‘Tis the season to shop unique, handmade, and most of all, local.

Santa Cruz businesses and organizations are making it easy with a full slate of holiday shopping fairs, makers markets, and boutiques.

Be sure to check back often, as new pop-up shopping events are added throughout the holiday season.

Here’s a roundup of some of the best opportunities to buy some awesome gifts and help support the local economy and arts culture at the same time.

You can buy a Christmas tree in just about any big commercial parking lot these days.  You can pick up a gallon of milk, a carton of eggs, and oh yeah…a Christmas tree while you’re at it.

While that may be convenient it lacks the fun and traditional spirit of going out into nature to pick out a Christmas tree.  If you’re looking for a more authentic Christmas tree experience then Santa Cruz is a pretty great place to be.

There are a lot of Christmas tree farms located in the Santa Cruz mountains.  These farms let you tap into your inner lumberjack by letting you choose and cut your own tree.

There are also plenty of options for those of you who are looking for the pre-cut variety.