Let’s maximize the word count by skipping the long intro and getting straight to our great gift ideas for 2017!

The Arts

Mississauga embraces the arts and there’s plenty in town to pick from this Christmas season.
The Living Arts Centre plays host to a variety of numerous performances year-round that are worth checking out. Also, the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra performs here and we highly encourage you to take in a show or few!
Visual Arts Mississauga is a local gem that offers wonderful programs for anyone, regardless of experience…try out their popular Magic Monday class.
The newest addition to the art scene is Pixie Blue Studio, where you can buy art and or rent out the inspiring space in Port Credit’s east village. They also offer workshops, art classes, paint nights, film photography, dance and wellness sessions, all at an affordable price.
Also in Port Credit’s east village is Pazan Gallery, a home to beautiful artwork in varying styles, an array of framing options for your artwork and most impressively to us; they do remarkable photo restoration work. We’ve seen first-hand a photograph that was decades old and tattered restored into something that looks like it was photographed today, all thanks to the precision work at Pazan Gallery.
Wrapping up our list is the Art Gallery of Mississauga, where a membership is absolutely worth it, along with the available prints, posters and publications they offer for sale.
 

Technology

On the technology side, the FitBit Alta HR tracks all your essentials automatically, is sleek with great battery life and is the best version out there.
With digital photography continuously booming, up your photo game with the Canon EOS Rebel T7i/800D DSLR. With years of popularity supporting it along with relative affordability, this is a solid option.
Sony’s Alpha A6000 comes in at about half the price yet still a good choice for the budding (or existing) photographer. It’s one of the better mirrorless cameras that captures 24.3MP images, full HD video and its DSLR functionality won’t let you down.
For you smartphone photographers, the Olloclip 4-in-1 lens set includes fisheye, wide-angle, macro 10x and 15x lenses, which is great for social media shots. Best of all, it’s under $100!
 

Food

Fancying some fun food options this Christmas?
The Wilcox serves up delicious gastropub fare, creative drinks and an inviting atmosphere that’s worthy of at least monthly visits.
One of the best (and our absolute favourite!) Italian restaurant is Mondello’s , located in the heart of Streetsville. Their consistent dedication to impressive, authentic food and superb service is admirable.
For your sweet-side, head to Mississauga’s best bakery, Kate’s Town Talk Bakery (also in Streetsville) for the best butter tarts, cakes, pies, cookies..you get the point.  We always buy a dozen cookies but only 8 actually make it through our 10 minute drive home from the bakery.
Love authentic Indian food? Indian Cuisine By The Lake is our favourite spot in the city thanks to their mouthwatering menu items. Pop in for their lunch buffet for a real treat!
 

The "Hard To Buy For" person

For that person that’s hard to buy for, Streetsville Treasures is home to a wide variety of vintage inspired memorabilia, home décor items, fashion items and a ton of other cool items.
Almost everyone loves fresh flowers as they’re great for any occasion, including Christmas! Our favourite florist in our city is Stavebank Florist, where owner Mona pairs extraordinary arrangements with years of experience and very happy clients. 
This is more of a “for yourself” gift (come on, you deserve it!) The folks at Swimco have a huge selection of bathing suits for a huge selection of body types for both women and men. You may want to check flights to a hot destination to take the edge of winter while you’re at it!

Clothing

Clothing wise, we absolutely love the Blundstone line of boots. For the guys, we suggest the “Original” series. They’re relaxed, stylish and durable. The “Women’s” series is light, comfortable and quite versatile. We’ve heard rave reviews from everyone we’ve spoken with who owns them so naturally, we picked up a pair for the winter.
Need a new winter jacket? With the rise in popularity of equestrian ware being in the mainstream, Greenhawk has several stylish and warm options for women’s jackets. There’s also a really handsome looking (and really warm) men’s Carson jacket that we picked up recently and absolutely love!

Children

Parents, we haven’t forgotten about you!
Good ol’ Teddy Ruxpin makes his return with an updated look and a ton more features. Over 40 animations help bring this interactive bear to life via storytelling and singing.
The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox adds a cool spin on traditional LEGO. With over 840 pieces, the robot-building possibilities are endless! The best part is that it enables kids to build and program their creations.
Music lessons are a good way to introduce a different creative outlet for your child. Whether it’s guitar, drums, piano, vocals, etc., it’s something worth seriously considering. We like The Guitar World and the Port Credit Music Academy for their great stable of experienced teachers.