The Red and Black

Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Out & About

The holiday season, in all its infinite merriment, has a dark side.

Every year like clockwork, the pressure grows with each passing day after Thanksgiving to finish your holiday shopping.

As the clock starts to run out, you can bet stores will fill to their maximum capacities with the bewildered masses, high on retail, desperately trying to fill the gaps in their shopping lists.

These people are dangerous - avoid them at all cost.

Instead, inform yourself ahead of time with this user-friendly guide to local holiday shopping for that person you can never seem to please.

Women

Five Points is undoubtedly the place to shop for the women in your life this year.

Appointments at Five offers a staggeringly wide selection of beautiful holiday-themed home decor for mom and grandma, including unique dishware and festive fragrances.

Homeplace displays an enormous rack filled with every type of Christmas tree ornament you could imagine. The store also offers a variety of tasty preserves, made right here in Georgia.

If you're looking for a wearable woman's gift, you should also try IV Seasons Fashions for superior clothing and Slippers for unique shoes and handbags.

When shopping for a sister, you can never go wrong with jewelry.

Helix, located downtown, has incredible jewelry, including the Butterfly Artworks line.

"They harvest the butterfly wings after they have died, then frame them in silver," explained Helix employee Tara Dunn. "They're all completely unique."

Helix also offers vintage Lenora Dame lockets in dozens of cool patterns and colors.

Now I know what you're thinking: What about the aunt you've seen three times a year since you were born but know nothing about?

Behold, Bee Natural Honeypots at Frontier. These hand-carved wax Honeypots are made in Athens, carved from local beeswax and adorned with local botanicals.

When you put a tea candle inside the Honeypot, it creates an enchanting, luminous source of soft, natural light.

Men

If you're having trouble thinking of the perfect gift for dad, don't fret - you're in the majority.

For the Bulldog fan, The Red Zone and The Clubhouse are great places for sports paraphernalia.

Native America Gallery, located downtown, displays a collection of silver Stag knives and fair trade leather messenger bags that would make great gifts.

Men are genetically adept at hunting and killing to feed their families and sustain their race. Sadly, that went out of style years ago.

The modern alternative is video games, and statistically, your brother probably loves them.

Tyche's Games is the place to shop for popular games, collectible games and even out-of-production games.

Another good gift idea for brothers and friends is a classic comic book from Bizarro-Wuxtry, the comic shop above Wuxtry Records downtown. There are also plenty of old school posters and T-shirts that are sure to delight.

If you're looking to give the gift of music, Schoolkids Records has top-of-the-line new and used records and CDs. Schoolkids employee Jeremy Harbin recommends Sufjan Stevens' album, "Songs for Christmas."

"Not too many indie-rock artists will put out a Christmas album because there's a certain campy-ness about them. But Sufjan wasn't afraid," Harbin said.

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