Back in the Black

Your hood-by-hood holiday gift guide.

by Josh Middleton

Recession, go suck an egg. Over the past several years, we've crafted our holiday gift guides to complement a wobbly economy that's made Scrooges out of even the Tiniest of Tims. But this time around, we're throwing financial caution to the frosty wind: Instead of pinching every penny, we encourage you to spend in the unique, locally owned stores that bring vitality to the hoods you call home. It's a holiday stimulus package with the lofty goal of helping pull Philly out of the red and into the black for years to come.

To get the ball rolling, a troop of CP scribes trekked across the city — from Fairmount to Fishtown, Passyunk to Manayunk — in search of gifts to satisfy every greedy bugger on your shopping list, without ever setting foot in a stuffy, run-of-the-mill big box. On the following pages you'll find a range of predominantly local, eco-conscious gifts to suit every price point and personality. There's something for your mom, your snookums, even that bizarre cat lady aunt of yours — and the refreshing part is, you're doing your part to help the little guys, too.

So let's do this. Every dollar you spend in your own neighborhood is a vote for local prosperity.

(joshua.middleton@citypaper.net)