Over the last couple of years I’ve shared some “holiday gift lists” here at Raise the Horns. Both of my previous lists contained a mixture of music, books, booze, and various odds and ends. This year I decided to do something different. I’d limit my music ideas to one post that barely mentions the holidays (that would be Witch Rock: A Primer), run a book review post sometime near Thanksgiving, and spend 1000 words or so simply talking about Pagan things made by Pagans for Pagans. (I can’t say with certainty that everything on this list is 100% Pagan, but it’s all at least Pagan friendly!)
I know how hard it is to avoid big box stores this time of year, but there are alternatives to the mall and Target when it comes to gift giving. These are some of those options, and I’m sure there are many (many) more in your backyard. I also wouldn’t blame you if you chose to skip the holiday spending orgy all together . . .but if your coven is playing Secret Santa Befana (or better yet Secret Krampus!) here are a few holiday ideas.
Just because I wrote them a year or two ago doesn’t mean they are completely irrelevant! Check out my gift guides from 2013 and the first one from way back in 2012!
Last year I tried to live without the GBG Year and a Day Calendar and while I obviously succeeded, I missed it terribly. To put it simply this is a one of a kind calendar and simply contains more information than its peers. Right now I’ve got Llewellyn’s Witches’ Calendar on my wall and it’s a gorgeous calendar. I recommend it highly, but it simply lacks all the information found in the GBG Calendar. Sure, most of us probably don’t need to know when Gerald Gardner’s birthday is, but isn’t it good to know? (GBG is how I found out that I share a birthday with Doreen Valiente.) In addition to birthdays there are moon phases on here, and all sorts of Pagan celebrations from antiquity.
My first and favorite chalice is a ceramic one I purchased at a local art fair. My wife’s first chalice was acquired under similar circumstances, and is also a prized possession. I think mine ran at least forty bucks, and that was fifteen years ago. When I saw that Art Lady’s Folly was offering custom made chalices for only twenty-five dollars I knew that would be a part of this year’s list. Click the little link in this paragraph and you’ll also come across an absolutely awesome ceramic Green Man wall hanging. At 150 bucks it sounds expensive, but for art of that quality it’s a steal. If any of you out there by me one of those I’ll post almost anything you want on Raise the Horns.
Enjoy jewelry but want something a little different? How about a brass cuff with with a pentagram and two moons? Gypsy Tears Jewelry offers these cuffs in a variety of styles, and the nerd in me is delighted they also come in House Targaryen and the motto of House Stark. The drinker in me is equally happy to see a shoutout to absinthe and the Green Fairy. At thirty bucks these are beautiful and unique gifts.
My altars are full to bursting with magical items, but my tea cupboard is always running a bit low. One of my favorite spots for loose leaf teas and spices is Kitchen Witch Gourmet. Voted “best smelling booth” at PantheaCon by the Pretty Hair Twins two years running, KWG offers a wide variety of caffeinated and uncaffeinated teas along with several other Kitchen Witch-type products.
My wife has been buying me products from Oberon Design for almost ten years now, and with good reason. If you want a journal, wallet, Ipad case, or about 100 other things made out of leather there’s no better place to shop. Most of you probably don’t need a leather card holder, but I love mine. I do believe it was in my Yuletide stocking just last year!
It sometimes gets lost in all of exhausting Chirsto-Pagan debates, but there was a polytheistic, Earth-based way of worship in the early days of what we now call Judaism. At the website Primitive Hebrews you can connect with that current of spirituality and support their work by buying something in their shop. I’m a fan of the wall hangings, like this beautiful Hand of Protection featuring the reawakened goddess Lilith. If you want to go all out this holiday season they also offer sets of lots (as in “casting of lots”) all hand-carved by Eli Sheva herself.
I’m probably ruining the surprise by including this, but my wife recently asked for a ring and/or necklace from Vis a Vis Jewelry. Usually when my wife asks for jewelry I simply grunt, nod my head, and do her bidding, but this time I was enraptured by the website she sent me to. Vis a Vis not only has a great selection of rings and necklaces, most of that selection is classically inspired, and features a wide range of Greek and Roman deities. While I was sad not to see my old buddy Pan among the options, Dionysus was there, and so was Aphrodite, Artemis, Persephone, Apollo, and Zeus. Everything is handmade and considering the amount of work that must go into every piece, very reasonably priced.
I’ll admit that Heather Killen the owner of Violet Flame Gifts is a friend of mine, but this is not a paid endorsement. Heather simply makes great stuff, and it’s so good that she sells it to other stores around the United States. I’m a big fan of her soaps, especially the spearmint eucalyptus tea tree. Tea tree oil is great for killing germs and preventing breakouts, and spearmint leaves the skin tingly and refreshed. There’s not a better combination of soap in the world. Heather also makes some world class lotions and offers some of the finest essential oils I’ve ever encountered. Heather does it all herself and I’ve heard her lovingly groan about getting back to work near the end of a festival.
Speaking of soap, when I’m at my local Farmer’s Market I sometimes pick up a bar or two of Trés Spa soap and it’s marvelous, but what I really love are their Aromatic Mists. When Evie and Summer (Ari and I’s cats) have stunk up the house it’s to the mists we go, and our favorite one is called Clarity. It’s skin safe and made with pure essential oils, of vital importance if your wife is allergic to nearly everything, especially artificial perfumey smells.
In Michigan the store Lotions Potions and Notions is practically an institution. When I was putting this list together and deciding who to include I noticed this little message on the LPN Facebook page: ” . . .forgot to use Lotions Potions Notions lip repair stick and I have a split in my lip. Lucille! ! How much does this years batch cost? Its priceless to me!” Priceless! You can’t buy publicity like that. Until I read that little blurb I was going to recommend their Kittie Crack cat toy, but then I remembered how awful those winters are in the Midwest.
I swore that I put Banshee Arts on my Raise the Horns list last year, but I did not. I only put it on my own private list. Morpheus Ravenna is practically a Pagan Rockstar at this point and she probably doesn’t need my help by being on this list, but I love the Stag Medallion my wife got me for Yule last year, and it’s become my new “go to” piece of jewelry during ritual. Not only do I love the medallion, but the cord is also pretty nifty (I never thought I would blog about a leather cord, but here you go!). Her Morrigan medallions are so pretty that I lament not being a devotee of that particular goddess. Morpheus also has some lovely shirts, prints, and rune sets available on her site. Even if you aren’t interested in buying anything today, I recommend just looking at the site.
The Holidays wouldn’t be the Holidays without a little chocolate and now you can buy your own Pagan chocolate at Pagan Chocolates. Pagan Chocolate comes in the following “flavors” too: Norse, Celtic, Wiccan, African, and Egyptian. If you’ve ever wanted chocolate altar tools for The Chocolate Ritual, well here you go. I’ll admit to being a little partial to the Wiccan-shaped chocolates, but there’s something really appealling about a set of runes made out of dark chocolate.
However you celebrate and whatever you do have a lovely holiday season! When I asked for help putting this list together I received over 50 different suggestions, so there’s a lot more Pagan and Pagan Friendly artisans and entrepreneurs out there to visit! Happy Holidays!
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