Happy holidays! 
While it’s always a good idea to buy from a small business before a large corporation, this year it is even more important to support them. I thought I would share some of my favorites to help give you some (late) gift-giving ideas. Maybe you’ll even find a new favorite as well 
Fontana Candle Company, Pennsylvania USA
For my mom’s birthday back in July I was searching for a candle company that was only made with essential oils, wasn’t made with soy or paraffin wax, and was made by people I felt good about supporting. It also had to be relatively affordable for me. There were a lot of boxes to check, but somehow I managed to find Fontana, and I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without their magical candles. They’re only made with beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oils, and they just recently got MadeSafe certified. All of their candles are made with wood wicks, so they make such a lovely sound when lit. Joel and I love to enjoy a fika, sitting in the quiet with our hot coffees and a bit of food, and just listen to the soft crackling of the wick. It’s very hyggelig.
Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve, Ohio USA
I came across this company back in April while I was looking for my first shampoo bar, and since then they’ve taken over my bathroom! They have everything I need for personal care, from shampoo bars to hair oil to facial moisturizer and exfoliant. Like Fontana, they’re extremely transparent about almost everything, which is difficult to find in most companies these days. Another thing that heavily swayed me to replace everything in my bathroom with CV is the fact that they’re about 95% plastic free – their products come in tin, glass, and paper. The first soap I got from them was called Scarborough Fair, a beautifully earthy soap laced with real herbs. Everytime I used it I felt like I was transported to an enchanted herb garden, and the song “Scarborough Fair” would always play in my head!
The link for their webshop is a referral for $5 off 
Townsends, Indiana USA
This one is a little more niche, but I needed to include them in the list since I’ve been a fan of them for years. Townsends is a Youtube channel dedicated to 17th and 18th century history, and they have an amazing selection of handmade items on their webshop. They have beautiful pottery, camping equipment, historical clothing, and books, among many other things (I wish I could buy everything!) Townsends is such a wonderful, wholesome, educational, and entertaining channel and they will always have my support. The lead man John is obsessed with nutmeg, so a few years ago for us fans they created a shirt with his face on it that says “I put nutmeg on my nutmeg” 😹
This one is an honorable mention since I don’t yet own anything from them, but I just HAD to include them. I’ve been watching Jonna Jinton on YouTube since September 2019 and she is the one who inspired me to work towards leaving apartment life to move to the forest. She sells incredibly beautiful silver jewelry handmade in her village of Grundtjärn in the north of Sweden, as well as art prints and photo prints. Her photo prints are so beautiful I have such a hard time trying to figure out which one I want the most. She just recently launched her new webshop/blog, so I highly recommend having a look!
Her webshop: jonnajintonsweden.com
YouTube: youtube.com/user/JonnaJinton
I know we’ve been hearing it nonstop for the last several months, but I thought I would give my own suggestions about these amazing small businesses. I hope you’ll have a look and find something new to love! Thank you so much for reading, happy holidays! 
