8 holiday gift ideas from local online brands that started during the pandemic

It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year! With the pandemic keeping everyone apart, what better way to let our loved ones know that we care from a (social) distance than by gift-giving. Christmas is right around the corner and minds are jingling for the perfect Christmas gifts. Naughty or nice, everyone on our list deserves gifts especially after the year that we have had.

Our Christmas gift suggestions for your loved ones are unlike any other. We’ve handpicked items from passion projects to side hustle businesses that all started during the height of this pandemic. Clearly, a lot of time and effort have been poured into the conception of these local goods. It just goes to show how being cooped up at home has really done some good after all.

Buttery Babkas from The Crumb Shop

Picture this: golden buttery soft pull-apart bread with swirls of ube and cheese in every bite. It’s the Ube Cheese Babka of The Crumb Shop — conceived by a passionate home baker bringing the bread game to another level during the pandemic. She also offers a delicious Eastern European braided bread in various sweet and savory filling options: chocolate, matcha and red bean, and pesto cheese for P400/loaf.

Spread the love and order the Eastern European braided bread and babkas for your family and friends. For details on how to order, check The Crumb Shop on Facebook or Instagram.

Cute Scented Soaps from Barefoot and Bubbly Soaps

Who said washing hands can’t be fun?! Turning to soap making as a creative outlet from the stress of her day job, a doctor has us saying goodbye to boring hand washing and saying hello to exciting, clean fun with her aesthetically pleasing handmade scented soaps of Barefoot and Bubbly Soaps. It’s made of purely natural ingredients that are good for your skin and are just as effective at killing germs than any commercial soaps. For P170/bar, these are works of art with each design complemented by its unique scent. She even has Christmas-themed ones that look and smell just like Christmas!

Make hand washing fun for your loved ones with Barefoot and Bubbly Soaps that are currently available on Thingamabobs Collective, shipping nationwide. If you want to have your soaps customized or have further questions, you can reach them on Instagram.

Umami Food Tray from Ahana

Warning! Delicio usly inappropriate content incoming. Set back by the pandemic professionally, a home cook decided to share his love for Japanese cuisine with others to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. This insanely delicious aburi charsiu, ajitsuke tamago and oishi gohan tray by Ahana is a thing of beauty and an umami party for the senses. It’s a tray of torched pork belly with marinated egg and savory rice – need I say more.

Share the good news! For P1,500, you can feed 4 to 5 hungry of your loved ones with this umami tray. Order through this form or visit their Instagram for more details.

Essential Sweatsuits from For Keeps

Staying-at-home is no excuse not to dress up. For the brains that started this clothing brand during the pandemic, looking and feeling good with what we wear are just as important now than any other time. These stylish basic sweatsuits from For Keeps will definitely up your home OOTDs. Mix and match with various colors and styles of tops and bottoms in their unisex comfy wear.

Show some love to your “for keeps” peeps with some comfy stylish sweats from For Keeps. Browse their catalog on their website or find out more about their collections on their Instagram.

Heavenly Dips from Chili Chili Bang Bang

Never leave your chips hanging. Chili Chili Bang Bang dips are bomb.com! Double dip to your heart’s content. This is a comeback story for the brand but this time around, an aspiring entrepreneur has taken the reins of the family business. For P295/jar, your Netflix night munchies and mid-day WFH snacking will be taken to the next level with their Original Chili Con Carne and Chili Con Quezo dips. It’s so good that you can literally put them in your fries, hotdog, burgers, rice or anywhere your heart desires.

Don’t let your loved ones’ snacking be bland. Get both of these dips from Chili Chili Bang Bang for them. Order now on their Instagram page.

Nostalgic Scented Candles from Balay Pahulay

From the Bisaya word ‘pahulay’ that means rest, the woman behind the scented candles of Balay Pahulay wants to raise awareness on the importance of rest especially during these trying times. Her candles have a way of relaxing you and transporting you back to the calming moments in your life. She has four distinct scents available for purchase: Rustic Room, Christmas Garden, By the Shore and Grandpa’s House. As the name suggests, each scented candle evokes nostalgia and takes you back to memories of those kinds of moments.

Gift your family and friends an aromatic and relaxing experience with these scented candles. You can order these gift-friendly candles from the Muna website. To know more about the brand and their different scented candles, you can also go to their Instagram.

Happy Hour Ready Cocktails from Mood Cocktails

Why limit happy to an hour when you can be happy every hour? It’s happy hour all day long at home when you’ve got cocktails from Mood Cocktails. From the packaging down to the cocktails themselves, everything is a product of genius by two friends who both have a knack for creative cocktail mixing. They’ve got several cocktail options to choose from including their holiday specials: Pink Sangrita and Red Cosmo. Order 5 bottles of your cocktail choice for P1,550 and it even comes with free Mood chips!

Make every hour a happy hour for everybody with Mood Cocktails. Find out more about their cocktails and choose from their different holiday gift sets on their Instagram.

Stylish Activewear from Sculpt Movement

Wearing workout clothes is one step closer to actually working out. Sculpt Movement’s activewear is one less excuse to not work out. Founded by a group of girlfriends, their brand advocates for empowerment through an active lifestyle that is very much encouraged during these often sedentary times. They’ve got all your basic athleisure needs (dry fit tees, sports bras, leggings and biker shorts) covered in chic functional styles for both men and women.

Push your family and friends to stay active with Sculpt Movement activewear. Shop from Sculpt Movement’s website and follow them on Instagram to learn more.