for the Holidays with many Colorado favorites.
Colorado Holiday Gift Ideas
Wellness Getaways
For experiential gifts, there’s nothing better than Colorado’s unique wellness getaways, retreats, programs and clubs. A few of our favorites from that article: Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks offers Shinrin Yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing, a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests. The Chipeta Solar Springs Resort, Ridgway – Chipeta Resort Spa offers a serene space with treatments inspired by the southwest and experienced therapists intuitive in the healing arts. Sacred Spaces, Cañon City, an apothecary in Cañon City, provides nourishment and healing through yoga/herbal medicine/gardening classes.
Cowboy Christmas
If it’s an “order-in” year, gift your western-loving friends and family leather goods from Zapata Ranch’s Ranchlands Store: leather bags, knife cases, cast-iron handle holders and dog collars. For the horse fanatic, consider a custom-ordered saddle from Sherer Custom Saddles. Make Colorado your holiday destination and fulfill your winter wonderland fantasies at dude ranches across the state; enjoy skiing and sleigh rides at The Home Ranch north of Steamboat Springs or spend days Nordic skiing at the Latigo Dude Ranch. If your Colorado-cation is planned for another time of year, gift your travel mate a certificate for cowboy school at the Colorado Cowboy Company or leather-making classes at The Makerie in Denver.
Foodie FindsUncorked Kitchen’s fabulous cooking classes for adults and kids are a local favorite. A unique idea comes from the eastern plains, where Lebanese-owned Scaff Brothers handcrafts a mild salsa with cantaloupe grown from the region. For the passionate carnivore, Sweetwood Smokehouse Jerky produces a slow-smoked, double-wide fatty jerky stick that’s a far cry from those sold in most stores today. Nuance Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolatier with a wide range of cocoa-based products made by admittedly certified chocoholics. Those with a sweet tooth will also get a kick out of Enstom’s toffee, which has been hand-made with only the finest, freshest ingredients since 1960. Your Colorado foodie will love this Totally Bamboo Colorado-shaped Serving and Cutting Board (includes a hang tie for wall display if you’d rather not use it for chopping).
Take Them Outside
Colorado is, perhaps, best known for its epic mountains, an abundance of state parks, expansive vistas and adventures. Bridgestone Winter Driving School is the most fun you’ll have on ice. Give the gift of exploration, with park passes to a Colorado State Park or a subscription to Colorado Outdoors Magazine. Give the gift of backcountry knowledge with a free avalanche awareness course offered online by the Colorado Mountain School.
Art LoverThis Colorado Retro Travel Poster from ImageKind is a fantastic gift for the Colorado lover in your life. Artisans of Mancos is an artist-owned and managed cooperative featuring 20 artists, who have an array of hand-crafted items such as jewelry, leather items, calligraphy and stained glass. For the makers themselves, give the gift of an innovations studios art workshop from the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass. If your loved one likes a challenge, Liberty Puzzles creates handmade wooden puzzles of Colorado’s most iconic mountain ranges – the Flatirons in Boulder and Aspen’s Maroon Bells (or get one custom-made).
Heritage Holiday
Holidays summon history and tradition at places like Mesa Verde National Park, where the Luminaria Holiday Open House is a beautiful and unique oppohttp://themakerie.com/leather-workingamy-tremper/rtunity to experience ancient history in the southwest. At Bent’s Old Fort, step into the season with old-fashioned wagon rides, taffy pulls and toy-making during their Holiday Celebration. Celebrate the mining town of Leadville with old-fashioned Christmas ornaments that can be collected for years to come. For a modern twist on a historic tradition, climb aboard a snowcat-drawn sleigh that carries you to a Scandinavian five-course dinner in a secluded mountain retreat at Ragnar’s in Steamboat Springs. In Golden, join Victorian carolers on a candlelight walk and witness the Olde Golden Christmas Parade as it meanders through historic downtown. Enjoy small-town holiday fun at the Georgetown Christmas Market; roast chestnuts, ride horse-drawn carriages through historic Georgetown, and shop for hand-made gifts at their outdoor European-style market.
Colorado Gift Box
Transport friends and family to a “Higher State of Mind” with a gastronomical box from Blanco Cellars and Little Cheese Shop, which includes a variety of Colorado-made spirits, cheeses and more. Woman-owned and family-run, Mulay’s Sausage Specialty Gift Boxes offers a package that includes a wide variety of premium Colorado sausages and meatballs for meat lovers. Cured, Boulder’s specialty grocer and cheese shop, offers a Colorado gift box with craft products from all four corners of the state. Colorado Crafted is a modern alternative to traditional gift baskets and offers collections of high-quality Colorado-made souvenirs, gourmet foods and artisan gifts packaged in a stylish box or tote.
Seasonal Brews
Colorado is known for its award-winning craft brews, and those festive creations are reason alone to celebrate this holiday season. Whether from the bar of a local brewery or the comfort of home, enjoy any number of Colorado’s top winter brews. For a beer-inspired holiday, consider gifting loved ones a “Colorado Beer Map”– The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado. The handy map contains over 500 listings of breweries, cideries, wineries and distilleries, with coupons from all across the state. It’s the perfect traveling companion to taste your way across the state.
Winter Wine
Follow the Colorado wine trails on a holiday tasting excursion. For a winter wine tour, head to Palisade, where craft Colorado wines are bountiful. In Stratton, the Claremont Inn Bed, Breakfast and Winery boasts winter wines and holiday murder mysteries. Bring a taste of Colorado to the table with this mulled wine recipe from Cottonwood Cellars in Olathe: 1 bottle Lemberger wine, 10 oz water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 oz mulling spices w/out sugar tied in cheesecloth to a cork, 1 small orange covered with whole cloves, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 prunes. Place everything but the wine in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, pour into a crock put and put on low (don’t let it boil), add Lemberger and serve.
Hunter’s Wish List
Plentiful small game, large-game, the world’s biggest elk-heard and lengthy hunting seasons ensure Colorado is at the top of any hunter’s list. Support their pursuit with Colorado-made hunting gear from Karifu, offering everything from tipi’s to parkas and packs; or, consider keeping your hunter well-sheltered with handmade tents from Denver Tents. Excite the adventurer with gift certificates for hunting classes from Colorado Parks and Wildlife or from outfitters like Newman Adventures. For bird hunters, give a pheasant hunt and trip to Longmeadow Event Center or an executive hunting weekend at Platte River Fort.
Angler’s CatchFrom Gold Medal Waters to remote mountain streams, anglers keep Colorado at the top of their bucket list. The fishermen on your list are sure to appreciate a Colorado-custom-made Bamboo fishing rod from South Creek Limited, or hand-tied flies from Jakes Fly Ties. Consider an adventurous ice-fishing excursion at lakes across Colorado or make Majestic 7Dude Ranch your destination for holiday fishing.
For the Body, For the Soul
Pamper your loved ones with a delightful new scent from DRAM Apothecary, handcrafted soaps (or soap-making classes) from Caramel Apple Farm, a beautifully packaged gift set from Dirty Water Soaps Works, Lavender Hydrosol from Dayspring Farm, or soy wax Magic Fairy Candles. Or, as part of a Colorado-cation, give the gift of luxurious spa treatments, a soak in natural hot springs or a solo retreat to Crestone’s Mountain Zen Center.
For the Love of Fiber
Whether it’s a class from Table Rock Llamas, yarn from the Yarn Outlet, Dom wool hats from Icebox Knitting or mittens from Edelweiss Alpacas, Colorado fiber is a warming holiday gift. For milling services or freshly spun yarn, try Yampa Valley Fiberworks. Pleasant Journey Alpacas offers everything from yarn to loom rugs to felted scarves, while wearable art from Wild Hair Alpacas is a sure favorite with fiber lovers.
Winter Harvest
If Colorado holds a special place in the hearts of you and your loved ones, keep the memory alive or entice future travels with a Colorado-made gift basket. For easily shippable gifts guaranteed fresh and made with love, opt for juices, jams and cider from Delicious Orchards, honey from Honeyville, cheese from Jumpin’ Goat Dairy, bean-to-bar chocolate from Nuance Chocolate, cantaloupe salsa from Scaff Brother’s in La Junta, and Pine Syrup from DRAM Apothocary.
Make It Festive
Let the deep green, pine-scented needles of ponderosa, fir and juniper grace your doorway in a wreathe from Llama Pack Farms in Masonville. For a fresh take on tradition, order the White Elegance Holiday Wreath, packed full of lavender from Sage Creations Organic Farm. At the Covered Bridge Farm in Montrose you can create and decorate your own wreath. If you’re in Colorado, consider harvesting your tree on a historic train ride into the wilderness on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, where you can cut the pine of your choosing and bring it home via the train.
Hand Crafted Pleasures
For those with a deep appreciation for unique and thoughtful goods crafted by hand, a sled from Mountain Boy Sledworks will provide winter adventures with a craftsman’s touch. Gifts from the M12 Collective reflect the distinctive artistic talent of the Centennial State, while quilts from Mennonite communities celebrate a well-honed craft. Lotions from Lily Farm Fresh and Colorado Aromatics, and Vital Living Lip Shitz Balm are all hand-made pleasures. Craft your own herbal ornaments at gifts at Three Leaf Farm’s Natural Yuletide workshop.
From interactive adventures to quality-crafted souvenirs, Colorado’s wide array of unique offerings ensures every present given and received is meaningful. Make gift-giving an enjoyable experience this season with Colorado-inspired gifts and create a holiday tradition and memories for years to come.
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Author: Mile High Mamas
