Sentinel holiday gift ideas for the 2020 Christmas season

Still shopping for that ideal gift this holiday season? A couple of weeks ago we asked a number of area merchants and artists for cool gift ideas for our readers. Discover unique Christmas presents that you haven't thought of yet from our list below.

The great thing about our guide is you can avoid the crowds and shop online! One of these items could be the perfect present for someone on your Christmas list!

Gifts Women & Girls Will Love

Handmade Beaded Cowl

Woven it by hand and with hand-twisted the fringe by artist Leann Gehm, this charcoal, lavender, silver & white cowl with glass beads in the fringe for extra sparkle. Her teardrop-shaped cowls are easy to wear, just put the seam towards your body and slip the cowl over your head, adjust the fringe. Made from renewable wood pulp fiber, its luxurious silky soft feel and lustrous sheen is an absolutely elegant.

Retail Price: $76

Available exclusively from

Miranda's Loom

Purchase online

Gifts for Everyone

Silver Bar Studs

Made in Peru with love, these are the perfect everyday stud in a modern geometric silhouette. Never worry about an accessory mismatch when you put on this endlessly wearable pair.

Retail Price: $38

Available from Noonday Collection
Amber Anderson, Independent Ambassador

Purchase online

Gifts Women & Girls Will Love

Let It Glow Gift Set

The ultimate gift of glow! Give smooth, hydrated + healthier-looking skin using our Hyaluronic Acid serum for a 200% hydration boost paired with our sugar + salt scrub for all-over exfoliation. Limited-edition.

Retail Price: ~~$195~~
Sale Price: $139

Available from Rodan and Fields
Consultant Johanna Burke

Purchase online

Gifts Women & Girls Will Love

Custom Jewelry

Give a beautiful one-of-the-kind piece from Luis López who specializes in handmade wire jewelry and three-dimensional sculptures. Featured is a green Tourmaline gemstone pendant wrapped in gold wire.

Retail Price: $120

Luis López
Angel Wire Art

Purchase online

A great gift for anyone

Private Photography Instruction

This fun, five-week introductory course with veteran news photographer Clark Brooks will cover the basic information and techniques for 35mm and digital SLR photography. Go from taking snapshots to visually stunning photos in weeks.

Retail Price: $65

From PhotoNews Media

Purchase online

Publisher's note: One of the great things about an online gift guide is it can be updated regularly. Point your browser to this page regularly to check for the latest deals and ideals from The Sentinel area. If you are a local merchant or artist and would like to have your product or art piece featured here, it's not too late. Email us at editor@oursentinel.com for details.

Local business: The Sentinel wants help your holiday sales

Are you a local small business owner looking to increase your holiday sales during this holiday season? Let the Sentinel help. Starting Monday we are creating a local gift guide for shoppers who live in the communities we serve.

Did you know nearly two-thirds of shoppers are looking for curated gift lists online? Yeah, neither did we until we started doing the research on how to create a successful guide for our readers.

The Sentinel Holiday Gift Guide is designed to increase the visibility of your business and products. We want to help as many small businesses that we can ring in some extra sales over the next three weeks. Here's another fact: Gift guides are shown to more than double conversion rates and increase engagement by 76% especially for online retailers.

Like other small business ventures, the pandemic has kicked our virtual news tushy. With over 500 readers a day and plenty of time on our hands, we figure we can lend a helping hand to area small business with lots of free publicity. Sixty-six percent of holiday buyers plan to shop more at locally this holiday season and we want to make it easy for them by shining a light on products and services from area small businesses.

So what is this going to cost to be featured? Nothing. Zilch. Nada. We are looking highlight and share awesome gift ideas to our readers. Hopefully, our guide will keep people buying local and rebuild the local economy.

If you have a product or service you would like featured in the gift guide, simply copy the section below, paste it into a new email message to and advertising@oursentinel.com after you have answered the questions. Owners are welcome to submit as many items as they wish. We will select only one item every seven days to feature.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to email us at advertising@oursentinel.com or call 217.778.2197.

Name of Business:

Contact Name: Contact Phone Number:

Website Address:

Link to featured item on your website:

Description of the product or service:

Choose a category:
Category options: • Gifts under $25 • Gifts Women & Girls Will Love • Gifts for Men & Boys • Food • Gifts for Everyone
• Art & Home Decoration • For Newlyweds • Gifts for Students • Stocking Stuffers

Retail Price: Sale Price:
(Enter Sale Price if the product/service is being offered at discount)

Please attach a photo of the featured item or service. Make sure it is a sharp, well-exposed image will do your product or service justice. The better the photo the better your odds at attracting buyers. Photo should be no smaller than 400 pixels on the longest side at 96 DPI.

Questions? Email us at advertising@oursentinel.com or peck 217.778.2197. Holiday gift guide features will be processed on a first come, first serve basis until December 23. Featured items will appear on The Sentinel website and shared on our social media platforms.