The best part about the holiday season is spending time breaking bread and sharing drinks with loved ones, and there always seems to be that one friend or family member who has a flair for making special holiday events happen. To give back to those folks who love to host, we put together a carefully curated gift guide highlighting must-have items for epicureans, hostesses with the most-ess, and wine-lovers in your life. Never one to show up to a party this holiday season empty handed, each of these are worthy of being a dinner party essential or a perfect gift.

Experiential Experiences

Photo of Belmont Park in San Diego — *Photo Credit: Courtesy of Belmont Park*

Beachfront Entertainment All Year: Belmont Park

This holiday season, give the gift that keeps on giving with a season park pass to Belmont Park! Season passes are $135 and unlock a year of unlimited thrilling rides, exciting attractions and unforgettable memories. Season pass holders can also take advantage of exclusive discounts on food throughout the park, as well as Cannonball, Draft and Beach House. Plus, enjoy savings on merchandise, Escapology tickets, Plunge Pool passes and Buddy Passes to share the fun with friends. From summer sun to winter festivities, the park transforms with each season, offering new experiences year-round, making it the perfect gift for all ages.

Photo of the baskebtall court in Frontwave arena in — *Photo Credit: Pink Media Productions*

World Class Sports and Entertainment: Frontwave Arena

For the biggest sports fans, there’s no better gift than tickets to a game for their favorite team! Frontwave Arena, the newly opened arena in Oceanside, California, is home to the NBA G League San Diego Clippers, give the basketball fan in your life tickets to an upcoming game this holiday season. Tickets start at just $18 and at Frontwave Arena, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Frontwave Arena doesn’t just host sports, they also host a range of concerts, family shows and more! Peruse the events page on the Frontwave Arena website, and find something for everyone.

Photo showing people pointing at the plants in the San Diego Botanic Garden — *Photo Credit: Courtesy of San Diego Botanic Garden*

365 Days in Nature: San Diego Botanic Garden

Give the gift of a membership to San Diego Botanic Garden, a 37-acre urban oasis located in Encinitas featuring four miles of meandering trails and ocean views, 5,300 plant species and varieties, and 29 uniquely themed gardens that represent 15 different regions and many habitats of the world. Members enjoy a range of benefits, including free daytime admission, free Member programs, discounted pricing on events and classes, free weekly children’s programs, complimentary guest passes, and free or discounted admission at more than 300 other U.S. gardens through the reciprocal program with the American Horticultural Society. Members can also bring a guest with them complimentary. Individual memberships start at $55/annually with military, student and senior discounts available. Plus, members can enjoy discounted tickets to Lightscape running on select nights from November 15 through January 5. This enchanting, after-dark, illuminated trail has been reimagined and will span one mile and feature spectacular sights with brand-new eye-catching artistic installations from international artists that come alive at night with color, imagination, and sound.

Wine & Culinary Essentials

6 cans of Sipwell drinks with a present in the background — *Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sipwell Wine Co.*

The Canned Wine: Sipwell, BIPOC founded canned wines

Sipwell Wine Co. is a female-founded and Black-owned canned wine company based out of Encinitas, offering single servings (1.5 glasses) of award-winning sustainable wine in an infinitely recyclable can. Available for national shipping, Sipwell’s Holiday Gift Box is the perfect holiday gift for any wine-loving friend, using grapes all sourced from organic and sustainably farmed vineyards in California's Central Coast. Ready for just about any holiday celebration, the box includes a selection of either 6 ($48) or 12 cans ($84) of Sipwell’s bubbles, including Tiny Victories Sparkling White Wine (just about the closest you can get to Champagne in a can, this is the first and only can-conditioned sparkling wine), Rock Steady Sparkling Rosé, and Go Getter Fizzy Chilled Red, as well as a custom foil-printed holiday card with handwritten gift note, holiday-themed tasting notes and food pairings, and Sipwell stickers. Sipwell’s wines are easy to send to friends and family members all across the country, and also make a great Secret Santa gift, co-worker or hostess gift. Sipwell is available in local San Diego retailers including select Jimbo’s and Frazier Farms, Stehly Farms Market, and more, in Los Angeles retailers including For The Win, Hi-Lo Liquor, Bottlecraft Long Beach, and more, as well as stores throughout California (find stores here) and online.

Affiliate link: http://www.shareasale.com/join/152502

Price point: $48 - $84

A photo of a Pali Wine Co bag with 4 bottles of wine — *Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos*

Wine for Everyone + Wine Clubs: Pali Wine Co., wine club membership

For the wine enthusiasts and casual sippers alike, treat them with the gift that keeps on giving all year long with a Pali Wine Co. wine club membership, a family-owned winery with a passion for crafting exceptional wines out of Santa Barbara County. Shop in person at Pali’s Little Italy outpost or order online, available for national shipping). The Pali Wine Club delivers expertly crafted California Central Coast wines straight to your door and is truly the best deal in town! With no fees to join, the membership makes the best gift that handles curation for customers with several preferences and seasonal allocations to choose from, including the Pali Wine Co. (Acclaimed Pinot Noirs & Chardonnays and an expanding variety of estate-grown varietals), Neighborhood Winery (creative, playful natural wines of the highest quality), Tower 15 Winery (powerful, small lot, nuanced wines) and Variety packages. Open up a world of elegant and exuberant wines and exclusive benefits to your loved one, like access to limited-release wines and events, complimentary tastings at any of Pali Wine Co.’s tasting rooms in San Diego, Anaheim, Santa Barbara and Lompoc, 20% off wine purchases, and quarterly shipments of wines, ensuring they always have something delicious to share or savor!

Affiliate link: https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=146833

Price point: $140 - $190

2 Tethos wine bottles on top of a book — *Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tēthos*

The Wind Down: Tēthos, tea based N/A wines and tea blends

The best gift of all is a morning without a hangover! Skip the nightcap and wind down with Tēthos tea-based beverages instead. Blending tradition and innovation, Tēthos offers a collection of robust tea blends and three varieties of nonalcoholic tea-based wine, formulated to harmonize and restore balance without the crash, inflammation, or hangover. Relax with ICONIC Dream Tonic, feel refreshed with SOOTHE Mint Chocolate or GROUND Black Matcha, and invigorated with BITCHIN' Energy Blend. Their non-alcoholic tea-based wines also adapt seamlessly to any occasion. The Tēthos Sauvignon Blanc Tea is made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc grapes and Joonjak green tea leaves, resulting in a light to medium bodied wine with a crisp and clean flavor, delivering notes of gooseberry, white peach and honey dew. Tēthos Black Tea Shiraz features a premium blend of Shiraz and Himalayan Gold black tea creating notes of honey from the nepalese tea blend as well as intense berry, cedar and light pepper notes. And the Tēthos Blush Tea Rosé is a combination of steeped silver needle tea and shiraz grapes. The result is a pleasant rosé style wine with strawberry, melon, and hibiscus flavors. Tēthos is available online to ship nationwide and on ShareASale (with fun gift boxes for birthdays, holidays or just ‘cause!).

Affiliate link: http://www.shareasale.com/join/157094

Price point: $9.99-29.99

Chicken and vegetables on a serving platter at Pasturebird — *Photo Credit: Courtesy of Pasturebird*

The Protein: Pasturebird, pasture-raised organic chicken

Help your holiday meal proteins and chicken-obsessed friends and family by introducing them to Pasturebird, their new favorite source for ethically produced poultry. Available nationwide and on the affiliate platform ShareASale, Pasturebird offers nutrient dense pasture-raised chicken that consumers can trust is truly pasture-raised. Their regenerative approach to farming ensures the long term health of the land and it pays off all the way down the food chain. With the use of the world’s first solar-powered, self-driving, floorless chicken coops, Pasturebird’s flocks are moved to fresh pasture every 24 hours, allowing their chickens to forage for bugs, grains, grasses and legumes, the way chickens were meant to. Movement, sunshine and a varied diet contribute to the taste, texture and nutrient density of the final product. That’s why Pasturebird poultry has three times the omega-3s, 50 percent more vitamin A and E, and 21 percent less saturated fat than ordinary chicken. Pasturebird currently offers six cuts, available for purchase online with free shipping over $99 in the continental USA. Choose from a whole rotisserie chicken, boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings or their new all white meat ground chicken. Shoppers can also save 10% by creating a custom subscription box for recurring deliveries. Pasturebird products are also available at select Gelson's, Vicente Foods, Lassen’s, Jimbos, Frazier Farms, Organic Roots, Jensens, Raleys One, Sprouts, Heinen’s, Nugget, and Olivers.

Affiliate link: https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=110658

Price point: $10-25

Holiday Gift Guide: Wine, Culinary Essentials, & Experiential Experiences