Thank you Hilldale for sponsoring this last minute holiday shopping post!

If you’re one of my local readers and you live near Madison, you need to head to Hilldale to check off your last minute holiday shopping needs. Even if you’re super prepared and already have all of your gifts under the tree, it’s still a fun Christmas outing for the entire family. My mom and I packed up the kiddos yesterday and spent the afternoon shopping, visiting Santa, getting gifts wrapped, and having lunch together. Hilldale is Madison’s premier open-air shopping destination with a unique mix of more than 50 local and national retailers. It’s also all decked out in Christmas cheer so it’s a festive spot to walk around.

TWIGS

The first shop we popped into is Twigs. It’s a local women’s boutique filled with edited collections of designer handbags, clothing, jewelry and fun gifts for the holidays like locally crafted soy candles, TOMS slippers, and Swell water bottles. The staff is super friendly and they’ll offer you a beverage and a candy cane while you browse. I need to go back for a mom’s night out and enjoy a local beer while I shop and try on clothes!

THE HOME MARKET

The Home Market is gorgeous! You walk in and it feels like home. I almost took off my boots and cuddled up on the couch with one of the beautiful throws they had in-store. Okay, not really, but you get the idea! It’s homey and beautiful. Dream home goals. I was instantly in love because it’s true to the style I’m going for in my new home that we’re building. While The Home Market specializes in custom upholstered furniture, unique home decor, bedding, and lighting, they also carry specialized gifts perfect for Christmas. Candles, scented soaps, cutting boards, plush robes, cozy throws, artisan bowls and trays, and even Sugarfina candies.

VISIT SANTA CLAUS

The meet-and-greet area to visit Santa is adorable! Evie ran right up to the spot to write her letter to Santa. She scribbled her list in crayons and jibberish and asked if she could give it right to Santa instead of dropping it in the mailbox. The photo backdrop reminds me of a cozy Christmas modern farmhouse with shiplap walls… swoooon! Santa is hanging out at Hilldale in Macy’s atrium everyday this week, including Christmas Eve. He’s even giving away a small gift to the kids who visit him.

FREE GIFT WRAPPING

A few of the individual stores, like Twigs, have free gift wrapping available. Or you can head over to the Macy’s atrium and get all your gifts wrapped for free while the kids visit Santa! They have plenty of different paper and bow options to choose from.

PLAYTHINGS

Playthings, the local toy store, hosted a cute train area located within the Macy’s atrium, so that the kids can have fun while you wait for your gifts to be wrapped. I had a hard time dragging Evie away! The store itself is full of unique toys, games, puzzles, arts and crafts, dolls, and even clothing from newborn through 5T. They have all the cool brands like Melissa & Doug, Hape, BRIO train sets, and Skip Hop. You can certainly check off all the kids on your list with just this one store.

LUSH

Ahhh, when you open the doors and enter LUSH you’re greeted by beautiful scents and fun bath bomb displays. You can test and try pretty much everything so it’s more of an experience than just a shopping trip. While I was there, the staff demonstrated bath bombs so that I could see the swirling colors and fun surprises, like little gold stars that released when the bath bomb dissolved. Bath bombs are such a popular gift this year. Go try out all the fun products and treat yourself to something while you’re at it 😉

There’s so many other cool stores at Hilldale to pop into for gifts including Anthropologie, lululemon athletica, The North Face, and Paper Source. If you’re looking for a dress to wear at a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, make sure to check out Mes Amies Dress Boutique. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from too. We enjoyed lunch at Café Hollander, which has a hipster vibe with an industrial feel. They serve up a HOT cup of coffee and do not skimp on the portion sizes or flavors. So, make a day of it, or just a couple hours and enjoy yourself! I definitely need to schedule a girl’s night out shopping trip to Hilldale.

Are you the type of person who already has their gifts wrapped and under the tree or do you still have shopping and wrapping to get done in the next few days?

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