We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
This year, we've scoured the country to bring you a selection of handpicked treasures that showcase the best Canadian small businesses. In the words of Santa, a business is only as small as their ideas... and these brands are full of BIG ideas!
1. With an emphasis on wild, plant-based ingredients, East Coast Glow handcrafts sleek toiletries infused with the scents of the sea and forests. This award-winning company makes sustainable skincare products using pure iceberg water.
2. Where can you find Canada’s daintiest wildflowers? Tania Scott, the artist behind Tundramoon, knows the answer is Iqaluit. Flowers and plants from the tundra are hand-picked, dried and added to art, earrings, and home accessories.
3. Charlottetown’s Green Eye Designs is home to Swoon Vintage. Their carefully curated collection includes everything from 1930s wedding dresses to 1960s sundresses to power suits from the 80s and 90s. With clean photos and careful sizing, it’s easy to shop for others.
4. For over 40 years, the Whitehorse-based Sportees has been outfitting outdoor enthusiasts. The company knows a thing or two about cold weather conditions, and equipping folks for skiing, skating, dog mushing, and winter running is their specialty.
5. The Alberta Boot Company’s products are made to last – and last, and then last some more. These handcrafted cowboy boots from Calgary are constructed using vintage tools and built for longevity (and repairs, making them a sustainable choice).
6. Hillberg & Berk is a Regina success story, and not just because they make the prettiest hoops and studs around. 88% of the leadership team identify as women or non-binary and the brand constantly donates to charitable causes, including The Native Women’s Association of Canada and The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
7. Kootenay area artist Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman) is preserving one of Canada’s rarest art forms. She creates birch bark bitings by biting a thin layer of bark, the resulting indentations slowly forming an intricate pattern. The result is unique, intimate, and delicate.
8. These soft, snug mittens from Léonce are made using bamboo, polar fleece, 100% Quebec wool and organic cotton woven in Montreal. They promise to keep your hands toasty warm to -20°C.
9. At Hooking Outside The Lines, colourful rug hooking patterns and fibre kits are available for crafters at every level. Best of all, owner Robin Whitford offers a Creativity Club for anyone who wants to learn, explore, and connect (or just needs some moral support to finish their projects!)
10. That picky person on your holiday shopping list won’t have a single complaint about the gorgeous goods from Farmer’s Son Co., a Winnipeg-based artisanal candle and lifestyle brand.
11. Inspired by the sights, sounds, and people of Cape Breton, fiddler, piano player, and step dancer Kolten MacDonell creates pottery using found materials, including wood ash, seaweed, and sand.
12. Could Canada’s coolest design studio really be just outside Moncton? One look at Agile Design + Fabrication will have you screaming: “Yes!” These stunning pieces are designed to easily be assembled and disassembled, so they’ll always move with you.
13. Is your bestie’s idea of a rocking New Year’s Eve a cup of hot tea, a good book, and a snug night at home? If so, you’ll want to get her an exquisite pair of hand-beaded moosehide moccasins made by Acho Dene in Fort Laird, Northwest Territories. These gorgeous slippers are the product of dozens of hours of work from artisanal craftsmen.
