All I Want for Christmas: 8 Gift Ideas from Mountain View

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More
550 Showers Dr.

Make the holidays memorable by giving a custom-made gift. For grandma and grandpa? How about sweatshirts with photos of the family. For the best friend? How about 'No. 1 Friend' hoodie. This plus—tank tops, puzzles, mouse pads, aprons, fleece—and more options are available within 24-hours if the product is in style. Big Frog is located near the Trader Joe's and Daiso. Prices range between $10 to $30 per item.

Jane's Beer Store
720 Villa St.

Be the life of any holiday party or show-off your good taste with a gift of ales, Belgians, IPAs or stouts. Stop by Jane's Beer Store and choose from a wide selection of artisan craft beers, from smaller local, domestic and international breweries. Purchase beers by the bottle, packs or kegs. Impress a beer snob with this last minute gift.

Villa Rouge
714 Villa St.

Right next door to Jane's Beer Store, step into a treasure chest of home goods, from animal print pillows and paintings of electric guitars to tables that look like they've been carved out of bark. This is the colorful interior of design shop Villa Rouge where you can pick out unique household items for that friend with a critical eye for style.

Ruxton Design
Order ruxtondesigns.etsy.com 

Custom made jewelry is sure to win over any woman, and jewelry made from recycled vintage and industrial materials will win over the environmentalists in your circle too. Ruxton Design is owned by Mountain View resident Nicky Ruxton and she usually sales her designs at fairs and private showings. However, you can also buy her stuff online at ruxtondesigns.etsy.com.

Lee's Comics
1020 N. Rengstorff Ave.

Comic books are no longer just for adolescent teenage boys or collectors. Graphic novels, with their varied and modern story lines, have attracted a whole new segment of the population, including women. So why not head to Lee's Comics to find something fun, affordable and unique? The price of comics can vary from $2.99-$59.99, which means you can get your nieces and nephews (or your friends) a few for under $10.00. They also sell T-shirts, posters, mugs and other fun items with images or logos from some popular comic book series.

Therapy
250 Castro St.

Stop by this clothing, accessories and home decor store and find really cute, small and affordable items. Check out the Sock It to Me knee-highs for under $10, wall prints for $12.95 or splurge on a studded iPad Case for $48. Store Manager Monica Nungaray encourages people to shop at Therapy because "its a family-owned business, with electic items and anyone can stop in and find something that they like."

West Valley Music
262 Castro St.

If you have a music lover in your life, this store is right up their alley. They sell instruments like keyboards, harmonicas and saxophones, items specific to musical instruments like strings, picks and sheet music. For the Gleeks you know, a songbook is $16.95.

Global Beads
345 Castro St.

One of the great things about the holidays is that handcrafted gifts are not only cool and thoughtful, but also unique. Consider making a bead necklace, bracelets or earring for your relatives and friends. Or buy them a gift certificate for free jewelry making classes. Store owner Kathleen McCabe-Elsey recommends the customizable kits to make macramé, kumihimo, leather wrap bracelets and even wine glass charms. "We also feature our own line of custom-designed jewelry, Don'Kay Designs, which are one-of-a-kind," she said.

Don't forget to visit our 2012 Holiday Guide for more articles on gift ideas, shopping tips, events, opinions and more.

Happy Holidays from Mountain View Patch!

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