Moon over the Swiss Alps, Val d'Anniviers, 24 December 2008

(GenevaLunch) – Only today left and you haven’t started your shopping, or someone near and dear to you hasn’t and you’re a little worried about that?

If you’re desperate to make a nice, quick card, download from flickr the large view of the photo at left, the Swiss Alps the morning of 24 December (compliments of GL editor Ellen Wallace – Merry Christmas!).

Here are some suggestions for quick fixes to the shopping problem:

Bath luxuries

Robes to beautiful towels, soaps and creams, Schilliger boutiques in Geneva and Lausanne but especially the Schilliger Garden Centre in Gland. Prices starting at CHF10.

Books (you can always give a gift card showing that it will arrive soon, if you are ordering online)

• Partly Cloudy is the just-out delightful book by Patrick Chappatte, the cartoonist who appears regularly on GenevaLunch and in the International Herald Tribune. Available from the author online or  at Payot and in Geneva (or online) from Off the Shelf, which closes at 16:00 Wednesday the 24th. Off the Shelf also has several other good gift suggestions for books in English. GL review of Partly Cloudy, by Shirley Curran, and we’ll be running our profile article on him for Christmas cheer. CHF23
• Swiss Wine Guide, first-ever English edition of this bi-annual encyclopedic handy reference, with beautiful colour photos of Swiss vineyards, 450 of the country’s best producers listed, details about Swiss grape varieties, growing regions, etc. Published end-November 2008. English version overseen by GL editor Ellen Wallace. Available online or from many Naville stores. CHF39
• 1001 Reasons to Love America, by Hubert Pedroli and Mary Tiegreen, the gift the Sultan of Brunei gave George W Bush – a delightful reminder of all that is good about the USA (and just for the chuckle, check out the suggested sequel). Tiegreen, a noted New York designer, has worked with Zidao, the parent company of GenevaLunch and Pedroli has contributed to the site. Price varies

Caramels a la creme

Vaud specialty: hard to find in shops because they really need to be homemade! Yverdon and Lausanne sales points, priced by quantity.

Flowers

Magnificent and you can select what you want, not just supermarket-style bouquets – very special gifts! Schilliger Garden Centre, Gland

Music

Online gift shop, Montreux Jazz Festival: a t-shirt starting at CHF29, the new poster by Tomi Ungerer for CHF49 or one of the 5,000 signed copies of the history of the festival by Claude Nobs for CHF780.

Ski lessons for teenagers

At last, no need to go with kids or adults – five mornings of fun, including some powder skiing. Ecole de Ski Verbier, CHF230

Tea

Tea measuring spoons, CHF5-10 and a wonderful collection of excellent teas, green, black and other, that can be purchased in small quantities which are fresh because these are shops with a steady stream of visitors. La Boite a The, Morges and Rolle (run separately, but same supplier)

Santa and the Egyptian donkey visit Sierre, Valais

Travel

Special airfares are being posted by Swiss, Easyjet and Baboo from Geneva.

Invite someone to Switzerland, affordably: offer them a hotel booking at rooms.ch, which lists 200-plus hotels that can be booked starting at CHF49.50 a night, per person.

If you’ve never taken anyone for a helicopter tour of the Alps, maybe this is the year! Air-Glaciers offers several trips for 1-4 persons, starting at CHF366.

Offer New Year’s Eve on a boat on Lake Geneva, adults CHF199 and children CHF49, 99 depending on age. CGN

Warmer for people who chill easily

Millet-filled or (very Swiss) cherry pit-filled bags with cute covers are increasingly popular in boutiques and pharmacies – great for anyone who suffers too easily from chills. Put them in the oven for 5-10 minutes, then wrap them around the chilled or injured or just plain aching bit of you! A good selection: La Boite a The, Morges.

Wine

The best of Swiss wines: at this late hour you probably don’t want a hard-to-find name, so in Geneva look for a top Gamay or Gamaret, in Vaud the traditional Chasselas is a good bet and from Valais either the extraordinary Petite Arvine sweet wines to accompany foie gras or some desserts, or the Pinot Noirs. One of the best places to find a good and reliable selection of top wines, Swiss and others: Gland, Cave SA, open until 16:30 Wednesday 24th, with shopping in Geneva, but more limited.

wine courses (in French): Cave SA and the Ecole d’Ingenieurs at Changins (federal research station wine school), variety of courses and prices

wine drip catchers, CHF2.50, Vins du Valais online boutique

Truly last-minute: the post office option

And if you are so late you can’t think what to do, stop by the post office – open until 16:30 in larger towns and cities, 24 December. They sell books, mostly in French, cell phones and a number of cheerful stocking stuffers.

Best wishes for a happy holiday from the team at GenevaLunch!

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