The gift of greenery

Seriously. Give somebody a cherry tree. Or an orchid. Or a Jasmine bush. Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery in Puyallup touts 32,500 square-feet of living gifts, gardening supplies and way more candles and furniture for sale than you would expect to find at a nursery. Watson's has been around since 1974, and now occupies a massive glass and steel greenhouse from Belgium. Watson's grows enough flora to be filled with annual plants, planters and hanging baskets. Get your mom a technicolor cactus. Or start someone an air plant collection. Give ‘em a tree that won't die a week later. - Paul Schrag

WHERE TO FIND IT: Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery, 6211 Pioneer Way E., Puyallup, 253.845.7359

Miracles happen

All you readers with a special lady in your life, listen up! This gift idea starts as nice and could easily end up a little naughty. How about a gift certificate to Judy's Intimate Apparel in Olympia? Judy's specializes in bras. Unique bras to be exact. From cup sizes AA to M, and from nursing bras and mastectomy fittings, Judy's has a gift for any woman. And we all know that miracles can happen (in and out of the bedroom!) when a woman has a cute bra and a ton of confidence because it fit rights! This gift is a win-win. - Nikki Talotta

WHERE TO FIND IT: Judy's Intimate Apparel, 2528 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia, 360.357.8807, judysintimateapparel.com

Way more flattering than your cell phone and a mirror

Want to give the gift of self in a more permanent fashion? "Little Black Book" boudoir studio by Firstlight Photography can capture the hottest side of you. The husband and wife photography team create lasting images of beauty and grace for all shapes and sizes.  Elegant lighting, flattering poses and excellent customer relations make the experience of having your naughty bits caught on celluloid an exhilarating experience. Only as much of you will be revealed as you desire. Be it tasteful and subtle, or full-blown sexy and provocative, the results will be worthy of any bombshell or movie star. -  Ginger Knoxx 

WHERE TO FIND IT: Firstlight Photography, 253.335.7958, firstlight-weddings.com

Local art as gifts

Dwell is a home décor store located in North Tacoma filled with gifts sure to butter up that special lady in your life, or the rare dude who enjoys floral-scented soaps or vintage-inspired wall décor. Many of the items at Dwell have a vintage appeal. Items that make particularly great gifts include skeleton key pendants that can be customized with a name or date, or the Sid Dickens Memory Blocks, which are collectable handcrafted plaster tiles by a Vancouver artist ($82 each). The store carries over 100 unique tiles at any one time. - Kristin Kendle

WHERE TO FIND IT: Dwell, 2716 N. 21st St., Tacoma, 253.761.1889

Way classier than that Demi Moore movie

Learning the sensual form of dance at Poledello takes the strip club out of it. The warm, encouraging environment allows students to explore artistic expression as they build muscle and create routines. The focus is much more on being physically fit and getting comfortable with your own sensuality in the realm of dance than on looking hot for your special audience of one. Though strong is the new sexy, you don't have to be a lean athlete to learn gravity defying aerial transitions. A three-week class for beginners makes a great gift. - Jennifer Johnson

WHERE TO FIND IT: Poledello, 715 Commerce St., Tacoma, 253.509.8811, poledello.com

‘Tis the season for roller derby

I could easily say this is the perfect gift for dad, but mom would love it just as much.  Nothing beats a date night involving bruised asses, torn fishnets and cold Budweiser tall boys ... am I right?  And nothing beats that more than multiple nights of the aforementioned. Give your friends and loved ones all the classy hip-checks, obnoxious commentary and flat out fun that comes with Dockyard Derby Dames season passes. Although season pass prices had not yet been determined at the time of Weekly Volcano Holiday Gift Guide deadline, you can contact Tacoma's biggest roller derby league for more info. - Steph DeRosa

WHERE TO FIND?IT: dockyardderbydames.com

Make someone feel like a big deal

My DVD case's cheap wooden sides bulge with too many movies. One        more and I fear the structure will collapse like a Jenga tower. But my film habit must stay alive - so PLEASE, Generous Reader, buy me an annual membership at The Grand Cinema this holiday. Let me for once feel like a playa and roll my Kia into the members-only parking lot, then save a buck-fifty on every admission (take that, non-member suckas!) and enjoy many more perks. Packages range from Individual ($45) up to the blingiest Gold Membership ($500), but I ain't greedy. - Chris Wood

WHERE TO FIND IT: grandcinema.com

Kate Hartley DiSantis switchplates

Decorative switchplates might seem a bit old-fashioned, and they can be - if the theme is, say, puppies or roses. But the David switchplate by Mercer Island artist Kate Hartley DiSantis is anything but staid. (Although it is, er, stiff.) The visually punny plates ($16.99), along with conventionally themed ones that won't generate any embarrassing questions from the kids, are sold at Olympia's Ginger Street, a fun-to-browse gift shop where the David is the single most popular item. - Molly Gimore

WHERE TO FIND IT: Ginger Street, 509 Capitol Way S., Olympia, 360.943.1545

Tacoma Food Co-op membership

Want to feel really good about yourself, and help someone else do the same? Buy ‘em a membership to the Tacoma Food Co-op. It's $100, and they'll probably cook something for you. Providing a selection of local, organic and specialty foods, the Tacoma Food Co-op hopes to be a "nucleus of a much larger circle of relationships that will directly impact the local food supply and the health and well-being of the greater Tacoma community." If someone is a member, they get to take credit for that. If you buy someone a membership, you both get to take credit for it. Win-win. - PS

WHERE TO FIND IT: Tacoma Food Co-op, 3002 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.3344

Give Tush!

For a gift that's a little naughty and a little nice, think fishnet-covered legs - and not the kind attached to a lamp. We're talking striptease and tassels, cleavage and creativity. We're talking a 2012 calendar of Olympia's own Tush! Burlesque. How awesome of a gift is that? It's naughty because, well you know, and it's nice because you can mark all your important dates and support lovely local ladies! You can pick up one for you and friends, Dec. 2 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Or email tushburlesque@gmail.com for online ordering information. - NT

WHERE TO FIND IT: Email tushburlesque@gmail.com

Northwest goodness

Buy some at the Pacific Northwest Store >>>

If you need to suck up to visiting in-laws, or are traveling out of state and want to advertise the splendor of the Great Northwest, the Pacific Northwest Store is there for you. Give the gift of local wine, smoked salmon or other locally produced tasty treats. This store also offers quintessential Northwest glass art from Glass Eye Studio, which is always sure to impress. Other local artwork ranges from pottery to wall hangings to woodcarvings. But don't think this place is only for non-Washingtonians. Items like chocolate candles, soaps and lotions from Whidbey Island are perfect for all. - KK

WHERE TO FIND IT: Pacific Northwest Store, 2702 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253.752.2242

Embroidered pin-ups

Artist Lucy Peterson of Olympia says of her embroidered pin-up ladies, "I rediscovered my love for embroidery, melding it with my even greater love for sleazy pulp fiction art, when I was trying to quit smoking in 2009." More nice than naughty, Peteron's charming creations ($20-$175) are hand-embroidered on vintage fabrics and framed by embroidery hoops. Art? Craft? Tradition? Kitsch? Madonna? Whore? Peterson attempts to blur all the lines. - MG

WHERE TO FIND IT: 100ladies.etsy.com or lucyempeterson@yahoo.com

Watson's Greenhouse & Nursery

Seriously. Give somebody a cherry tree. Or an orchid. Or a Jasmine bush. Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery in Puyallup touts 32,500 square-feet of living gifts, gardening supplies and way more candles and furniture for sale than you would expect to find at a nursery. Watson's has been around since 1974, and now occupies a massive glass and steel greenhouse from Belgium. Watson's grows enough flora to be filled with annual plants, planters and hanging baskets. Get your mom a technicolor cactus. Or start someone an air plant collection. Give ‘em a tree that won't die a week later. - PS

WHERE TO FIND IT: Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery, 6211 Pioneer Way E., Puyallup, 253.845.7359

Nurture Healing Center

While most of the adjectives we assign to massage are fluffy - luxury, pampering, relaxing, indulgent - massage has well documented medical benefits as well. Decreased anxiety, enhanced sleep quality, increased circulation and a whole host of other benefits can be delivered by the skilled hands of a proper masseuse. At Nurture Healing Center, they won't love you long time, but they will help you work out the kinks. Ask for Aaron, Nicole or Duane. - PS

WHERE TO FIND IT: Nurture Healing Center, 739 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.314.4656

Children's Museum of Tacoma membership

The new Children's Museum of Tacoma location, opening Jan. 14, 2012, will offer a "pay-as-you-will" payment structure, meaning in the museum's new location it will be able to grant anyone admission, regardless of their ability to pay full admission price. The new location of the Children's Museum of Tacoma will also offer membership levels that include parking spaces and additional amenities not available with the present membership structure. By doing this, the Children's Museum will be able to offer "free admission" to visitors when needed.  Let's be honest, there's no better gift for your community than the gift of play and the ability to offer it to anyone, no matter what. The last day of operation at the Children's Museum of Tacoma's Broadway location is Dec. 19. - SD

WHERE TO FIND IT: Children's Museum of Tacoma - as of Jan. 14 - S.15th St. and Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.6031

Wiggle perfume

We admit it - we haven't sniffed the fragrances created by Nani Speights of Olympia. But Speights, aka Nani Poonani of Olympia's Tush Burlesque, knows sexy, right? Including seasonal and limited-edition scents, her line of Wiggle Perfume ($15 for a 5-milliliter vial) has so many options she's literally lost count. "The one I hear the most about is Mathilde," she says. "I swear it has magic powers." At least, the lavender-vanilla-blood orange-black pepper combination works like a charm on Speight's mate. Then again, did we mention she's a burlesque dancer? How much more persuasion could he need? If you need more persuasion, Speights sells samples for $3 each. - MG

WHERE TO FIND IT: wiggleperfume.etsy.com or facebook.com/wiggleperfume

LINK: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings