Ceramic Lab by Kinto Japan Dishware, Wabi Sabi Japan Living.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTINA FRARY
Ceramic Lab by Kinto Japan Dishware
$24–64, Wabi Sabi Japan Living
One of the most popular lines available at Wabi Sabi, Palm Springs’ Japanese kitchenware and sake shop, is Kinto’s Ceramic Lab products. Pieces come in soft, soothing glaze colors and are crafted with input from both a creative and engineering team for maximum beauty and functionality. Each of the line’s mugs has a slightly different, ergonomic handle.
Yardage Guide
$19, Sunnylands Center & Gardens
Guests at legendary Rancho Mirage estate Sunnylands — among them, Frank Sinatra, Arnold Palmer, and several presidents and members of the British royal family — have access to the property’s Dick Wilson–designed golf course. Anyone can get a glimpse of the play experience with this detailed yardage guide, which also features historical photos of the estate’s famous visitors.
Desert Dust set
$36.99, Desert Dust
Music tour manager Rick Marino combines dehydrated Coachella Valley–grown dates with garlic, peppers, and more to enliven meat and veggies and coat the rims of spicy margaritas. Find these unique all-purpose seasonings at stockists throughout the desert, including vegan restaurant Chef Tanya’s Kitchen, culinary goods store Kitchen Kitchen, and Coachella’s Temalpakh Farm.
Hinoki Body Oil, Wonder Valley.
Hinoki Body Oil
$85, Wonder Valley
Sustainable skincare company Wonder Valley harnesses the power of hand-pressed olive oil. This silky blend melds the earthy scents of cedarwood, fir, and Japanese hinoki in a lightweight unisex oil. Founded in Joshua Tree, Wonder Valley distributes its products in Palm Springs at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, RTH, Casa Cody, and Windmill City Super #1.
Juncus Basket
$80, Tahquitz Canyon Visitor Center Gift Shop
Made by Kumeyaay artist Eva Salizar and her family, these tiny baskets are woven from pine needles and juncus (also called rushes). They make sweet trinket trays — an excellent excuse to pick up a piece of Indigenous- designed jewelry from the gift shop, too, for the perfect giftable pairing.
Hot Air Balloon Flight
$325–375,Balloons Above
We all have a friend or family member who insists you shouldn’t get them anything and then surprises you with something fabulous. Get ahead of them this year with the ultimate experience: a hot air balloon ride with birds-eye views of the Coachella Valley.
Wool Trivet
$28, Bungalow 17 Studio
Bungalow 17 Studio owner Kristina Weinshilboum weaves kaleidoscopic wool trivets by hand in her small Palm Springs shop, where she curates colorful pieces (including glass earrings and desert-inspired prints) by fellow Coachella Valley artisans.
Animal Adoption
$50–2,500, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
What can you get the person who has everything? A warthog! Animal lovers will appreciate you supporting one of The Living Desert’s residents in their name. Pick a critter, then select a donation tier — higher-priced adoptions include benefits like plush toys, zoo tours, and party invites.
Tumbleweed 7.5 oz. Candle
$20, Joshua Tree Candle Company
The folks hand-pouring soy wax candles at this Joshua Tree–based business draw inspiration from local plants, including pinyon pines, cholla, and, of course, the Mojave’s iconic yucca tree. The Tumbleweed scent — warm and spicy with notes of cinnamon and sweet vanilla — wins as a perfect holiday candle.
Art print by Alice Rovinsky, Palm Springs Life Shop.
Art Print by Alice Rovinsky
$25–100, Palm Springs Life Shop
In the late 1960s and ’70s, illustrator Alice Rovinsky created a series of comics for Palm Springs Life, poking tender fun at the quirks of the desert resort lifestyle. Prints of her wittiest work (available framed or unframed) make personality-laded additions to bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways.
Coachella Valley Firebirds Goat Plush
$24.95, Coachella Valley Firebirds Store
The valley’s own AHL hockey team may have come one point short of winning the Calder Cup last season, but, in local hearts, they’re still the GOATs (that’s “greatest of all time,” for the uninitiated). Create a lifelong fan with a Firebirds plush.
H. Honeycup Orange Sunflower Body Scrub
$32, Conscious Beauty Collective
This smoothing scrub in a wake-you-up citrus scent is available at the Conscious Beauty Collective, a traveling natural personal care pop-up nesting in Palm Springs through Dec. 31. All of the brands available in store are women-owned, and several founders are cancer survivors whose experiences drove their passion for clean beauty.
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil & Fig Balsamic Vinegar
$25–26 each, La Quinta Olive Oil Company
Treat your favorite home cook to a pair of fancy salad finishers. When you whisk them together (aim for two parts oil, one part vinegar) with a little Dijon mustard or salt and pepper, the oil-and-vinegar duo makes a bright, dinner-party-ready dressing that tastes deceptively complex. They shine when drizzled over ice cream or tarts, too.