From the beautifully designed and thoughtfully procured, to the offbeat and extra, here are nine DC-themed gifts worth checking out this holiday season.
1. A Candle That Smells Like Your Neighborhood
The irreverent neighborhood-inspired candles by DC candle maker District Heroines are good for a chuckle and a little fragrant mood lighting. The “Capitol Hill” candle says it smells like “misogyny, Old Spice, and questionable morality;” the “AdMo” one claims to waft with “Jumbo Slice, expensive rides home, and DC’s longest-running street festival,” and Dupont’s smells of “art festivals, Embassy Row, and a superior farmers market.” See what your neighborhood smells like, starting $35 a candle. Shop here.
2. A Flag Flown Over the Capitol
These ceremonial souvenirs may have gift appeal beyond District residents, but the Capitol Flag Program is worth checking out for your local loved ones. The program, run by the Architect of the Capitol, allows people to request flags that have flown over the Capitol through their representative or senator. Each flag—the AOC fulfills on average, it says, more than 100,000 flag requests a year, comes with a certificate of authenticity. Shop here.
3. A Chocolate Capitol Building
Chocolate Chocolate, a DC chocolatier, is well known for its edible DC-monument-inspired confections. As of this posting, the Lincoln Memorials, Washington Monuments, White Houses, and three-dimensional Capitol domes are sold out, but the two-ounce, 4.5-by-3.5-inch flat solid chocolate Capitols are available. $6.95 each at Chocolate Chocolate on Connecticut Avenue or ChocolateDC.com. Shop here.
4. A Rizzoli Book of State Department Furniture
A beautifully designed coffee table book, America’s Collection: The Art and Architecture of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the U.S. Department of State, showcases more than 150 pieces of art, furniture, and architecture from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the Department of State. $100 at RizzoliBookStore.com. Shop here.
5. Anything From the Metro Pop-up Shop
View this post on Instagram
There are tees plastered with Metro’s logo, some with snarkier taglines (“Rideshare? That’s cute. We call it Transit”), plus ornaments, a coffee mug, holiday cards, and a baby romper made to look like a station manager’s uniform. Check it out in person (and ensure you get your gifts on time), or shop online. Shop here.
6. A DC-Flag-Stamped Workbook
This DC-based stationery company offers a version of its workbook that features a gold-foil stamp of the DC flag on the cover. $24 at Appointed. Shop here.
7. The Official White House Christmas Ornament
Whether your giftee is a long-time collector or new to the tradition, the annual White House Christmas Ornament has been an offering of the White House Historical Association for more than 40 years. This year’s ornament is a holiday wreath “inspired by the handcrafted Christmas ornaments used in the White House during the Gerald R. Ford Jr., administration.” $25 at ShopWhiteHouseHistory.org. Shop here.
8. An Illustrated Map of Your Neighborhood
These were on our list last year, and for good reason we include them again—the colorfully illustrated maps by Wild Places Prints’ Zachary Ammerman offer a cool, birds’ eye look at your favorite DC neighborhood. $28 at Shop Made in DC. Shop here.
9. Anything From the Supreme Court Gift Shop
We especially love the items in the “school supplies” category, including this five-inch miniature gavel pen with the inscription “Supreme Court,” which looks hard to lose and fun to write with—two qualities we love in a pen. $10.95 at the Supreme Court Gift Shop. Shop here.
Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.
