We all know that this year’s holiday season won’t be as merry and bright as the ones before. This Christmas, just like the whole passing year, will be all about pandemic restrictions, isolation, and staying safe. But just for a moment, let’s put aside our worries and fears and focus on the positive: Santa Clause is coming to town! And he is bringing us a bag full of gifts. Where did they come from, you may ask? Well, from the local sellers of course. Santa wants to help the economy too! If you want to be like Santa check out our guide on how and where you can buy the best Christmas presents for your loved ones.
As this year’s Christmas preparations are supervised not only by Santa’s elves but also by epidemiologists, doctors, and government officials, we have to remember to obey few rules while doing our Christmas chores. You know the drill: keep distance, wash your hands, and avoid crowded places. Because of that, many of us will certainly skip traditional Christmas shopping at the big shopping centers where the pre-Christmas crowd is unavoidable. This year we’ll pick small, local places or order our gifts via the Internet.
As you probably already know, buying your presents at little shops is a wise choice not only because of the sanitary recommendations. Christmas shopping is a great opportunity to support small entrepreneurs who are having the worst year ever due to a pandemic crisis. Your thoughtful shopping may help someone save their business. Are you convinced to avoid big brands and buy locally? Great. The only question is: where do we find those little, local sellers we’ve heard so much about? We answer: everywhere!
Buy locally, but where exactly?
A great place to start your Christmas gift hunt is the neighborhood store you pass every day or a small boutique on your way to the office run by a talented craftsman. You can go to the local markets like Sopocki Rynek, Gildia or City Market Halls in Gdańsk or Gdynia. Market Halls in Gdynia is an especially interesting place. It’s home to Gdyńska Centrala Rękodzieła, a community gathering local craftsman where you can buy one of a kind, handmade gifts. Every year before Christmas Gdynia City Market and the local craftsman are organizing a Handicrafts Fair, this year you can find them also online. What can you buy there? Hand-made furniture like a lamp made of driftwood, natural cosmetics, unique jewelry, unordinary kitchen supplies, and of course Christmas decorations of every sort – wreaths, ornaments, candles, and many others. You can even buy your little ones barbie doll clothes made on a crochet hook!
The Gdańsk Market Hall also has some interesting gift ideas. If you go there, be sure to check out the stand occupied by Dolina Pasłęki. You can buy beautiful candles made of beeswax, honey peeling, and many other natural products from the local breeders. A Gdansk market is a place where you can find many regional products and fresh produce for your Christmas table.
Books, records & more
Are you buying most of your presents at the bookstore every year? Good choice. This year you can do the same, only instead of ordering books from a large corporation, take a short walk to your local bookshop like Księgarnia Naukowa, just around the corner from Centrum Handlowe Madison or the nearby Firmin bookstore on Lawendowa street. You can also find some interesting gift ideas in Sztuka Wyboru at Garnizon. In Gdynia, you should check out Vademecum bookstore & cafe and treat yourself to some coffee while you search for the perfect presents. For shopping in Sopot, we recommend a wonderful bookstore called Ambulencja and for little readers, we have family bookstore Szymelka.
Your folks are music lovers? You can bring them a lot of joy with a CD or more fancy – a vinyl record of their favorite artist. In Tricity, we have several places you can go for your record shopping. You can start at Ogarna street in Gdańsk and visit Galeria Winylowo, then go to Gdynia and check out Winylownia or Używana Muzyka. If you want to buy something extraordinary, you can even buy a vinyl record made into a stylish bag at The Vinyl is Bag.
Christmas Fair is on! Online
Are you a big fan of the Christmas Market tradition? Every year Gdańsk hosts one of the largest and certainly one of the most popular Christmas fairs in Poland. Every December Targ Węglowy in Gdańsk City Center changes into a magical place. With all the lights, holiday decorations and music, a lot of great food, aromatic mulled wine (and the talking moose, of course!) the fair attracts thousands of tourists and locals every year. Thanks to the City of Gdańsk, we’ll continue the tradition, but as so many other things, this year the fair will be different. This time, we’ll be visiting the market online!
The virtual edition of the Christmas Fair was launched on November 20th. Until 31st December you can visit their website and wander through the virtual alleys, admire the variety of goods available at the on-line stands and buy unique Christmas decorations, one of a kind gifts, and delicious treats offered by the local retailers. You’ll find many of the exhibitors that you’ve seen every year selling their handcraft from the little houses made especially for the occasion. This year each of them has a virtual stand represented by a little house at the fair website. What can you buy there? Maybe you’re searching for a unique piece of jewelry? If so, check out house number 16, Drobiny czasu. You’d like to order gingerbread cookies for your family? Visit Ale piernik at house number 2 and for some aromatic coffee go to stand number 3 where you’ll find Gdańska Palarnia Kawy.
These are just a few options that we loved. But this list is in no way exhaustive. If you have any suggestions on where to buy the best Christmas gifts or you are an entrepreneur, craftsman or seller of something interesting yourself, let us know, we’ll be happy to tell the world about it! Follow us on Facebook to get the most up to date listing of local enterprises.