Published

November 28, 2018

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Six local tastemakers share what they're gifting this season, plus editors' picks

By Sarah Pfledderer

Feeling the pressure of finding the perfect gifts? Leave the scouting to these six stylish, thoughtful San Diegans. Here, they explain their gifting MO and share 58 ideas for this holiday season, plus picks from our editors.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

For The Ladies

By Jenny Livits

Founder, Pink Lagoon

A San Diego native and mom of two, Livits, 39, opened her Solana Beach boutique in the Cedros Design District in 2007. But that doesn’t mean the entrepreneur—who describes her style (and shop inventory) as playful with “a little bit of boho glam”—just pulls from her own shelves when gift season rolls around. “I believe the people I love should treat themselves,” she says. “I give healthy gifts like massages, facials, or gift certificates to encourage people to go out and create an experience.” And it’s a giving philosophy that keeps on giving. “Getting those gifts makes me carve out time to do something I may not have originally thought to!” One perk of her job is the occasional gift to herself she finds while buying for the store. Exhibit A: The Julez Bryant ring she bought to mark her first year of business and her daughter’s birthday. “I still smile every time I look at that ring.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Editors’ picks

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Kabir Fernandez

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

For The Gents

By Tim Melideo

Photographer

“Whatever Paul Newman might have worn. Classic ’60s/’70s Americana with a rock ’n’ roll twist.” That’s Melideo’s style in a nutshell. If you’re not yet one of his 75,000 Instagram followers, maybe you’ve seen the Allied Gardens resident, 34, on photo shoots around town. On Christmas Eve, his family tradition is to eat a Neapolitan pizza next to the tree with his wife and son, whom he refers to as the best gift he’s ever given. “My wife and I surprised my parents and in-laws with a picture of the ultrasound; they had no idea and all thought we weren’t having kids.” In most instances, though, he opts for ol’ Saint Nick’s tried-and-true trick: “Stick to the list.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Michael Mish Sukharev

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

John Schulz

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Editors’ picks

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Photo: Eric Blackmon

For The Kids

By Faithe Herman

Actress

When she’s not playing Annie Pearson on NBC’s This Is Us and preparing for her big-screen debut as Darla Dudley in DC Comics’ Shazam! in April 2019, Herman, 10, is blending in back home in San Diego. And while the young star loves dressing up for her premieres, she prefers being more laid-back with her nearest and dearest. “I have a big family and love doing things with them during the holidays,” she says. “We bake cookies Christmas Eve, decorate the house and tree together. I love our Christmas dinners!” And then there’s her personalized gift-giving. “I once made my mom a People magazine cover of me talking about my mom.” As for the best gift she’s ever received? “My Pandora bracelet my parents gave me. I wear it all the time and love to collect the charms. I have a Canada charm from when I visited, drama masks for my acting, a birthday cake for my 10th birthday, and so many others.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Editors’ picks

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Eugenio Iglesias

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Photo: Carlo Aranda

For The Adventurers

By The Robertsons

Cofounders (and Chief Joy Officer), Rove

Dinosaurs, trucks, and bright colors aside, you’ve got to give Henry, 3, props for the functionality of his personal style. “He loves whatever lets him run, jump, and climb,” explains Jenna, 35, and Blake, 34. In sum, he takes after his parents. After a seven-month-long trip that took them to 19 countries, they were inspired to open up their Normal Heights shop in 2016 for fellow mountaineers and travelers to find suitable gear. Curating a boutique has taught the family, who resides in La Mesa, a thing or two about gift giving. Their advice: Think “personal, meaningful, useful, and, whenever possible, playful.” Consider a homemade fort-building kit they put together for Blake’s brother and family. “It included a sheet, rope, clips, hooks, glow sticks and a few other useful items for building a blanket fort. It’s been in regular use for the past three years.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Editors’ picks

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

Sarah Kinsella

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 100 San Diego Gifts

For The Hosts

By Rachel Moriarty

Owner/Principal Designer, Rachel Moriarty Interiors

Given she’s built her personal style and interior design firm around hand-me-downs (La Jolla residents might also remember her former vintage children’s boutique, Posies), it’s no surprise Moriarty, 49, flees to the flea market for her holiday shopping. “To me it’s so fun to speak to a maker at a market,” says the Chula Vista resident, who also cohosts the podcast Design+Style. “I pick up on their passion for what they’re creating, and I love to pass that magic along to friends or loved ones. The gift becomes bigger than the actual thing. It’s about connection.” Her pointers for plucking the perfect present? Consider the recipient’s favorite color, favorite travel destination, or hobby. Then think as her idol Iris Apfel does—”More is more and less is a bore”—and “get super creative about wrapping it!”