MINT HILL, NC – There’s no denying that 2020 has been a difficult year for small business owners.  This holiday season, consider lending them your support by shopping local!  Many people have the idea that buying from small retailers is more expensive, but shopping local doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.  We’ve rounded up 20 unique gifts you can buy right here in Mint Hill for under $20!

1. A bottle of wine is always a great gift, and Vintner’s Hill offers several staff favorites for under $20! Brownstone Cabernet (an easy-drinking cabernet and staff favorite) and OVR Old Vine Red (a Zinfandel blend) retail for $19 and $20 respectively.  Take advantage of 20% off all bottles of wine on Thursdays to score customer favorite OakFarm Tievoli (a bold but balanced and smooth blend of Zinfandel, Primitivo, Barbera and Petite Syrah) or Vlackenburg Gewurztraminer (a full-bodied, medium-dry white wine with aromas of roses and flavors of ripe peach and lychee) for just $19.20.

   

2. Package your wine in style with a gnome wine bag from The Gift Workshop!  At just $12.99, it’s the perfect canvas wine bag featuring a holiday gnome and a funny sentiment.  It’s perfect for an in-person gift or a porch drop to let friends know you’re thinking of them this holiday!
3. Pair the perfect bottle of wine with a “Real Housewives of Mint Hill” wine glass from The Gift Workshop.  These $12 engraved wine glasses and tumblers (available both stemmed and stemless) are also available customized for many of Mint Hill’s neighborhoods.
4. For your favorite host or hostess, consider a seasonal serving tray! Reindeer serving trays ($14.95) and “Merry Christmas” divided serving plates ($12.50) are available at reasonable prices at Goodness Gracious Gifts & Interiors.
   
   
   

   

5. Give a gift that gives back with a Friendship Heart Gallery painting ($11.00).  These unique pieces available from Goodness Gracious are painted by adults with intellectual disabilities and autism.
6. Who doesn’t love baked goods?  Six of Daphne’s famous cupcakes finished with a gift bow (try the red velvet for a real holiday treat) is a great gift for anyone with a sweet tooth.  Six gift-boxed, holiday-decorated cookies, 6 elegant holiday cake pops in flavors like red velvet, simply vanilla and double chocolate, three dozen of Daphne’s signature chocolate chip cookies, a dozen gift-boxed gingersnaps, a half dozen muffins and a dozen white chocolate peppermint cookies are all other sweet treats that will cost you less than $20.
7. For those who prefer savory treats, try Daphne’s Famous Cheese Crackers.  You can purchase one holiday cup of each of the three flavor options for under $20.  Also under $20 are a dozen of Daphne’s Signature Cheese Biscuits.
8. Beat the cold with a gift jar of Daphne’s signature hot cocoa mix or a tea collection from Charleston Tea Plantation featuring the only black tea grown in the United States.  Both are less than $20 at Daphne’s Bakery.

   

9. A Warm Heart Mug from Goodness Gracious is the perfect way to serve your hot cocoa or hot tea.  These $18 mugs feature inspirational words like “thankful,” “grateful” and “giving.”  Hand- and heart-warming, these mugs remind your loved one that you are on their mind.
10. Don’t forget about your four-legged friends!  Calvin’s Craft Cookies from Woof ‘n Hoof are made right here in Charlotte out of recycled brewers grains sourced from local breweries.  Each can is $8.99 and is always a great stocking stuffer for your pup!

    

11. For the pet lovers in your life, consider a Puppie Love shirt!  Available in a variety of styles at Goodness Gracious for just $19, Puppie Love apparel is not only adorable but also effective.  Puppy Love facilitates dog adoptions by donating 10% of profits to rescue centers and adoption agencies while raising awareness to the harsh environments dogs should never have to experience.
12. Pamper the special lady in your life with Vitality Ginger’s organic women’s face products.  Eye lash extender, healing skin serum and anti-wrinkle eye cream are all less than $20.
13. Pamper anyone in your life with an individual herbal bath tea or foot soak from Vitality Ginger.  Available in scents like soothing rose and sunny citrus, there’s a scent to fit every mood.

    

14. Enhance the atmosphere of your bath with a Warm Glow candle.  These signature lump, bumpy candles available for $18.00 at Goodness Gracious are hand-dipped with pride in Indiana.
15. Cozy up after your bath in Slipper Socks by Simply Southern.  Available at The Gift Workshop, these socks feature funny sayings on the soles.  At just $8.99, these are a must-have stocking stuffer for everyone on your list!
16. Feeling sentimental this holiday season?  Express your love to that special someone with an “All The Reasons I Love You” journal.  This adorable 2-piece journal set available for only $9.99 at The Gift Workshop is made of recycled pulp paper and comes in a drawstring muslin bag.

    

17. Codenames and Exit Escape Games are two great team games available at Your Local Game Store for under $20.  Codenames is a hilarious and fast-paced team game for 2-8 players where the spymaster gives one-word clues to help their teammates find their hidden agents before the other team finds theirs.  Exit Escape Games is a game where you’ll find a second pair of eyes and ideas helpful as you unravel clues and escape your dire predicament.
18. Younger players (8+) will enjoy Star Realms, a competitive, two-player, deck-building card game of outer space combat.  Available at Your Local Game Store, it’s a great choice for older and younger players alike.
19. In a year where hand sanitizer has been an unexpectedly hot item, why not carry yours in style?  Keep your hand sanitizer handy with a stylish hand sanitizer sleeve from Simply Southern.  These hand sanitizer caddies have a key ring or claw clip to attach to your keys, backpack or purse.  Available for only $4.99 at The Gift Workshop, these hand sanitizer sleeves make great stocking stuffers!

    

20. For the person who already has it all, consider a gift card for a local restaurant.  A $20 gift card to Big Guys Pizza will buy you an 18” large, two-topping pizza, perfect for a family of four.  $20 to The Hill Bar and Grill is the gift of 14 of The Hill’s famous wings and a beer.

Can’t get enough under $20 gifts?  Here are a few more ideas!

• Love Letter (2 – 4 players, ages 12+) is a game of risk, deduction, and luck where players try to get their letter to the princess while deflecting their rival’s letters.  Available at Your Local Game Store.
• Resistance (5 – 10 players, ages 12+) is a fun, fast-paced dedication game where spies have infiltrated the Resistance and players must discover who they are.  Available at Your Local Game Store.

• Herbal salt made from locally- and organically-grown herbs.  Available at Vitality Ginger.
• A winter cup and coaster made from original art by Sandy Harrison with tea, infuser and a tea towel.  Available at Vitality Ginger.
• A loaf of sweet bread from Daphne’s bakery.  Banana nut is a perennial favorite; seasonal flavors are available during the holidays.
• Mixed Breakfast Box from Daphne’s Bakery featuring 2 breakfast muffins, 2 scones, 4 cheese biscuits and 4 oz Magnolia coffee or box of Charleston Tea
• A gift-boxed True Southern Egg Custard Pie or Chocolate Cream Pie from Daphne’s Bakery.
• How do Santa’s elves get into your home?  Why, through an Elf Door of course!  This standing miniature dimensional door surrounded with “lights” and tiny faux wreath with bow strands allows special entry for fairies and elves only.  $19.99 at The Gift Workshop.
• It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year in NC hand towel – a beautiful cotton hand towel featuring an image of Santa.  $9.99 at The Gift Workshop.
• Set of two soup mugs.  $13.00 from Goodness Gracious.
• Sand Straws.  Eco-friendly, reusable straws.  $15-$20 at Goodness Gracious.