Michele StuevenAccording to Deloitte’s 2024 Los Angeles Holiday Retail Survey, 64% of Los Angeles respondents plan to shop in early December – and spend a third of their budgets.
The survey also says local shoppers plan to give eight gifts this year. Clothing and accessories are expected to be the most popular gifts to give while spending on gift cards is down 24% year-over-year.
Four in 10 LA shoppers plan to give experiential gifts like event tickets and fewer Angelenos are treating themselves this year, with only 40% planning to self-gift, down from 51% in 2023 and despite higher spending overall, nearly half (46%) of LA respondents plan to shop at more affordable retailers, 61% will switch to lower-priced brands, and 38% are considering dupes or knock-off goods.
Shopping local is always a good start and experiential gifts help cut down on landfill waste – memories last forever.
Courtesy Pasadena Showcase
Tickets are available now for the 60th Pasadena Showcase House of Design, featuring the Bauer Estate and gardens, a 15,000 square-foot 1928 Monterey Colonial on five acres in Pasadena. It’s the largest showcase house ever presented and will highlight lifestyle trends by 30 interior and landscape designers. The estate was built by Peter Hall of Gamble House fame.
Join ghost-hunting experts for a spooky tour of LA with The Hunt Tours. Explore Chinatown’s ghostly past at night using professional ghost-hunting tools like the EMF meter. The tour ventures through some of the oldest and most haunted streets of Chinatown, where residual ghost impressions are purported to be felt, poltergeists heard, and after-death consciousnesses are witnessed. Previous guests have reported strange sensations (dizziness, feeling pinched, tapped, or grabbed), hearing shrill sounds and voices, and documented unexplainable images in photographs from the tour. They also offer tours in Solvang and Temecula.
Vintage Land, home of the Los Feliz Flea Market, will hold its three-day Holiday Market from Thursday, Dec. 19th, to Saturday, Dec. 21, transforming the bottom level of the space into a holiday wonderland, open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The special holiday market will feature an eclectic mix of vintage clothing, antiques, artisan goods, handmade gifts, a full food court, desserts, and a coffee bar, alongside festive drinks from a full-service bar. A hot cocoa bar will also be on-site.
In the spirit of giving, the market will host a toy drive benefiting the Art is My Drug Foundation which aims to provide toys to children in need and fosters a welcoming space where they can experience the joy and magic of the season.
Every Sunday, through Dec. 22, Smorgasburg’s Holiday Market is back with a craft beer garden, a Michelada bar, and holiday-themed specials from both resident and guest vendors. Plus, experience the world’s biggest condiment bar, 70 up-and-coming small businesses to shop from, fun holiday photo ops, and a jam-packed calendar of special events
Tickets for the first-ever Christmas Market in Los Angeles at Skylight ROW DTLA are available now. There are igloos, ornament painting, a chocolate factory, a variety of food and drink vendors, and a marketplace that features items like luxurious bath bombs, handmade soaps, and scented candles. The Green Farm Apiary will offer signature infused honey varieties and honey caramels and Herald Clothing, Mitte Letterpress, De Mita Boutique, and Danclavia will have stalls along with a diverse selection of vendors. No tickets will be sold at the door, purchased in advance on Eventbrite to guarantee entry into the market.
Courtesy Maison by Monsieur Marcel
Aside from housing the 70-year-old family-owned Kip’s Toyland toystore (sorry, you won’t find any electronic toys here), The Original Farmers Market has welcomed its newest merchant, Maison by Monsieur Marcel, the fifth addition to the Monsieur Marcel family at the market. Monsieur Marcel has long included a stuffed selection of homeware that became so popular it warranted a space of its own. At Maison by Monsieur Marcel, you’ll find a thoughtfully curated collection of cookware, glassware, knife sets, plates, linens, and more. The store also offers custom table-setting designs to help inspire your next event or holiday gathering
This holiday season, Saltie Girl, the wildly popular seafood destination in West Hollywood, is bringing back its Feast of Seven Tinned Fishes gift set. Designed by founder Kathy Sidell, the gift set includes seven of the team’s favorite tins including Saltie Girl and Fishwife smoked salmon, Siesta Co. small squids, and Don Gastronom yellowfin tuna with lemon. The set also includes a box of Effie’s corn biscuits and a container of black lava salt and is packaged in a custom box. The gift set is $125 and is available for pick-up at Saltie Girl. Order HERE
SweetBoy founder and Saltie Girl pastry chef, Ben Sidell, will be offering a festive holiday cookie tin for pick-up and nationwide shipping. Packaged in a custom SweetBoy tin, the set will include two each (a dozen total) of double chocolate peppermint, crystal sugar, ginger molasses, almond crunch, brown butter coconut oatmeal and SweetBoy’s famous chocolate chip. Order HERE (nationwide shipping) | Order HERE (local pick-up)
Nostalgia always makes the best gift, and a subscription to the recently relaunched Creem Magazine will make music lovers’ hearts sing. Founded in 1969 and relaunched in 2022 as a large format print quarterly, CREEM is produced by a small and fiercely independent team of writers, editors, and rabble-rousers, who are all united by a simple belief that rock isn’t dead, and neither is print. There’s also a variety of merchandise available on the website, like sweatshirts, t-shirts, vintage cover prints, and other stocking stuffers.
Feast of Seven Tinned Fishes (Courtesy Saltie Girl)