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Spread the cheer locally this year

By Meg Olson

Last Christmas season gas was $2.55 per gallon and the Canadian dollar was at 85 cents, and shopping locally seemed like a really good idea – no traffic, cool stuff.

This time Point Roberts holiday shoppers are looking at a Canadian dollar at par or better, so bargains are slim north of the border. And at $3.25 a gallon for gas, who can afford to drive to Bellingham, especially if there’s a stampede of cross-border shoppers and you’re waiting an hour in the NEXUS lane? That’s the kind of train wreck that makes staying home so much more than just a good idea.

The trees rolled into Nielson’s Building Center this week, and the store is on official Santa duty from here on out. You can still get a handful of nails, but suddenly there are boxes of cookware and small appliances and an electric fireplace among the tools – always a good gift themselves. The store is also stocking up on indoor and outdoor lights.

The International Marketplace is the place to order your special holiday roast from the butcher shop, but the store is also adding a growing selection of not-so-grocery-store holiday items: cards and wrapping, ornaments and treats, and an armful of stuffed animals. The store also has a wide selection of gear proudly embroidered with “Point Roberts, ” some local flavor for your cousins in Tucson.

Local flavor could be the theme this year, with many local businesses offering gifts that couldn’t be from anywhere else. A gift basket from Dylan’s features coffee roasted on the premises and bakery items from their ovens. The gas station that’s about a lot more than gas will also fill orders for custom holiday baking.

The Gulf Road galleries combine local creations with treasures from far away. The Maple Tree features quilts by Rose Momsen and woodwork by George Wright, but the couple has also found other artists that make unique cards or the world’s most incredible rocking chair. Kitty Doyle’s Blue Heron Gallery brings together a multitude of local and imported artists, herself included, with work ranging from watercolors to glasswork. This is also the place to go for cards, jewelry and much more. The gallery is all decked out for the holidays with unique ornaments and other holiday trappings.

Captain Bob’s Emporium also mixes local wares with their cornucopia of ridiculously cheap everything. Manager Pamala Sheppard’s Bubbles Bakery line of soaps smell and look good enough to eat, and you should be careful because when they’re also shaped like slices of pie it can be hard not to. The store also has lots of cards and clothes at discount prices, 89-cent teddy bears and Himalayan salt lamps that make cranky people go away.

Café Capanna makes a great pit stop on the Point Roberts shopping tour, and is also a place to pick up a few gourmet goodies.

At Brewsters Joan Roberts has packed a gastronomical extravaganza into the new deli space. You can pair up with handmade chutneys, and spice mixes, with artisanal cheeses, and wrap it up in a hand woven basket from Bali. You can also pick up a latte, for strength.

Go to Westwind Marine for everything nautical, from books about cruising local waters to a gift certificate for an engine overhaul. A boater on your list might also like a gift certificate for moorage, available upstairs from the Point Roberts Marina Resort.

Point Roberts has plenty of opportunities for gifts outside the box: a gift certificate for dinner at a local restaurant, yoga lessons from Madrona Yoga, an oil change from Dennis Auto Repair, clean carpets thanks to Point Roberts Carpet and Upholstery. Point Roberts Golf and Country Club has winter passes available for unlimited golf from now until March, and an $800 year-round pass is good for 50-percent-off green fees all year.

The Point also has plenty of ways to give the gift of giving: the local food bank, the PR Arts Foundation and Dollars for Scholars have been joined this year by new efforts such as fundraising by the Point Roberts Conservation Society to preserve land at Lily Point, or the work by PAWS to promote local animal welfare (see sidebar for contacts).