Great Giving: 2018 Gift Buying at Oswald’s

Great Giving: 2018 Gift Buying at Oswald’s

By Alecia Eckerle

The Holidays will be here before we know it. Are you ready? I am!!! Yes, I am definitely bragging. I’m bragging because I am almost done with all of my holiday shopping, and I haven’t shopped anywhere outside of Oswald’s so far.

Holiday Gifts for the Family

My nieces and nephews were easy to shop for, of course, with all the great toys we carry. I bought books and activity books for them. We have so many choices in stock, it was easy to find books for each of their interests. If you need a special book for someone please feel free to email me the name of the book and the author at alecia@oswaldspharmacy.com. I would be happy to see if I can get it in before the holiday for you.

Back to the gift giving.  My Dad was easy as can be. I asked Kathleen, our candy buyer, to order a case of Dark chocolate Kit-Kats (his favorite). DONE!  My mom was a little harder until I caught her admiring my new Chala Handbag. CHECK!

And last, but certainly not least, my wonderful husband will be getting the 12 days of Christmas coffee packs. Festive coffee; just the thing for the man who is up at 5 A.M. every day during the holidays!

Alecia’s 2018 Holiday Gift Picks

I order gifts and toys every year to make great gift giving easy when you shop at Oswald’s. Our staff always jokes that retail Christmas starts in January and goes through December. The store also has wonderful things for Thanksgiving cooks. If you have any last minute, non-food Thanksgiving needs, we have you covered.

Here are a few of my favorite Gift Items for 2018:

  • Robin Reed Party Crackers $10.99 to $30.99 (great stocking stuffers for families of any size)
    • My favorite is the Racing Reindeer
Robin Reed Party Crackers on the shelves in Oswald's Christmas section. Each box contains a different amount of various sizes of Christmas party crackers. There is a secret prize inside each one.
Robin Reed Party Crackers. Pull on each end and it cracks! What prize will be in yours?
  • Mary Sue Lamb Fall Words Naperville Wine Glass $9.99
  • Stony Creek Lite Vases. Thanksgiving designs are almost gone but we have plenty of Christmas designs left. Swing by the store and see them in person. Pictures don’t do them justice.
  • Aromatique Potpourri. Pumpkin Spice is almost gone, but we still have a great selection for Christmas
  • Mud Pie French Knot Pillows. The fall and Christmas styles are super cute; they remind me of my great grandmother sitting in her chair, working on her own pillows. What a lost art.
Mud Pie French Knot Pillows Image. Just like grandma used to make! A pillow sitting on the shelves in Oswald's Holiday section picturing a black lab riding in a green pickup truck filled with pumpkins.
A Mud Pie French Knot Pillow. Just like grandma used to make!
  • Michel Designs Holiday Foaming Soaps. The fall scents of these foam soaps ($9.99) are already sold out. Christmas scents are in stock but selling quickly. If you need some festive soaps for your guest bathroom, get here soon! An Oswald’s favorite.
  • Wassail Spiced Apple Cider Mix. Great to add to apple juice and warm up for an easy ‘cider.’ Your “Turkey Bowl” Allstars and Turkey Trot champions will warm up quickly after a cup of this cider.
Closeup of a row of Wassail Cider. 4 Holiday themed boxes on a shelf in Oswald's Christmas gift section.
Warm your athletes up with some instant Wassail Cider Mix.

Keeping It Simple

You could also keep your gift buying simple. Buy some chocolate turkeys and get a bag of our candy corn to make some wonderful cupcake turkeys.

There are so many wonderful things here at the store that will make someone happy this Holiday season.  My family always asks where I get such interesting items. I reply with “Just a little place I know….”  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Oh, and here’s a picture of the Stony Creek Lite Vases. It really doesn’t do them justice. Stop by the store to see the beautiful texturing and unique illiumination they produce.

Stony Creek Lite Vases. Closeup image of 3 fall themed vases. These etched glass vases are hand painted with seasonal images and have a light inside that creates some beautiful illumination.
Stony Creek Lite Vases. They look OK in pictures, but amazing in person!
Written by Alecia Eckerle

Alecia is Oswald's retail manager and lead gift & toy buyer. She has been working at the store since 1999. Specializing in unique gift buying tailored to the Naperville community, Alecia maintains Oswald's as a destination for gift & toys. Alecia graduated with a BA in Interior Design from Harrington College of Design in 2003. A graduate of Naperville Central High School in 1999, Alecia has lived in the Naperville area for over 20 years. She is the coordinator for Oswald's events at Naperville Plaza. Alecia and her husband are parents to a beautiful dog named Moses.