At Heirloom Table Home on South Main Street, Jim Creighton and his family make kitchen cutting boards in numerous shapes and sizes. Each one is a work of art that would make a memorable gift. Stepping into Creighton’s shop in the old Cayce-Yost Department Store building is a bit like walking into Santa’s workshop. You never know what you’ll find — from the cutting boards to custom dining tables, chairs and stools. Creighton is also a go-to woodworker for Hopkinsville residents looking to restore family antiques. Select pieces are featured online, but you’ll want to stop by the store to browse everything. 

Each year the Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club chooses a historically significant place or event to feature for its annual Christmas ornament. The 2021 bronze keepsake commemorates the local group’s 100th anniversary. Ornaments are $10 and are being sold at the Hopkinsville Visitor Center, 1730 E. Ninth St., and the Christian County Chamber of Commerce, 2800 Fort Campbell Blvd. They also are selling cans of mixed nuts (a very old Kiwanis tradition) for $30.

Janey Moss, the owner of 6th Street Boutique, is known for the custom-made handbags and luggage she creates for her shop. This year she also has a variety of makeup bags in sizes and designs to fit any taste. They make thoughtful gifts and come with a good local story about Hopkinsville’s entrepreneurial spirit. The boutique is on Sixth Street between South Main and Virginia streets. 

The Corner Coffeehouse carries beans roasted by Mylke Coffee Co. in the tiny Western Kentucky community of Island. You can share all the flavors of downtown Hopkinsville’s coffeehouse with a Mylke Crate gift box that includes 1.5-ounce samples of eight roasts — Columbian, Colombian Decaf, Brazilian, Costa Rican, El Salvadorian, Natural Honey, Honey Process, Red Honey. The coffeehouse is on South Main at 11th Street. Customers can purchase the gift boxes in-person or in advance online for in-store pickup.

Why not consider a gift that expands on the holiday spirit of generosity by giving a present that can help others? Imagination Library, founded by country musician and philanthropist Dolly Parton, provides free books every month to children from birth until they begin kindergarten. Christian County’s Imagination Library is in its ninth year and serves approximately 3,300 local children. The online donation portal allows you to designate a contribution to the Christian County branch and provides the option to make your gift in honor, memory or celebration of someone else. If you’d like, they’ll notify that person a gift has been made in their name.

Jessara Crenshaw — a teenage fiber artist who makes cloth totes called boho bags in vibrant colors and designs — is one among several young artists who sell their goods at Milkweed Health & Harmony Emporium. Owner Julie-Anna Carlisle’s interest in showcasing work by Jessara and others allows her to curate one of the most artistic collections of gifts in Hopkinsville. The store, which has select items available for purchase online, is on Ninth Street at South Virginia Street. 

At Christmastime, many Kentuckians long for an old-fashioned blackberry jam cake. You can get something similar, and a little more kick, with MB Roland distillery’s Kentucky Blackberry Shine. It’s bursting with blackberry flavor. Sip it chilled, mix it in cocktails or drizzle it over ice cream. The distillery is located off Pembroke-Oak Grove Road near Interstate 24. Depending on where you live, some products are available to purchase online. 

Acclaimed feminist scholar and Hopkinsville native Gloria Watkins, whose pen name is bell hooks, has authored more than 30 books. You’ll find four of her children’s books — “Grump Groan Growl,” “Skin Again,” “Happy to be Nappy” and “Be Boy Buzz” — in The Vault gift shop at the Pennyroyal Area Museum. “Bone Black,” the author’s memoir of growing up in Hopkinsville, is also available. You can browse in person or purchase items online for pickup at the museum, 217 E. 9th St.

The Alhambra candle, a collaboration of CreativeType, GraceWorks and the Pennyroyal Arts Council, features a design that appears to illuminate the downtown theater’s marquee as the candle burns. A nostalgic nod to one of Hopkinsville’s most iconic downtown landmarks, the Red Currant-scented candle is available in the theater lobby along with other merchandise that celebrates the Alhambra. The theater is next door to the Christian County Courthouse on South Main Street. 

Supporting responsible, fact-based journalism is one of the best ways to protect our own rights and promote the health of our community. Research shows that in areas with access to strong local news, politics are less polarized, local governments carry less debt, and more people are civically engaged. With NewsMatch doubling contributions to Hopkinsville’s nonprofit newsroom made by Dec. 31, your gift will go twice as far. If your donation is being made on someone else’s behalf, let us know and we’ll send them a holiday card notifying them of the gift. Give today.

In September, the American Craft Spirits Association awarded three prizes to Casey Jones Distillery. The Christian County craft distiller’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon received Best in State and Gold-Best in Category for bourbon whiskey, and the Casey Jones Small Batch Bourbon tied for a gold prize. The award-winning bourbons can be purchased in the Casey Jones gift shop on Witty Lane or online. The distillery also offers a variety of apparel and other items.

Here’s a way to surprise a friend and lighten their load for holiday baking. Buy a cheesecake Homemade by Adam at Main Street Tavern Restaurant. Choose a New York Style or from a list of specialty flavors ranging from mint chocolate chip and orange creamsicle to macadamia and coconut, pina colada and peppermint mocha chip. See all the flavors here. Orders need to be placed at least 48 hours in advance by calling 270-484-5066. 

Brighten a friend’s day by giving them a handmade evergreen wreath from Superlawn and Garden, the only locally owned garden shop in the city limits. The shop also sells live-cut and potted Christmas trees, Frazier fir garland and window sprays. Wreath sizes are 12, 14, 16 and 18 inches. They can add custom bows to any wreath. The shop is at 1108 N. Main St.

Hopkinsville Brewing Co., one of the most popular gathering places downtown, has a new sweatshirt with the slogan “Born to be Hoppy” just in time for the holidays. It’s a super-soft fabric, comes in several colors, and is available in both hoodie and crewneck styles. Sizes range from small to 2X, and they can be purchased at the brewery on Fifth Street, between South Main and South Virginia streets.

The gift sets, commissioned by Hopkinsville-based Williams Advertising, include a newly designed Kentucky tin, a flour sack towel and a custom Kentucky-shaped ornament. Proceeds support local nonprofits based on the Planters Bank branch where they are sold. Christian County organizations include Men2Be (Indian Hills Office, 3103 Canton St.), Boys & Girls Club (Main Office, 1312 S. Main S.) and Imagination Library (Boulevard Office, 4195 Ft. Campbell Blvd.).