So this holiday season, as you think about what to buy for that hard-to-shop-for friend or loved one, let us help. We’ve created a gift guide featuring authentic items from crafters across the region. As you make your list and check it twice, here’s how to give the gift of Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley this holiday season.

Farms cover much of the Mid-Willamette Valley, producing hundreds of different types of crops every year. If you’d like to share the bounty of the region with a special someone, consider perusing the varied selection at Bauman’s Farm & Garden, which sits just south of Woodburn.

Bauman’s farm store sells jams, jellies, salsas, and other culinary items that are crafted from locally grown ingredients; a variety of house-made hard ciders; and fresh, Willamette Valley-grown produce. You’ll also find gift items, holiday decor, baked goods, and (for the green thumb on your list) a garden center that teems with hanging baskets, perennials, and garden supplies.

At first glance, vegan chocolate might seem like an oxymoron—but odds are good you'll be convinced after just one bite of the many treats from the Salem-based Chomp! Chocolate.

Chomp! prides itself on crafting small-batch vegan chocolate, crafted without milk and with beans that are ethically sourced from producers around the world. (At any given time, you can even see where the company’s cacao beans come from, along with notes about fair trade, direct trade, organic certification, and more). It’s a level of care and craftsmanship that is apparent in every bar, stick of chocolate-covered licorice, and peanut butter cup that Chomp! produces. You can purchase it all through the company’s online store—with steps taken to ensure your candy doesn’t melt before it reaches its destination.

For more than 100 years, the humble hazelnut has been an economic and agricultural powerhouse in the Willamette Valley. In all, about 1,000 regional farms grow the nut on more than 80,000 acres—an area larger than Dublin, Ireland; broadly speaking, Oregon grows 99 percent of the United States' hazelnut crop each year.

So, if you want to give a gift that reflects the passion, hard work, and authenticity of the Mid-Willamette Valley, see what’s new from Freddy Guys—a family-run hazelnut orchard just outside the community of Monmouth. The Freddy Guys online store offers farm-direct hazelnuts prepared in a variety of ways—natural, seasoned, or roasted hazelnuts; pancake and granola mixes infused with the nut; hazelnut cooking oils; and more.

Since 1919, the nonprofit Salem Art Association has offered educational programs to students, teachers, and parents throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley—all through workshops, fairs, festivals, and other community events. (Every year, for instance, the organization's Salem Art Fair & Festival spotlights work from more than 200 artists).

If you want to support that mission while picking the perfect piece for the art lover on your list, stop by the Association's Bush Barn Art Center. Housed in Bush's Pasture Park just south of downtown, the vibrant space hosts four exhibit spaces, an artist-in-residence studio, and a gallery—the latter stocked with fiber art, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, drawings, and original prints from more than 50 regional artists.

The Willamette Heritage Center is steeped in Willamette Valley history—hosting early industrial artifacts, one of the oldest standing wooden frame houses in the Pacific Northwest, and the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill – a textile mill founded in 1889 that produced fine woolen blankets and fabrics for more than 70 years.

Recently, the Center reaffirmed its commitment to history by “welcoming home” the iconic Oregon brand Pendleton Woolen Mills, which was owned and operated by Thomas Kay’s descendants. The Pendleton store at Willamette Heritage Center boasts a wide-ranging lineup of items adorned with the mill's Native American-inspired designs—imagery that has enchanted for more than a century; those items include thick wool blankets, apparel, accessories (such as scarves, gloves, and other cold-weather items), towels, and more. And if you’re feeling crafty, you can pick up remnants and cut fabric for DIY projects at home.

Salem and the surrounding communities boast an impressive arts scene—one that's celebrated in a variety of ways at Willamette Art Center, housed amidst the oak trees at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center.

The center celebrates and showcases local artists—especially those working with ceramics—by offering studio space, workshops, classes, camps, and more. If you're looking for a beautifully hand-crafted gift for someone special this holiday season, the Willamette Art Center's online store sells bowls, dishes, and other one-of-a-kind items.

Every summer, the family-owned Willamette Valley Pie Company processes more than 10 million pounds of fresh, locally grown berries—including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and even the iconic marionberry (first cultivated in the Willamette Valley and now a regionally iconic delicacy).

If a special someone on your list has an insatiable sweet tooth, consider gifting them a pie (or two!) bursting with Oregon-grown flavors. (Thankfully, Willamette Valley Pie Company offers online shopping and ships its pies across the United States). Choose among hand pies, cobblers, and full-sized pies available in mixed berry, marionberry, peach, and more. (And if you’re shopping for holiday parties or for someone nearby, the company’s Salem-area outpost offers pie by the slice, scones, and muffins to-go, as well as gift items).

A love of place is at the heart of Wild for Oregon, a family-run company producing handmade personal care products that reflect a variety of outdoor experiences across the state.

Wild for Oregon’s lineup includes bar soap, shampoo and conditioner, hand and body lotion, lip balm, and gift sets—all crafted from Oregon-grown ingredients. Naturally, some of the company’s products pay tribute to the Willamette Valley; those items include bar soap, body lotion, and lip balm, each infused with a mix of essential oils and locally grown lavender for a pleasant, relaxing scent.

If you’ve read this far and are still trying to find that perfect gift, chances are good you’ll find it at the Salem Holiday Market, taking place Dec. 9-11, 2022, at the Oregon State Fair & Expo Center.

More than 250 vendors come together at the popular market, each showcasing and selling handmade, handcrafted, or home-grown products—including garden decor, jewelry, artwork, seasonal decorations, locally crafted spirits, and more. Away from the vendor stalls, the family fun includes live music, door prize baskets, activities for children, pet adoptions, a gingerbread house contest, and a tree-decorating contest.