Show your love of Big Blue by shopping locally and picking up a holiday gift that not only screams "I Love Tahoe!", but supports Tahoe shops, vendors and non-profits. These five gifts will keep your loved ones warm both inside (vodka) and out (fleece sweaters).

Tahoe Blue Vodka

For the budding bartender, pick them up a bottle of Tahoe Blue Vodka on your next trip to the lake or have the company ship it directly to your door. The smooth liquor in the pretty bottle has been featured on several TV shows including "The Big Bang Theory" and can be tasted at various locations around the lake like the River Grill and The Brewery at Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Welcome Bear

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I noticed an apartment balcony on Geary completely taken up by a Tahoe welcome bear. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but take into consideration the size of friend's or relative's home before hauling home one of these chainsaw carved brown bears. These symbols of Lake Tahoe used to be considered cheesy, but now it seems that every home, B&B or restaurant at the lake has one of these cheerful waving or Welcome sign holding bears out front. You can find smaller and less expensive carved bears at the Robin's Nest in King's Beach or Alpaca Advantage in South Tahoe.



Tahoe Warmth

On a few recent cold hiking trips into the hills, us locals have noticed visitors hiking in the snow with short cotton socks, tennis shoes and cotton sweatshirts. Please don't…we worry about your health. Stay warm and safe in the mountains with some thick socks, fleece and great hiking boots from Tahoe stores like Tahoe Mountain Sports in Kings Beach or Up Shirt Creek at Heavenly.



Keep Tahoe Blue Stickers

On car bumpers all around the Tahoe area you'll see various versions of the Keep Tahoe Blue sticker. From Russian to Spanish to English the League to Save Lake Tahoe sells these stickers for around $1 to $2. They also sell apparel, guide books and maps and the proceeds go towards keeping the lake clean and clear and advancing education of the lake's famous clarity.




Tahoe Rim Trail Association Memberships

When spring and summer come around again, the die-hard hiker will be thrilled with a membership to the 165-mile long Tahoe Rim Trail. All members of the TRTA receive a subscription to Trail Blazer magazine, a TRTA window decal, 10 percent off TRTA merchandise and an invite to their annual meeting. Special memberships of $100 will land your loved one a Tahoe Rim Trail t-shirt.