Thanksgiving weekend used to be so simple — some food, some family time, some football for those so inclined. But then Black Friday busted down the door, marring the traditional kickoff to the season of goodwill with grim stories of consumers fighting over merchandise. (Don’t even get us started on the whole “shopping on Thanksgiving” trend.)
But fear not. Museums and other cultural institutions can handle your holiday wish list without making you stand in line outside.
In addition to gift memberships, you can find everything in their gift shops, from holiday cards to stocking stuffers to big-ticket items — and also know that you’re supporting organizations that make this area a vibrant cultural capital year-round. And while you can usually buy from these stores online, it’s always more fun to visit in person.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Got someone who wants a dog, but whose lease (or allergies) won’t allow it? The MCA’s shop sells miniature versions of Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Dog” sculpture ($29.95-$48.95). It even comes in an eraser version ($12). If you’ve got a budding pop art aficionado, consider the children’s book “Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol” by Bonnie Christensen ($16.99). For a more hands-on approach, there’s also the Andy Warhol Desk Box ($29.99), with such useful items as a ruler, pencil sharpener and sand timer (to count down your 15 minutes, perhaps).
Of course, the high-profile “David Bowie Is” exhibit (through Jan. 4) means that there is a special pop-up shop carrying everything from the show catalog ($35 softcover/$55 hardcover) to DVDs such as the “Bowie in Berlin” documentary ($23.95) and “Labyrinth” ($14.99). There are even space-related toys for your own little starman (or starwoman).
And if you’ve got that one friend whose attitude during the holidays is more gloom than glam (and don’t we all?), you can’t go wrong with “So This Is Permanence” ($40), the collection of lyrics and journals from Ian Curtis, the late frontman of the pioneering British post-punk band Joy Division.
220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-397-4000 or mcachicagostore.org
National Museum of Mexican Art
The connections between death and life are very present in Mexican culture, as Pilsen’s National Museum of Mexican Art makes clear in its current exhibit “Rito y Recuerdo: Day of the Dead” (through Dec. 14). You can buy all manner of Dia de Los Muertos items in the museum’s shop (officially called Tienda Tzintzuntzan, or “Place of the Hummingbird”), from calaveras (representations of skulls) to skeleton figurines of all sizes and price ranges. If you want something more traditionally Christmas, there are colorful, handcrafted tin Nativity sets ($15).
Store manager Jazmin Sandoval notes that they make buying trips to different regions of Mexico every year. This year, traditional pottery (fashioned by hand from black and green clay) from Oaxaca has pride of place, along with jewelry from Taxco. Closer to home, the store also sells T-shirts ($20-$25) from Pilsen’s No Manches Clothing Co., including a cunning “Mexican Gothic” shirt reimagining Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera as Grant Wood’s grim-faced Yankees.
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Everything in the shop’s storerooms will be out for sale this weekend, 10 a.m-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, in the annual Mercado Navideno.
1852 W. 19th St.; 312-738-1503 or nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Driehaus Museum
You would probably expect to find turquoise at the National Museum of Mexican Art — but the Driehaus Museum offers a unique silver-and-turquoise bracelet in a design by Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris ($680). Carefully curated vintage jewelry serves as the highlight of the small shop that occupies one of the former guest bedrooms in the Gilded Age Nickerson mansion, which itself serves as the backdrop for Driehaus’ breathtaking collection of decorative arts. The museum opens “Maker and Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry” in February, but you can find stellar examples of baubles from Chicago’s gone-but-influential Kalo Shop, founded by Clara Barck Welles, on sale now. The museum will also have a special holiday shop through Wednesday.
Ornaments inspired by Tiffany designs ($32) as well as handcrafted menorahs designed by contemporary artist Julia Knight ($268) add seasonal flair. And store clerk/museum docent Tasia Hoffman says that the store is happy to customize gift baskets for customers.
40 E. Erie St.; 312-482-8933 or driehausmuseum.org
Field Museum
The Field has a great reputation for seeking out fair-trade artifacts from around the globe, and you can easily get lost in its large shop. If you’d like to warm the hands (and the heart) of a special someone, hand-knit Nepalese hand warmers from Yak and Yeti ($19.75) should do the trick. Or if dad is a dinosaur fan, you can get a dinosaur necktie ($35). Former Field employee Cheryl Bardoe’s small but cunning book “The Field Museum” ($14.95) offers a great overview for newbies and longtime fans alike.
The Field’s current exhibit, “Vodou: Sacred Powers of Haiti” (through April 26), has its own shop, where you can buy handcrafted sequined bottles, or boutey lwa, ($95-$175) as an offering to the spirits. A wide variety of handcrafted Haitian artifacts made out of recycled metal ($7-$125) are also available. And if all that tromping and shopping through the museum has made you thirsty, buy a pint glass ($12.95) featuring the logo for Field’s house brew, Tooth and Claw (made by local Off Color Brewing) and get a taster at the Field Bistro.
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive; 312-665-7168 or store.fieldmuseum.org
Old Town School of Folk Music
Finally, if you have a budding guitarist (or banjoist, or mandolinist, or just about any other kind of acoustic or electric stringed instrumentalist) on your list, make a stop at Old Town School’s Lincoln Square or Lincoln Park locations, where proceeds help Old Town remain one of the best places in the Midwest to hear great artists and teach the next generation of troubadours. In addition to fine instruments and accessories (including a wide array of percussion artifacts and toy instruments for kids), you can find sheet music, repair services and — as its website says — “a wide range of opinions on most musical topics, available for free every day.”
4544 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-751-3398 and 909 W. Armitage Ave., 773-525-1506, or oldtownschool.org