Tasty (and Tasteful) Holiday Gift Parties

If you’d rather not hit the malls, there are two fun ways to do some holiday shopping this week, and party a little bit in the process.

Tomorrow from 4 – 9:30 p.m., Ms. Mint’s 3rd Annual Holiday Bazaar takes place at Goose Island’s Clybourn Brewpub. Local artisans will be on hand, offering a unique shopping and tasting event. “Farmy baskets” will be sold in different sizes so you can shop the bazaar and make your own personalized gift baskets for family, friends and business contacts; they’ll even pack and ship them for you. Admission to the event is free ($5 donation requested), but for folks 21 and over, they’ll have a sampling of Goose Island’s seasonal craft beers, Virtue Cider and local wines for a $12 ticket.

Then on Thursday, the trio who helped create the Dose Market have gotten the band back together, and are launching the first Fête! Chicago. The event runs from 6 – 10 p.m. at 1520 W. Fulton and admission is just $5. The lineup is equally as ambitious as Ms. Mint’s event, featuring everything from scarves and textiles to preserves and all sorts of yummy treats from the likes of Publican Quality Meats and HotChocolate. They’ll also be selling only-at-the-fête food gifts like pickles and hot sauce from Carriage House and sweets from Butcher & Larder’s Allie Levitt. A portion of the proceeds goes to Fresh Moves — and the Fresh Moves bus will be parked outside the event, so people can take a tour (and buy some produce).