This is how it happens: You show up at a holiday open house or potluck or company party and some well-meaning person hands you a gift. A neighbor or co-worker or distant cousin — someone you totally like, yet never thought to shop for. What to do? Xpress has your back. Here's a list of unique, local gifts that say "I got this just for you!" (Even though you didn't.) Stock up; it's a long holiday season.
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1. Goat's milk fudge from Heather Lane Farm. This smooth, sweet treat is creamier than its cow's milk counterpart (though currently the fudge is made with cow's milk butter; FYI to those with an allergy to bovine products). Flavors include chocolate, peanut butter, coconut and the holiday-only butterscotch and gumdrop. In a very unofficial test, Xpress tasters favored chocolate but only in a slight margin over coconut. heatherlanefarm.com
2. Fox Hill Mead. The Marshall-based meadery turns out that lush medieval-inspired honey wine in flavors like ginger-apricot, blackberry and traditional. This year, Fox Hill's spiced and reserve meads won a silver and a bronze medal at the Mazer Cup. Available at local retailers; for a full list, check foxhillmead.com.
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3. Good for a last minute gift, a quick correspondence and you get good karma points in the deal: The Asheville Humane Society is selling holiday card sets designed by local artist Angela Alexander. Order standard-size ($20) or smaller boutique-size cards ($15) in sets of a dozen (four designs); all proceeds support the homeless animals of Buncombe County. ashevillehumane.org.
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4. For the person who has everything: A WNC Nature Center gift. A family membership ($55) admits six to the Asheville facility as well as to more than 200 zoos, aquariums and science centers nationwide. Adopt an animal ($25-$100) online at wildwnc.org/friends/adopt. Honor a loved one by buying a brick ($100-$150) at wildwnc.org/friends/buy-a-brick or joining the "food chain" with a donation in any amount at wildwnc.org/friends/donations. More info: 298-5600 ext. 308.
5. For kids: Though functional organics company Maggie's is based in Michigan, the super-cute Menagerie Animals — handcrafted from scrap materials from the company's clothing and sock production — are fabricated in the Morganton, N.C. worker-owned co-op Opportunity Threads. The November/December issue of Organic Processing Magazine named the toys a best new organic product of 2009. Order tie-dyed chickens and solid-color cows, pigs and sheep at $15 each. maggiesorganics.com.
6. An assortment of handmade chocolate truffles is always welcome, and Asheville's two chocolatiers both offer gift boxes. Buy five-, 15-, and 20-piece collections ($10-$34) in store or online from French Broad Chocolates; Chocolate Fetish serves up DIY gift boxes and ready-made packages in store or purchase samplers — try the four boxes of four truffles each deal ($32.95) — online. frenchbroadchocolates.com and chocolatefetish.com.
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7. Mountain Lights (30 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 253-0080), known for its selection of handcrafted candles, also offers unusual gifts like Russian nesting dolls. Dating from the 1890s, the toy includes of a series of dolls brightly painted to look like Russian peasant man or women. The largest doll opens to reveal a smaller doll inside which, in turn, opens to reveal a smaller doll and so on. A set of five is $12.95.
8. While gift cards have been criticized as impersonal, but what about a set of Fine Arts Theatre gift passes? Everyone loves a good movie, and the arthouse/independent-films cinema provides an impressive and rotating selection. Plus, the black-and-silver passes fit neatly into a (very personal) card. Worth noting: Tickets are available at the theater 30 minutes before screenings, $8 each, cash only. fineartstheatre.com.
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9. Here's a gift that's cute and handy, and one-size-fits-all: Ingenious pocket cuff bracelets by local designer Alanna Hubbard of Poutfits. The stretchy jersey wristbands come in bright (and sparkly!) colors and can be worn like a bracelet, and (surprise!) these accessories also contain a secret pocket just the right size for cash, credit cards or a cell phone. $12 each. Buy an assortment at Honeypot (86 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 225-0304). poutfits.com.
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10. Give a green gift that keeps on giving: The To-Go Ware bamboo utensil set means never having to use a plastic fast-food spoon again. Flatware and chopsticks come in their own pretty black, red or brown fabric holder (made by a women's cooperative on the Thailand-Burma border) and can be easily stowed in a purse or desk. $22 at Nest Organics. www.nestorganics.com.
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