Here at #ThisIsTucson, we know the holiday season can be stressful — which is why we’ve created this list of 20 fun, small gift ideas (all from local shops and makers) for $20 or less.
So put down that $20 gift card to an international coffee chain and find the perfect holiday present or stocking stuffer for your family, besties, furry friends and colleagues — without breaking the bank.
Turtle’s Soup's stickers 🐢
Turtle's Soup makes lots of stickers, including these desert-inspired designs.
Turtle’s Soup has some of the cutest vinyl and bumper stickers around. We personally love the Tucson- and desert-themed stickers but they have SO many fun graphics, quotes and more to choose from.
Price: $3.49 and up for stickers; $5.99 for bumper stickers.
Where to buy: Bookmans, Tucson Botanical Gardens’ gift shop, MOCA’s gift shop and online.
For more information, visit Turtle's Soup's website.
Pop Cycle's record coasters 💿
Cut from the center of old vinyl records, these unique coasters are the perfect gift for any music lover. The coasters are hand-cut and sealed in Pop Cycle’s workshop. Since the coasters are made from used vinyl, you never know what old records you may get in your set!
Price: $4.95 per set.
Where to buy: Pop Cycle, 422 N. Fourth Ave., or online.
For more information, visit Pop Cycle's website.
Tanna’s Botannas' rim dip keychain 🔥
Did you know you can take Tanna’s Botannas’ rim dip on the go? Get a mini squeezy bottle of her classic rim dip with a baby bottle of Tajín on a carabiner clip for only $6. They’re perfect for sprucing up a drink or fresh fruit while out and about.
Price: $6
Where to buy: Tanna’s Botannas, 954 W. Prince Road, 4426 S. Sixth Ave. and 314 E. Sixth St., or online.
For more information, visit Tanna's Botannas' website.
Aquamarine Daydream's crystal hearts 💎
Some of the many gemstones on the Aquamarine Daydream bulk table.
Give your loved ones your heart this winter with one of Aquamarine Daydream’s small crystal hearts. The shop offers various crystal hearts including Amazonite, Blue Calcite and a few types of Quartz.
Price: $6-$8
Where to buy: Aquamarine Daydream, 408 N. Fourth Ave., or online.
For more information, visit Aquamarine Daydream's website.
Honest Bars Apothecary's handcrafted vegan soaps 🧼
Three handcrafted vegan soaps from Honest Bars. Shown above include Golden Oat, Midnight Monsoon and Poisoned Apple.
Honest Bars Apothecary’s soaps smell amazing. No seriously, I probably stood at their tent during the recent Made in Tucson Market for at least five minutes smelling all of their luscious soap bars. While they all smell good, I recommend the Midnight Monsoon or Cactus Garden soaps for that touch of desert magic.
Price: $10
Where to buy: St. Philip’s Plaza Market (most Saturdays and Sundays) or online.
For more information, visit Honest Bars Apothecary's website.
High Desert Sauce Co.'s hot sauces 🌶️
A lineup of High Desert Sauce Co. hot sauces on display at a recent Made in Tucson Market.
This one’s for all the spice lovers out there. High Desert Sauce Co. has been whipping up hot sauces for every spice tolerance since 2018. Their Tikk-Hot Masala sauce was even featured on season 15 of “Hot Ones” on YouTube.
Price: $11-$15
Where to buy: A couple of places on Fourth Avenue including Food Conspiracy Co-op, 4th Ave Deli and Bawker Bawker Cider House; Midtown Vegan Deli & Market, Tucson Tamale and the Mount Lemmon General Store. For a full list of places to find the sauce, check out the list on their website. You can also order online!
For more information, visit High Desert Sauce Co.'s website.
Luna & Saya's cactus earrings 🌵
Luna & Saya stud cactus earrings, which were also recently included in our holiday gift box collaboration with Di Luna Candles + Goods.
Small. Cute. Shiny. Cactus. Do we need to say more? Luna & Saya’s cactus studs are the perfect accessory to add some sparkle to your fit. She also makes dangly cactus earrings (!!), but we couldn’t include those here since we’re ballin’ on a budget. You might also recognize these from our Di Luna Candles + Goods collaboration gift box!
Price: $12
Where to buy: Online or local shops like Antigone Books, El Be Goods, Pop Cycle and Di Luna Candles + Goods. Check out the full list of places on their website. Note: Stock may vary per location.
For more information, visit Luna & Saya's website.
Cactus Clouds Art's adult coloring book 🖍️
Get this coloring book by Cactus Clouds Art on Amazon.
You’re never too old to color! Local artist Serena Rios McRae, also known as Cactus Clouds Art, recently published an adult coloring book inspired by the Sonoran Desert. “She Dreams of the Desert” has 43 pages of fun designs created by McRae.
Price: $14.99
Where to buy: Amazon.
For more information, visit Cactus Clouds Art's Instagram.
Juju and Moxie's tea towels 🍵
You can find Tucson-centric tea towels, stickers, prints and earrings from Juju & Moxie.
In addition to colorful desert-inspired stickers, cards and prints, Juju and Moxie have some pretty fun tea towels that make great additions to any kitchen. The towels are made out of 100% cotton and are created right here in Tucson. Some of our favorites include the Yeehaw Cowgirls, Quail Trail and Dirty T towels.
Price: $15.50
Where to buy: Pop Cycle, 422 N. Fourth Ave., or online.
For more information, visit Juju and Moxie's website.
Pink Moon Mercantile's cowboy hat disco ball cup 🤠
One of the fun disco ball cowboy tumbler cups available at Pink Moon Mercantile. Also available in white and light pink.
Pink Moon Mercantile in Main Gate Square near the University of Arizona campus is like a boho Barbie dreamland. Not to mention they carry just about everything disco ball, including this fun disco ball tumbler cup with a cowboy hat sitting atop. It’s the perfect mixture of disco and western.
Price: $16
Where to buy: Pink Moon Mercantile, 845 N. Park Ave., or online.
For more information, visit Pink Moon Mercantile's website.
Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm's lavender gift bags 🌿
There’s almost nothing more relaxing than the smell of lavender. The Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm in Oracle and its brick-and-mortar on Tucson's Fourth Avenue offer a couple different lavender gift bags that include items like bath bombs, lip balm and lotion bars. Plus, the gift already comes in a cute lil bag!
Note: Both Life Under the Oaks locations will be closed from Dec. 15 to Jan. 11, so get there early to snag your gift!
Price: $17-$20
Where to buy: Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm boutique, 1221 N. Rancho Robles Road in Oracle; The Lavender Manor, 347 E Fourth St., or online.
For more information, visit Life Under the Oaks' website.
El Be Goods' sheer crew socks 🧦
It’s not unusual to get socks for the holidays, but up your sock game this season with these sheer crew socks at El Be Goods. They come in a variety of patterns including ‘80s disco, floral, strawberry daisies, planets, smiley faces and cats.
Price: $18
Where to buy: El Be Goods, 160 S. Avenida del Convento, or online.
For more information, visit El Be Goods' website.
Ārya Tārā's Arizona-inspired candles 🕯️
Ārya Tārā offers candles and candle gift sets, from a maker who has a master's degree in perfumery and cosmetics.
Ever want your home to smell like Mount Lemmon? What about a summer monsoon? Ārya Tārā Candles has you covered with her Arizona-inspired candles. For $18, you can snag a petite Mount Lemmon, Sonoran Monsoon, Desert Creosote or Prickly Pear Harvest candle.
Price: $18
Where to buy: At a few upcoming local markets; Creative Kind, The Monica and online.
For more information, visit Ārya Tārā Candles' website.
Art by Andros' shaker keychains 🐣
Shaker keychains created by Art by Andros on display a recent Made in Tucson market.
Local artist Antonia Andros created cute Tamagotchi-inspired Pokémon shaker keychains. Choose from a variety of your favorite Pokémon characters. This is a great accessory to add to keys, a purse or a backpack. They seem to be in demand, too, as over 20 people had them in their Etsy carts at the time of writing this.
Price: $18
Where to buy: Etsy.
For more information, visit Art by Andros' website.
Hola Chingona's mugs ☕
Hola Chingona offers mugs created by shop owner Maria Iturralde. Some of our favorites include her “Cafecito y chisme,” “Te calmas. O te calmo?” and “La Jefa” mugs. But she has even more to choose from, including a few with phrases we can’t print here. 😉
Price: $18
Where to buy: Hola Chingona, 412 E. Seventh St., or online.
For more information, visit Hola Chingona's website.
Yōlia Botánica's floral bundles 💐
Start 2024 with a clean slate by using one of Yōlia Botánica’s floral bundles that owner Lulu Tineo and her team make themselves. Choose from mugwort, blue sage, yerba santa, eucalyptus or rosemary. The bundles are so pretty, you may not want to burn them.
Price: $19.50
Where to buy: Yōlia Botánica, 2210 S. Sixth Ave. or online.
For more information, visit Yōlia Botánica's website.
Mama Bare AZ's cactus candles 🕯️
Some of the small cactus candles Mama Bare AZ makes on display at a recent Made in Tucson Market.
Mama Bare AZ has some of the cutest cactus candles around. They come in different shapes, sizes and containers. They even released a holiday collection of cactus candles wearing Santa hats! Get a mini cactus candle or a cactus garden ramekin candle for $20.
Bonus: Mama Bare AZ also has cool desert scene soaps for $10. At the Made in Tucson Market, they told me the soaps take weeks to make! (Photo at the start of this article for proof of coolness 😎)
Price: $20
Where to buy: Arizona Poppy, 150 S. Fourth Ave., and online.
For more information, visit Mama Bare AZ's website.
Melrose Macramé's small plant hanger 🌱
Give your plants a little extra attention this holiday season (and beyond) with one of Melrose Macramé's small plant hangers. Customers can choose from a variety of colors!
Price: $20
Where to buy: At a few upcoming local markets or online.
For more information, visit Melrose Macramé's website.
Galeria Mitotera's concha slippers 🍞
Living in Tucson, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love or at least appreciate pan dulce. Find our favorite pan dulce — conchas — in slipper form at Galeria Mitotera. Not to mention all the other fun concha-themed items they have, too!
Price: $20
Where to buy: Galeria Mitotera, 1802 S. Fourth Ave., or online.
For more information, visit Galeria Mitotera's website.
Luna Scrubs' CBD pet treats 🦴
Furry friends deserve holiday presents, too. If you have a small fur baby (20 pounds or under) you can snag a bag of Luna Scrubs’ CBD soft chew pet treats for $20 ($19.99, to be exact). If you have a larger pet, she sells CBD pet treats for them, too, for an extra cost.
Price: $19.99
Where to buy: Solar Lot during the Fourth Avenue Street Fair or online.
For more information, visit Luna Scrubs' website.
