Holiday gifts by local artists for Chicagophiles

If you're like us, you are always scrambling for "thoughtful" holiday presents at the last minute. To help give you a head start this year, we offer four affordable ways to support local artists while shopping for your favorite Chicago-phile.

Buddy store: Featuring the work of dozens of local artists, the shop is located at the Cultural Center but also has an online shop. Check out handcrafted housewares, T-shirts, toiletries, books, clothing and even honey harvested from the Cultural Center roof.

• Monica couldn't resist the hand-painted posters for Chicago foods like the Jibarito ($40).

Iconic Chicago Restaurants Map: The Chicago Reader has printed up posters of transportation writer John Greenfield's Chicago restaurant map featuring an eatery in almost every neighborhood.

• The poster quality version is $15 online.

Chicago Handshake Drinking Game: Test your Windy City knowledge — like naming all the ingredients on a Chicago style hot dog — with this card game that doubles as a drinking game made by design firm Transit Tees ($22).

• You can also still book tickets for tonight's Chicago Handshake launch party at the CH Distillery.

Affordable art by Tony Fitzpatrick: During the pandemic, Fitzpatrick made a big splash with jigsaw puzzles of his bird collages.

• This year his family launched a whole line of products, from masks ($18) and mugs ($6) to sweatshirts ($56) and prints ($75).
• But with no online store, you need to visit the gift shop of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in Glen Ellyn where Fitzpatrick's latest show "Jesus of Western Avenue" runs through January.