The Ultimate Texas Holiday Gift Guide

By theadmin

For last-minute gift shopping, what could be more convenient than buying local? We’ve found iconic and esoteric Texas shops and goods and compiled them into our biggest gift guide ever. Peruse this handy guide to find something for everyone in your life this holiday season. You may even leave a little room on your holiday shopping list for treating yourself to a little Texas-inspired shopping joy!

FOR: The Host

Bring a token of your appreciation from your home to theirs with these Texas-made home goods, from the fantastic to the fantastical.

Signature Magnolia Wreath | Magnolia Shops at the Silo, Waco
The signature Magnolia wreath is one of the most popular items sold at Chip and Joanna Gaines’ online shop. This simple and elegant handmade wreath features individually painted leaves and will add stylish holiday flair to any room. Suitable for indoors or outdoors and easily matched to any style of decor, this makes a versatile gift for any home.

Burnt Orange Lighted Ceramic Cactus Tree | Brush Strokes, Austin
Courtney Joyner started Brush Strokes after quitting corporate America to allow her inner artist the playtime she deserved. The result is an eclectic shop offering whimsy that will appeal to your inner child. This burnt orange lighted ceramic cactus tree will add the ultimate Texas statement piece to any holiday light display — and will especially delight the UT fanatic in your life.

Gregory Parkinson Assamese Blanket | Garza Marfa, Marfa
Jamey and Constance Garza are a husband-and-wife artist team who moved Trans-Pecos in 2003. Their desert-inspired textiles are all designed by the duo in Marfa and handspun and handwoven in India through ethical fair-trade co-ops. These blankets make the perfect piece of luxury home decor — plus something to cozy up under on crisp winter nights.

Christmas Cowboy Boot Ornament | Biscuit, Houston
Renowned designer Bailey McCarthy sells a wild range of holiday ornaments — from snacks like Goldfish and Junior Mints to the quirky Beatles on Top Tree Topper. The range of Texas-inspired ornaments — including a glitzy Christmas Cowboy Boot, Pride of Texas Santa, and Tiny Texas set — will add a little twinkle and twang to any true Texan’s tree.

FOR: The Beauty Queen or the Stress Machine

Someone in your life needs some pampering. These Texas skin care options range from farm-raised to handcrafted to scientific worldwide sensations.

Goat Milk Bar Soap | Fredericksburg Farms, Fredericksburg
Steve and Randye McAnally’s wholesale nursery in the heart of the Hill Country soon inspired and fed an ever- expanding array of soaps, lotions, candles, and other delights made from their homegrown ingredients. The handmade goat milk soap is perhaps their most popular product, available in a variety of scents including Texas Bluebonnet and Hill Country Lavender.

Herb-Infused Slow Skincare | Folk Potions, Austin
Holidays can be a stressful time. Folk Potions’ small-batch soaps, body butters, and salves are handmade in Austin with love by folksinger and herbalist Raina Rose to help heal your skin (and your stress). Floral, misty Magic Face Oil will rejuvenate tired holidayers, while Magic Hair Oil is pepperminty and perfect for the season. The Vagus Nerve Support Oil is designed to hack into your natural stress-relief responses and comes with application instructions for ultimate relaxation. These are the perfect stocking stuffers.

The Essential Skin Care Collection | Renee Rouleau, Austin
Renee Rouleau is the queen of Texas skin care. She travels around the world consulting with celebrities and has established what Elle magazine calls a “cult” following. The reason? Rouleau knows skin care, and she knows that not everyone’s skin is the same. Give someone you love the essential Renee Rouleau collection, which comes crafted for nine skin types.

Someone In Texas Loves Me Soy Candle | Javelinas & Hollyhocks, Fort Davis
True pampering requires the right candle. Light up someone’s day with this soy candle from the Fort Davis gift shop Javelinas & Hollyhocks — because everyone needs a reminder that there is someone in Texas who cares.

Pamper pets, too, with Dogtor DoolittleTM All-Natural Pet Care from A Joy Forever. This Texas brand is 100% vegan, certified GOTEXAN, and Leaping Bunny-approved cruelty-free, for the best available doggy care.

FOR: The Foodie, The Newcomer, and The Expat’

Spoil your foodie friends with holiday treats straight from Texas — especially perfect for welcoming newcomers or for sending to far-flung expat Texans missing the tastes of home.

World-Famous Deluxe Fruitcake | Collin Street Bakery, Corsicana
Is it on just about every Texas gift guide list? Yes. Does it deserve to be? Of course. Listen, there’s a reason why the British royal family sources their fruitcake from Corsicana. This delicious loaf is about as ironically Texan as the cowboy hat and the oversized belt buckle. What would a Texas table be during the holidays absent a Collin Street Bakery fruitcake?

Hot Sauce | Boerne Brand, Boerne
There are a lot of hot sauces out there — and a lot of great Texas-made hot sauces. Boerne Brand distinguishes itself with its small-batch craftsmanship and rich flavor, a result of a lightly fermented finishing. They offer their original Texas-Style Hot Sauce and a Smokin’ Red variety, as well as a Habanero Rodeo sauce. It’s a condiment; it’s an ingredient; it packs a punch: It’s about as close as you can get to giving someone the flavor of Texas in a jar.

Raw Honey | Desert Creek Honey, Blue Ridge
Beekeeper Blake Shook grew up in rural Texas and began keeping bees around the age of 12. He was hooked. Today, Shook not only produces some of the best raw honey in Texas but also shares his passion for beekeeping by offering classes and leading organizations such as the Texas Beekeepers Association. Desert Creek’s raw honey shows what a lifetime devoted to the subtle art of honey making can produce. The honey comes in a variety of giftable sizes and even flavors perfect for the holiday, like cinnamon, pecan, and pumpkin spice.

Texas Assortment | The Great Texas Pecan Candy Company, Katy & Gruene
Share a little Texas sweetness with The Great Texas Pecan Candy Company’s assortment of goodies. This sampler contains pecans four ways, from buttery toffee and brittle to rich chocolate and salty-sweet beer nuts.

FOR: The Fashionista

Share the latest in Texas fashion, from the fun and functional to the effortlessly beautiful.

Handbags | Raven + Lily, Austin
Raven + Lily is a women-led, Fair Trade, and Certified B business epitomizing the future of Texas fashion. Their smart, stylish bags embody urban Texas chic. Handcrafted and made from sustainably sourced leather, bags come in every size for every occasion. The minimalist Mara Pouch in menta is the perfectly clean, minty green accessory for a night out. The Mulu Caryall in wisteria is casual and capacious enough to get you through a weekend farmers market haul, plus brunch, plus whatever other holiday plans arise.

Y’all T-Shirt | Bullzerk, Dallas
Dallas-based Bullzerk offers a range of quirky apparel that’s loudly Dallas and Texas proud. The husband-and-wife team began the shop with one manual printing press in the back of a converted Lowest Greenville bar, and their apparel gives the feel that it was made by your buddies. They’re closely connected with the city and partner with local charities for unique product lines. Tease your OU rivals with game day apparel, remember good times with their State Fair line, or share your general Texas enthusiasm with any “Texas Made” goods.

Baby’s First Boots | South Texas Tack, Brenham
You’re never too young for your first pair of cowboy boots. Founded by a ranching family with deep Texas roots, South Texas Tack makes baby-sized shoes that reflect their years in the saddle learning how good Western wear works firsthand. Find options from infant booties to a child’s first serious pair of leather riding boots.

Holiday Cards

Give your local gifts with local greetings. The beloved Austin Tex-Mex joint El Arroyo has been dishing out enchiladas at the corner of West 5th and Campbell since 1975. Out front, their iconic ever- changing and whimsical sign has been helping to keep Austin weird even as the surrounding neighborhood has changed.

A six-volume (so far) “Big Book of Signs” chronicles the daily sign in photographs. Seasonal selections have been turned into unique holiday cards. Options include “I’m dreaming of a white queso” and “If you like Christmas so much, why don’t you merry it?”

Texas Book Gift Guide

Share the latest literature from every field.

For Pet Lovers: “Dog Astrology” / “Cat Astrology” | Favor the Kind, Dallas
For the dog or cat lover in your life who is looking to get even more connected to their pet, Dallas’ Favor the Kind offers a series of dog and cat astrology books by Stella Andromeda that offer insight into every canine’s or feline’s inner soul. Beyond star-based temperament, this guide will teach you which star sign makes the best therapy dog and what breeds may best fit your star-aligned personality.

For the Kiddos: “Texas Musicians Coloring Book,” by Sara Hickman
Teach the kids in your life about the rich history of Texas music while giving the gift of a playful outlet for their creative expression. Austin- based singer-songwriter Sara Hickman has stitched together Texas’ colorful music history in a playful coloring book that allows kids to scribble life into everything from Western swing to Texas blues to Houston hip-hop.

For Naturalists: “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story,” by Ben Masters
Filmmaker Ben Masters is perhaps the greatest living Texas wildlife filmmaker. His latest documentary “Deep in the Heart” captures the wild beauty of Texas like no other film ever made. For the Texas outdoor enthusiast in your life, there’s no better way to share this beauty than with the companion coffee table book to the film. Filled with rich photography that captures remote landscapes and elusive creatures, it is the ultimate homage to the world around us.

For All Texans: “On Juneteenth,” by Annette Gordon-Reed
This year, Juneteenth became a national holiday. But before 2022, not many people knew the story of this uniquely Texas holiday. In her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Annette Gordon-Reed weaves history and memoir together to tell the powerful story of America’s newest national holiday.

Give the Gift of Experiences

What if the best Texas gift isn’t something you can get, but something you can do?

For Little Learners: Give tickets so families can explore Texas’ most educational and fun-filled spots, like Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, or Space Center Houston.

For Outdoor Explorers: Send your loved ones on adventures this year. Give a hiker, camper, or explorer the gift of state park passes and expenses with a Texas State Park Gift Card. Sign up a botany enthusiast for classes and events at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Or find a local garden shop to send your favorite gardener to with a gift card!

Need to do some research before gifting? Explore NASA’s Space Center Houston, learn more about the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, or explore our regional guides to Texas state parks!