‘Tis the season for giving. That’s challenge enough. You’ve already got plenty of stuff to worry about, like getting winter tires on the car, stringing up the Christmas lights and deciding which Holiday tunes should be banned. You don’t have time to go looking for local, organic, ethically sourced Christmas gifts for every last person in your life. So we’ve made it easier for you.
Here’s our list of gifts available from local creators. Remember, when you buy local it’s like you’re giving two gifts! Except one person actually worked really hard to create something special and totally deserves to be compensated for their time and effort. So, it’s not really a “gift” per se, you’re just paying them. But let’s not downplay this entirely. Good for you for shopping local! Gold star, you Super Santa!
For The Bookworms
Crossworlds
Paired with a nine-track audio release by Joshua Van Tassel that serves as its score, Crossworlds is a novella by Jordan Crute and Joshua Van Tassel that tells the tale of a woman who is forced to save her small seaside village from the attacks of an otherworldly sea monster. It’s short and sweet and something like Moby Dick with a sci-fi twist.
Cost: $25
Where to buy: online at Joshua Van Tassel’s Bandcamp page HERE
The Lost City
For lovers of Saint John, or haters of Saint John, or just anybody who is curious, The Lost City, featuring the photographs of Ian MacEachearn and written by architect John Leroux, showcases the urban renewal of the city—notably its North end—throughout the 1960s. It’s a look into the past, how far Saint John has come and how these events have shaped the city into what it is today.
Cost: $35
Where to buy: online on Amazon HERE
Monster House Publishing
Perfect for the younger bookworms in our lives, Monster House Publishing—home of Herman the Monster—has a selection of books with fun stories and high-quality artwork. Two of the publishing house’s most recent releases are Cornelius’s Conundrum: The Sewer Central Star by Paul McAllister, the story of how Cornelius the Monster overcomes his stage fright to become a Sewer Central star, and Mahtoquehs’ Journey by Braelyn Cyr, a story that teaches traditional values of the Wolastoqiyik Peoples through one rabbit’s path to the animal gathering.
Cost: $15
Where to buy: online at Indigo Books HERE and HERE, or at select locations in Fredericton, New Brunswick
Son of a Critch
From comedian Mark Critch, best known for his tenure on CBC’s This Hour has 22 minutes, comes his book of tales about growing up in Newfoundland in the 1980s, which he describes as being a lot more like the 1960s.
Cost: $19
Where to buy: online at Indigo Books HERE