Looking for original holiday gifts to give this year? Tired of tromping around the malls?

This weekend Artists in Buffalo is sponsoring a Holiday Open Studios and Galleries event that will begin on December 1 and run through December 3. Hundreds of local artists and galleries will open their doors in hopes of attracting holiday shoppers in search of the perfect gift…and perhaps a drink or two. Many of these shops will be holding receptions, some with the artists and designers available to discuss their work, some just for the patrons to browse. The artists and galleries present a very wide selection, including silver semi-precious stone jewelry; lamp-worked glass beads and jewelry; hand-thrown pottery and blown glass; boiled wool hats and purses; local and national fine art and custom framing; silk, velvet and fleece scarves; hand-bound books, cards, frames and castings; one-of-a-kind art dolls; photography and paintings; and even one “artist-at-LARGE,” who simply describes his work as “eye candy.” Some of the artists participating in this event are Annie Adams, Robert Samuel Alba, Mollie Atkinson, Barbara Baird, Dianne Baker, Dayna Banka-Sloane, Stephanie Argentine, Anne Bliss, Steve Brouse, Nancy Campbell, Sally Danforth, Kara Daving, Julia Duax-Skop, Jackie Felix, Catherine Gillespie, Eileen Graetz, Gretchan Grobe, Anita L. Johnson, Becky Koenig, Temi Kucinski, JRVisuals, Peter Fowler, Barbara Hart, Marcelo & Susannah Florencio, Wendy Caldwell Maloney, Karen Matchette, Eileen McNamara, Michael Morgulis, Catherine Shuman Miller, Ann E. Peterson, Kathi Roussel, Donna Sturges, Ran Webber, Robert Shulman and David Thiel, among many others.

Galleries to visit include Avenue Art & Frame, Benjamin Art Gallery, Buffalo Arts Studio, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Burchfield-Penny Art Center, Bryant Street Studio, Brian Art Galleries, Big Orbit Gallery, Buffalo Big Print, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Wild Things, Tru Teas, Thin Ice, Kepa3, Hart Studios, Gallery 51 and Insite Gallery. Maps are provided at each stop, and most of the stops run along Elmwood and Allen streets, with Richmond, Main Street and Route 198 acting as barriers. The festivities will begin on December 1, 5-9pm, and will continue the following two days, 11am-6pm, though each gallery has its own hours. Artists in Buffalo has made this event basically effortless and free for all, which should make for some very enjoyable walks around town this weekend.

There are some other, non-affiliated but similar events this weekend, too. Off the Wall restaurant will be hosting a holiday party on December 1 called Underdog Aesthetics, presented by Noble Truth Productions—a truly unique event featuring music, fashion, tattoos, body piercing, art, DJs, raffle prizes and specials. Prizes and gift ideas will be provided by Sweet & Dirty, Stache, Karma Salon & Spa, CowPok, HOD Tattoos and Hero Design Studio. Music will be provided by DJ Scott Down, DJ DStar and Soul Station. Tickets are $6, or $10 at the door, and can be purchased from the companies listed above. Doors open at 10pm, and bring a canned good for free raffle tickets!

Add the Wisteria Shop to your list of holiday shopping parties for this weekend, as they will be featuring many new and unique items, plus holiday music, light refreshments, and free gift wrapping! The hop, at the Darwin Martin House Complex on Summit Avenue, has one-of-a-kind gift ideas inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, and will be celebrating the beginning of the season on December 2 and 3, 1-5pm.

Where better to host an event aimed at encouraging Buffalo’s own to buy local than at The Church, located at 339 Delaware Avenue? The First Annual Buy Buffalo Bash will be held there next Thursday, December 7 at 6pm, and will feature some of the best food, beer and music that Buffalo has to offer. The Bash will also serve as the official kickoff to Buy Buffalo Week (December 8-15) and Buffalo First!’s first year of membership. Buffalo First! has brought together more than 100 local businesses and community organizations to start a year-long “Buy Local” campaign, which is aimed at trying to educate the public about all the benefits that locally-owned businesses bring to our community. The theme of “Buy Buffalo Week” is to buy local, eat local, drink local, play local and read local, with different incentives provided by each business in the form of discounts, prizes, and events. Tickets are available for $12, or $15 at the door, and includes two drinks, live music by Jackdaw and Latin Jazz Project, and great food you can only get here at home. Advance tickets may be purchased at Avenue Book Exchange, Chateau Buffalo, Chique Boutique, Definitely Buffalo, Flying Bison, New World Records, Pizza Plant, Talking Leaves, the Second Reader Books, Buffalo Cooperative Federal Credit Union and Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union.

The annual Shopstravaganza! is happenig on Sunday, December 3, at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society from 1-3pm. The event doubles as a booksigning with over 20 local authors on hand to sign copies of their featured titles. Give a literary gift that is uniquely Buffalo with works of fiction and non-fiction written by Buffalonians. New this year is the eagerly awaited Garden Walk, a book detailing the history of the event by Elizabeth Licata, with photographs by Don Zinteck. Licata and Zinteck will also be signing copies of their book this week at Waldenbooks at the McKinley Mall on December 2, 1pm and Talking Leaves Elmwood on December 6, at 6pm.