Yes, there are only two real shopping days until Christmas left, and I realize there are more things in town to shop for than pets, books, toys and games, and food and drink. Here's a general roundup of more shopping options that I missed. (And I'm pretty sure I'll miss more, too.)

The Brew Shop: Homebrewing supplies for beer makers, and an excellent bottle shop for beer seekers. 2524 NE Division, 541-323-2318.

Local Joe: Downtown's locally-owned clothing store that's been around forever. 929 NW Wall, 541-385-7137.

Hot Box Betty: Women's boutique clothing. 903 NW Wall, 541-383-0050.

Bambini of Bend: Kids clothing, toys, and gear. 1052 NW Newport, Suite 102, 541-385-1806.

Folks from Desperado wrote in earlier with: "Desperado in the Old Mill carries some fun leather pillows by designer Patricia Wolf." The Old Mill, 541-749-9980.

Goody's: Can't believe I missed them the first time around. Handmade chocolates and candies, including sugar-free treats. 957 NW Wall, 541-389-5185, and 2680 NE Hwy. 20, 541-388-6965.

Ranch Records: Best local music store in town. 831 NW Wall, 541-389-6116.

Skjersaa's: They've really been around forever (since 1958). Ski and snowboard shop. 130 SW Century Drive, 541-382-2154‎.

Pine Mountain Sports: Outdoor sports and gear shop of all kinds. 255 SW Century Drive, 541-385-8080.

The last few posts have been pretty Bulletin-centric, but what can I say? They're publishing interesting stuff. Today it's a compendium of their own holiday gift guide.

Tech gifts, "nifty gifts" (whatever that means), practical gifts, homemade gifts, luxuries: not everything is local but it's good for ideas. Only a couple of shopping days left, and judging by what I've seen so far this season, people have waited longer this year—it's still busy out there.

Christmas is fast approaching (less than two weeks away!) and for any last-minute shopping you need to do, herewith are some suggestions. Organized by category, all as local as possible, with some specific suggestions and some general. Feel free to leave additional suggestions in the comments.

Both Newport Avenue Market and Whole Foods are great places to go for both specialty foods (gourmet cheeses, chocolates and candies, organic whatever), and have extensive beer and wine selections as well. (Particularly the beer—both have great offering perfect for any beer geek.)

Newport Market: 1121 NW Newport Avenue (west side), 541-382-3940. Open 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm.

Whole Foods: 2610 NE Highway 20 (east side), 541-389-0151. Open 7 days a week, 8am to 9pm.

Gift cards to one of our many good restaurants is always a good option: off the top of my head several good ones would be Zydeco, Ariana, the Pine Tavern, Joolz, the Victorian Café, Kebaba, and one of the many breweries.

Speaking of breweries, pick up a growler or bottles from one of our many: Deschutes Brewery, Bend Brewing, Silver Moon, 10 Barrel (at JC's), McMenamins, Cascade Lakes, or Three Creeks (in Sisters). Word to the wise about growlers though: they shouldn't sit around too long after buying them—they're full of fresh beer and don't have an airtight seal. So if you buy one a week or more in advance then you'll likely be giving flat beer as a gift.

More of a wine person? Try Maragas Winery or Volcano Vineyards. Both offer a nice variety of locally-produced wines which you can pick up (and taste!) in their tasting rooms here in town. Both also feature wine clubs that would be a fun gift to someone as well.

Maragas tasting room: 643 NW Colorado, 541-330-0919. Open Thursday through Saturday 2 to 8.

Volcano tasting room: 126 NW Minnesota, 541-617-1102. Open Tuesday through Saturday 12 to 8, Sunday 12 to 5.

Cheese goes great with wine, and Tumalo Farms produces handcrafted cheeses locally: artisan goat milk cheese, six different varieties on their website right now. You can order from them directly online, but I've also seen some of their cheeses as Whole Foods, and Newport Market probably has them as well.

Coffee lovers on your list? Check out Strictly Organic: they roast their own beans and sell a wide variety of blends and yes, they are certified organic. Stop in at their retail location/café to pick up your coffee, and stick around long enough for a cup or two and maybe lunch.

6 SW Bond, 541-330-6061. Open Monday through Saturday 8 to 8, Sunday 10 to 6.

Finally, booze might be what you're after—nothing wrong with that! My favorite liquor store is East Bend Liquor at 2220 East Highway 20, though the smaller west side liquor store inside of Ray's is pretty good also. East Bend Liquor carries a nice variety of gift packages—bottles of specialty alcohol with custom glassware, for instance—and the staff is friendly and very helpful.

And they stock the full line of Bendistillery wares as well: Crater Lake Vodka, Cascade Mountain Gin, Mazama Pepper Vodka, and the Hazelnut Espresso Vodka.

Christmas is fast approaching (less than two weeks away!) and for any last-minute shopping you need to do, herewith are some suggestions. Organized by category, all as local as possible, with some specific suggestions and some general. Feel free to leave additional suggestions in the comments.

D's Hobbies: A full-service hobby shop, with models, radio-controlled everything, paintball, wood hobbies, trains, puzzles, rockets, and much much more. It would be pretty hard not to find something, though they don't stock "just" toys (it's all hobby oriented). They have an online store too, but I definitely encourage you to stop in and browse.

757 NE Greenwood, 541-389-1330. Open 7 days a week, 10 to 6.

Leapin' Lizards: Downtown Bend's boutique toy store, carrying many of the popular toys as well as the unusual, imaginative, and educational toys and games. Great for big gifts and stocking stuffers. They'll gift wrap orders over $15.

953 NW Wall, 541-382-8326. Open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6, Sunday from 11 to 4 (winter hours).

Pegasus Books: Not just books and comics, Pegasus carries a large number of games and toys that are comic, video game, and/or science fiction themed, or just plain eclectic or unusual. Heard of a fun and unusual board game? Try here first.

105 NW Minnesota, 541-388-4588. Open Monday through Saturday 11 to 6, Sunday 12 to 4.

I don't know of any toymakers in town, other than the Qubits people: they've developed an educational construction toy that's kind of a cross between an erector set and Legos, but flexible; the pieces are uniquely geometrical and there are a couple of kinds of connectors to play around with.

There's a Junior Kit for $29.99, and a Jumbo Kit for $79.95, all ages 5 and up. Order online directly from their website.

Christmas is fast approaching (less than two weeks away!) and for any last-minute shopping you need to do, herewith are some suggestions. Organized by category, all as local as possible, with some specific suggestions and some general. Feel free to leave additional suggestions in the comments.

If you're just browsing, there are a number of local new and used bookstores you should visit (in alphabetical order):

Between the Covers: 645 NW Delaware (the corner of Delaware and Bond), 541-385-4766. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 to 6.

The Bookmark: 228 NE Greenwood, 541-617-9271. Open 10 to 5:30, I think 7 days a week (at least Monday through Saturday).

Camalli Book Company: 1288 SW Simpson, Suite C, 541-323-6134. Open Monday through Saturday 10 to 6, Sunday 12 to 4.

Dudley's Bookshop Cafe: 135 NW Minnesota, 541-749-2010.

The Open Book: 155 NE Greenwood, 541-388-3249. Open Monday through Saturday 10 to 6.

Pegasus Books: 105 NW Minnesota, 541-388-4588. Open Monday through Saturday 11 to 6, Sunday 12 to 4.

Of course, there are specific book recommendations as well (some from user submissions, some are my own picks):

All Around Bend: Though the first printing has sold out, this newest (locally-published) guidebook to Bend looks to be accepting (pre?)orders for the new edition.

Living Local Coupon Book: Featuring 150 coupons from local businesses, including Alpenglow Cafe, Bellatazza, the Deschutes Historical Museum, Pine Mountain Sports, and many more. It's $20 and coupons are good through November 2010.

Haven Home Style in downtown Bend features a variety of "Interior Design and Specialty Books" available for purchase. If you're looking for books on architecture, interior design, or lifestyle you might give them a look.

Bend, Overall: Great guidebook released five years ago, by Scott Cook. (Read my review.) (Yes, a couple of these are Amazon.com links—despite my admonition to buy local. Sometimes those are the best-available links and I'm using my affiliate code. Click as you wish.)

Frontier Doctor: Love this book, it's the early history of Bend and the town's first doctor, Urling Coe. Fun read, a must for local history buffs.

Bend (Images of America): You can get this at the Deschutes Historical Museum, a 100-year pictorial history of Bend.

Meet Me in the Badlands: Exploring Central Oregon with Jim Witty: A collection of some of the best of the late Jim Witty's great travel adventures around Central Oregon. Proceeds from sales go to the Jim Witty Memorial Fund. Also found at the Deschutes Historical Museum, and some of the outdoor sports stores like Pine Mountain Sports.

Christmas is fast approaching (less than two weeks away!) and for any last-minute shopping you need to do, herewith are some suggestions. Organized by category, all as local as possible, with some specific suggestions and some general. Feel free to leave additional suggestions in the comments.

RuffWear: Bend is a dog town, so naturally there evolved a company like RuffWear: they produce gear for "dogs on the go", from boots to coats to packs to beds and quite a bit more. They even helpfully have a Holiday Gift Ideas section on their website, organized by price.

The folks from RuffWear wrote in to say, "Our products are available either through our website, or at Healthy Paws in Northwest crossing, Pandora's Backpack downtown, or at both locations of Bend Pet Express."

Contact/info: order directly from their website or visit one of the afore-mentioned stores in person.

Bend Pet Express: Bend's locally-owned pet superstore, with locations on both the west and east sides of town. Pet food, toys, accessories, treats, and even a grooming service, Bend Pet Express has everything you should need. You can shop online, and they'll even deliver!

Right now you can buy personalized ornaments, and like RuffWear are running some other Holiday Gift Ideas on their website's front page. Even better, they are running wishlists for local non-profits: things you can buy and donate to organizations that help animals.

East side: 420 NE Windy Knolls, 541-385-5298. Open 7 days a week, 9 to 6.

West side: 133 SW Century Drive, 541-89-4620. Same days/hours.

First full week of December is down and I'm thinking about the ol' Holiday Shopping Guide series of posts. Actually, there were two different ones: the Shopping Guide for places to shop back in 2006, and the Gift Guide for specific local products back in 2007.

(Last year I did a "12 days of Christmas" countdown.)

So if I do a 2009 all-in-one shopping/gift guide, what does everyone want to see? Perhaps I'll scroll through the old posts of 2009 and look for likely things, as well as rehashing the previous guides.

If you have something in mind, or something you want to sell, let me know either with a comment on this post or via the contact form. Or heck, use Facebook or Twitter too.

What: Albums from local bands and artists. Central Oregon has a thriving music scene, ranging in styles from hip hop (MC Mystic) to folk (Moon Mountain Ramblers) to alt rock (KouseFly) to just about any other genre you can think up.

For: Music lovers, anyone who wants local flavors of music.

Price: CD prices—the neighborhood of $10-20 - $-$$

Where: Ranch Records, of course—they have a good selection of CDs from all sorts of local artists. Downtown at 831 NW Wall.

Trivia: For a good sense of just how much local music there is going on, and for a good selection of free samples, check out MySpace Music and search locally.

What: Frontier Doctor, by Urling Coe. One of my favorite Bend history books—this is more of a narrative than a dry history tome and it's a fantastic read. Urling Coe came to Bend in 1905 to practice medicine when Bend was still entirely a frontier town, and his experiences and observations over the years that followed as Central Oregon developed are priceless.

For: Anyone interested in Bend history.

Price: $15.95 new - $$

Where: Try the Book Barn first—they have the best selection of local interest/authors that I've seen in town.

Online:

• Amazon
• Powells

Trivia: Urling Coe (aside from having an unusual name) also served as one of Bend's first mayors and co-founded Bend's first bank.

What: Cog Wild is a local guide company dedicated to mountain biking, and they offer a whole slew of bike tour options as well as gear you can buy directly from them. Tours are available from April to November (mountain biking season), so you won't be riding right away, but you can buy gift certificates and book tours in advance, and get the clothing now.

For: Biking enthusiasts of all types—beginners through advanced—and anyone who's looking for outdoor adventure.

Price: For clothing: Men's and women's shirts, $20; hats, $20; hoodies, $35 - $$-$$$

For tours: They start at $40 for the "Full Moon Adventure" tour, up to $895 for some of the best multi-day tour experiences out there - $$$-$$$$$

Where: Contact them directly to find out about buying gear and setting up tours. They're not always in the office in the off-season, so be sure to leave a message.

Trivia: From their FAQ:"Cog Wild is the only local permit holder offering mountain bike tours in Central Oregon. The Forest Service has issued Cog Wild a wider range of trails that none of the other companies can use."

What: A bottle (or two! or more!) of wine from one (or both!) local wineries, Maragas Winery and Volcano Vineyards. Maragas is the winery that is also attempting to grow vineyards locally, just north of Terrebonne—something that hasn't been done here before.

The available styles of wine are Zinfandel, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, and a Muscat dessert wine. And, you can sign up for a wine club or put together a gift basket if you're looking for more than just a bottle or two.

For: Wine lovers, foodies.

Price: Individual bottles priced at $14 on up to $32 - $-$$$

Where: Maragas' tasting room at 643 NW Colorado Avenue; Volcano Vineyards at 930 NW Brooks Street Promenade downtown.

Trivia: You can visit the Maragas Winery north of Terrebonne on weekends, Friday through Sunday from 11 to 4pm. They're located just north of the Crooked River Gorge.

What: Locally-distilled spirits from Bendistillery. Everyone knows about their Crater Lake Vodka and Cascade Mountain Gin, but they also have a hazelnut espresso and a hot pepper-infused vodka.

The vodka is filtered though crushed volcanic rock—local, of course—while the gin is made from locally-picked wild juniper berries. And the distillery is looking into buying a farm in Tumalo to produce crops for their spirits, further bringing the local flavor to their products.

For: Anyone who wants something stronger than local beer.

Price: Around $20 to 25 - $$

Where: Available at all the liquor stores in the area.

Trivia: For companies that want to "own their own spirit brand," Bendistillery offers private label vodka, and will produce a flavored vodka of any type.

What: A wide selection of bath and body products from Dani Natural Products, including lotions, hand cremes, oils, soaps, and more. All of their "product bases contain 100% vegetable oils with NO petroleum or animal oils" and they do no animal testing.

For: Girlfriends, wives, female friends and relatives. Men can use them too, they just won't tell anyone.

Price: Ranges from $5 to 30 - $-$$

Where: Their store locator for Oregon shows 5 Bend locations: Maragas Wine, Indulgence, Newport Market, Paper Jazz, and Robert Scott Face/Body. You can, of course, also shop directly online on their site.

Trivia: They also produce a variety of soy candles, one of which is "Sweet Osmanthus"—and I have absolutely no idea what that is.

What: Organic and eco-friendly clothing from Of the Earth, who strive "to be the premier resource for fashionable alternative and organic apparel." Organic cotton, merino wool, hemp, and bamboo are among the fibers they use in their products.

For: Anyone wanting stylish clothing and who wants to be environmentally conscious.

Price: "Rock bottom prices", $5 to 25 - $-$$

Where: Check out their outlet store at 542 NW Arizona (just north of the Old Mill District) for those rock bottom prices they promise. Bambini of Bend on the westside also sells their products, but likely not at outlet prices.

Trivia: Among the fibers they use is recycled plastic bottles... the plastics are processed into fiber to make yarn and other textiles.

What: Growlers of beer from one of our local microbreweries, of course! (Oh come on, you knew I'd get to this one eventually, right?) And actually, they don't have to be limited to growlers: Deschutes Brewery, for instance, will fill any (reasonable) container for you. But don't just get any beer you can find in the grocery store (like the main line of Deschutes and Cascade Lakes beers, for instance)—pick something special from the respective brewery.

For: Beer drinkers.

Price: From the $4 minimum for 20 ounces Deschutes charges, to roughly $12 for a "standard" growler, to an ultra-fancy flip-top one (like the one pictured) that Deschutes sells, filled, for $35 - $-$$$

Where: Deschutes Brewery, Cascade Lakes, Bend Brewing Company, Silver Moon Brewing. I (shamefully) don't know if McMenamins or Wildfire Brewing (at JC's) sells growlers, but it never hurts to ask.

Trivia: Both Deschutes and Bend Brewing are medal-winners at the Great American Beer Festival, as well as being the two oldest microbreweries in the area.

What: "The construction toy of the future." That's as good a description as any for Qubits; this creative and educational toy looks to me like a cross between Legos and an Erector set. Each set contains 150 pieces and according to the creator, "will help children develop spatial skills and manual dexterity. The geometry is natural and scientific. The structures can be very architectural, structural, invoke concepts in engineering or touch on basic concepts of NanoTechnology."

For: Kids, particularly those who like building things.

Price: $39.95 - $$$

Where: Order directly online. You might be able to find these at Kids World in the Forum Shopping Center (eastside).

Trivia: The creator of Qubits, Mark Burginger, is a local architect. He and the toy were featured in this Bulletin article (which brought Qubits to my attention).

What: Locally produced "farmstead" goats milk cheeses from Tumalo Farms. They have seven different cheese varieties which you can order singly, and gift packages available too. These are definitely gourmet cheeses; check out the Pondhopper, a cheese made with a "local microbrew" (I'm guessing Mirror Pond Pale Ale) with "a faint hint of hops."

For: Foodies and turophiles.

Price: Ranges from $18 for a single cheese all the way up to $180 for the "Ultimate Gift": a 10 lb. personalized cheese wheel - $$-$$$$$

Where: Order online directly, or call them at 541-350-3718 to find out if you can order and pick up in person.

Trivia: "Farmstead" cheeses are the highest classification of cheese production: the milk is produced on the farm along with the cheese.

What: Men's and women's T-shirts from Bend Blogger monkeyinabox, where he's poking some fun at Bend's expense like the Buzztouch shirts. "In my SUV"? Indeed! I particularly like the Flaming Chicken design, seen here.

For: Anyone with a sense of humor, and who owns an SUV.

Price: $16.99 - 18.99 - $$

Where: Online, at his CafePress store.

Trivia: "Monkey" is one of the earliest local bloggers, and he even appeared in the newspaper a few years ago (with me, even).

What: The Bend 2008 Calendar from the Bend Calendar Company, featuring gorgeous imagery from local photographers. Because everybody needs a calendar, right?

For: Anyone who needs to keep track of the date.

Price: $15 - $

Where: Lots of places; check out the list of retailers to find out where you can get it.

Trivia: They also offer some basic personalization options, though these are more of a business-to-business nature.

What: Gourmet, hand-crafted biscotti from Di Lusso. I can personally attest to how good these are! They come in 15 flavors, 13 of which are dipped and decorated in chocolate. Decadent, and good either on their own or dipped in your coffee (drank from a mug from Mug Revolutions, of course!). These would liven up a stocking nicely.

For: Coffee drinkers—or anyone, really—with a sweet tooth.

Price: $5.99 for a 4-count, $18 for a 12-pack - $-$$

Where: You can pick them up in person at one of Di Lusso's locations, of course, and you can order them online.

Trivia: The price I gave is for their online pricing; if you stop in one of their stores, you can likely pick up individually-wrapped biscotti for cheaper than the multi-packs.

What: Men's and women's T-shirts from Buzztouch Designs; there are several designs all having a bit of fun at Bend's expense. In a good way, of course. The "Poverty with a View" is a popular design.

For: Anyone with a sense of humor, and who doesn't mind poking fun at  Bend.

Price: $18 right now - $$

Where: You can order them online here.

Trivia: Brian, the guy behind these shirts, is also a founding member of KouseFly, and has even more T-shirts and other products available from his CafePress store here.

What: Handmade, wheel-thrown, kiln-fired pottery coffee mugs from Mug Revolution. They're extremely durable, resistant to chipping, microwave and dishwasher safe, and you can even get them customized. A popular custom touch? Your pet's paw print. Really.

For: All those coffee and tea drinkers (and pet lovers) out there.

Price: From $15 to 20, depending on the personalization options. (Not counting shipping.) - $$

Where: Order online through their site. If you're local, you can contact them to set up a time to stop by their studio to pick up your mug(s) in person.

Trivia: Each 16-ounce mug is kiln-fired at 2,350° F for 10 to 14 hours. Mug Revolution was also featured in a nice write-up in the Bulletin last month.

What: Bend, Overall, by Scott Cook. One of the best local guidebooks to the area, written by a local, with emphasis on the outdoors. I reviewed it here: "The book is divided into 53 featured outings/destinations, several driving tours, and maps. Each of the outings features exact directions for both driving and hiking, helpful tips like whether dogs are allowed and the price (if any), and is peppered liberally with photographs and tidbits of history and trivia."

For: Tourists and locals alike who want to see what the "Central Oregon lifestyle" is all about. But, if you're looking for a book that also recommends and reviews restaurants, lodging, shopping, etc., then this isn't it.

Price: $14.95 new - $

Where: Look for it at The Book Barn (135 NW Minnesota, downtown), or perhaps used at The Open Book (155 NE Greenwood) or The Bookmark (228 NE Greenwood).

If you're looking online:

• Amazon.com (used)
• Powells Books (used)
• REI.com (new)

Trivia: Trade paperback, 144 pages, guidebook-sized (about 5x8), should fit well in a stocking.

So, starting tomorrow (Monday) I'll be running with the Holiday Gift Guide idea I had last week. Between comments on that post, some ideas of my own, and (hopefully) more feedback as I post, there's plenty to write about.

The idea, of course, is to put together a gift guide for things that are related to Bend and Central Oregon in some way—produced here, are unique to the area, are about the area somehow, like that. In some cases, ironically, there may only be a source for the item(s) online—but where possible, I'll try to point to a local outlet.

I'll be using a price range scheme, too, in the highly (un)original form of dollar signs. Here's my scale:

• $0 - 15: $
• $15 - 30: $$
• $30 - 60: $$$
• $60 - 100: $$$$
• $100+: $$$$$

And if I come across something ridiculously cheap, I'll tag it with the "cent" sign: ¢

I think I'll do one item (or group of items, if they're all from the same vendor or something) per post, rather than do a big post for each possible category.

And maybe if I'm feeling really ambitious I'll turn it all into a downloadable PDF. But don't count on that.