We worked with 3 local shops to curate amazing gift boxes for the holidays

Earlier this month, the #ThisIsTucson team went on mini shopping sprees at three locally-owned shops. We made several laps around the tiny stores, stashing our favorite items into baskets.

But what we picked out wasn’t for us — they’re for you and your loved ones.

We know the importance of shopping local, especially during the holidays. To help support our local makers and shops, we — Gloria, Elvia and Jamie — curated three gift boxes packed with goodies from three stores in Tucson. All three are available for shipping or in-store pickup. All of the proceeds go directly to the shops.

Trust us when we say this: it was hard to decide on the final items. We wanted everything. In every store, we initially picked out more than we could actually include in the gift boxes — a testament to how incredible our local shops are.

Here are the final gift boxes we chose. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Creative Kind

After the three of us explored Creative Kind, adding item after item to our shopping baskets, we realized we all picked very cozy things. So, we present to you our gift box made with self-care in mind. Here’s what you get:

🌵 A lightweight plastic stemless wine glass — it’s tinted pink and has a drawing of a prickly pear on it, designed by Creative Kind.

🌵 A prickly pear lip butter handcrafted in small batches by Chicago-based maker Pistol & Fox Brands. Creative Kind also sells Pistol & Fox Brands’ prickly pear lotion and perfume. We were THISCLOSE to picking the perfume instead.

🌵 Two mini saguaro-shaped soaps made with a vegan shea butter base by Tempe-based Naked Fig Soap Co. Elvia gravitated toward soaps at all three shops. These mini saguaro-shaped soaps are the perfect way to add a touch of the desert to your self-care routine.

🌵 An adorable sticker designed by Creative Kind themselves. It features hiking gear, cacti, a quail, a javelina and Tucson’s beloved Eegee. Gloria picked out this sticker — and then she went back and bought it for herself.

🌵 Super cozy cloud socks from LA-based Le Bon Shoppe. Chosen by Jamie, these are the perfect comfy gift everyone can enjoy. Maybe they’ll help you feel like you're actually in a winter wonderland — and not our usual Arizona winters.

🌵 Water bottle stickers from #ThisIsTucson and Creative Kind.

Price: $60.

How to get it: Visit Creative Kind’s website to order it for shipping or in-store pickup. Boxes come with a handwritten note!

Support Creative Kind this holiday season and beyond: La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Dr. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit their website here.

Di Luna Candles + Goods

All three of us own items from Di Luna, from candles to slippers to earrings. Much like Creative Kind’s shopping spree, we quickly realized our overlap in items — we picked a lot of the same things, many of which have a very Southwestern flair. Here’s what you get:

🌵 A seven-ounce candle hand-poured by Di Luna owner María José Cortés, scented like amaretto cream. When we visited earlier this month, we smelled all of Di Luna’s holiday candles and the decision was unanimous — amaretto cream had to go in our gift box.

🌵 Acrylic saguaro-shaped stud earrings from Tucson maker Luna & Saya. If there’s one thing Gloria loves almost as much as Tucson, it’s earrings.

🌵 A four-ounce organic soap bar in a random scent, made in small batches by Tucson maker Sonoran Rain Designs. These hand-poured soaps smell just as good as they look. Plus, Elvia (and the rest of #ThisIsTucson) loves makers who support other makers.

🌵 A ceramic cowboy boot-shaped vase from the funky brand Ban.do. It’s perfect for a small bouquet of plants — even if they’re fake — or for use as a pencil holder. Anything that’s cute and pink will immediately catch Jamie’s eye, which was why this vase was a no-brainer choice.

🌵 A cutie saguaro-shaped ballpoint pen.

🌵 You’ll also get a #ThisIsTucson sticker and Di Luna will throw in a couple random ones as well.

Price: $60. The box is valued at $82.

How to get it: Visit Di Luna’s website to order it for shipping or in-store pickup. You can also visit the shop in person and ask for the #ThisIsTucson gift box. It comes in a holiday-themed reusable tin!

Support Di Luna this holiday season and beyond: 3061 N. Campbell Ave. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Visit their website here.

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Yōlia Botánica

This one’s for all our witchy friends. In the last year, several metaphysical shops have opened up shop all around Tucson. Yōlia Botánica is one of them, home to limpias, gemstone jewelry, smoke-cleansing bundles and packages of delicious atole. Here’s what we put in this gift box:

🌵 Yōlia Botánica puts together beautiful floral bundles for smoke cleansing and we all knew we had to include one in the gift box. At owner Lulu Tineo’s suggestion, we included a cedar and cinnamon bundle — which we all agreed was perfect for the holidays.

🌵 We love a lot of things about Tucson — creosote is one of them. Sit back, relax and have a mini spa session with the Touch of Tlāloc creosote bath and body oil, made by Yōlia Botánica. Plus, you get to smell like everyone’s favorite season: monsoon.

🌵 A 5-pack of Yōlia Botánica’s canelitas, loose-herb coated cinnamon sticks that you can burn as incense. You choose which intention you’d like: heart, motivation and joy, protection or abundance. Elvia knew these needed to be part of this gift box. They are one of Lulu’s newest creations and she hand-makes them with love and positive energy. They're the perfect item to help you achieve whichever intention you need most this holiday season and beyond.

🌵 A gemstone-shaped phone grip that sticks on the back of your phone case. When Lulu showed us these phone grips, we couldn’t believe our eyes. These grips are a cute and unique way to personalize your phone while ensuring it doesn’t end up dropped and cracked. (Leave a note at checkout if you want a specific color!)

🌵 A vinyl sticker of a gemstone-shaped saguaro. As soon as cactus-loving Gloria saw this, she stashed it into her basket.

🌵 A #ThisIsTucson sticker, of course.

Price: $59. The box is valued at $81.

How to get it: Visit Yōlia Botánica’s website to order it for shipping or in-store pickup. You can also visit the shop in person and ask for the #ThisIsTucson gift box. Everything comes ready to gift to your loved ones, with a starry box, ribbon and gift tag.

Support Yōlia Botánica this holiday season and beyond: 2210 S. Sixth Ave. #8 in the courtyard. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit their website here.

Where else to shop this holiday season

There’s an endless amount of shops we love — if we could have curated 100 different gift boxes, we would have. Though we don’t have gift boxes at the following shops, here’s where else you can find incredible gifts this holiday season and year-round:

🌵 Arizona Poppy, 150 S. Fourth Ave.

🌵 Bruja, 245 E. Congress St.

🌵 El Be Goods, 160 S. Avenida del Convento

🌵 Galeria Mitotera, 1802 S. Fourth Ave.

🌵 Hola Chingona, 412 E. Seventh St.

🌵 Kira Kira Collectibles, 2903 E. Speedway

🌵 Libra & Thorn, 101 S. Pantano Road

🌵 Monsoon Mystics, 657 W. St. Marys Road

🌵 Pink Moon Mercantile, 845 N. Park Ave.

🌵 Pop Cycle, 422 N. Fourth Ave.

🌵 The Heathenry, 657 W. St. Marys Road

🌵 The Lavender Manor, 347 E. Fourth St.

🌵 Tiny Town, 408 N. Fourth Ave.

🌵 Why I Love Where I Live, 267 S. Avenida del Convento

... and SO MUCH MORE. Don’t forget about local bookstores, thrift and antique shops, gift shops at museums + parks, and pop-up artisan markets. Happy holidays, Tucson!