For some gift givers this year, the quirkier the better so this gift guide is not just "gifts," it's quirky gifts.

Sure, out on the frozen tundra, teams of husky dogs are pulling sleighs all over the place with no fear. There's ice, there's snow, and these dogs have big coats of fur to deal with it. The family dog is used to snuggling up on the couch so when it's time to go out, they might need a jacket to wear for those days when the temperatures are low. No fear, doggie jackets are available everywhere.

The velcro collar and torso strap make attaching the doggie jacket easy. At Petsmart in Springfield, across the street from the Springfield Town Center, they have a wide assortment of dog coats and sweaters, ranging from $20 - $85.

Quirky Kid Stuff

At “Perpetual Kid,” they are proud of quirkiness. “We make shopping for your weird friends and family easy,”

they said. A set of "Neat and Novel Kitchen Sponges" ($8.99) has sponges called "Moby Dish" or "The Sponge Also Rises," for the English majors out there. Then there's the Crime Scene toilet paper ($8.99) that looks like that yellow tape the police use, or the "Office Possum" rubber animal ($25.99) that mounts on the side of the wastepaper basket in the office - it is sure to get a few shrieks.

 

12 Days of Outdoors

At Nalls Produce in the Franconia District, they are doing a 12-days of Christmas gifts with earthy Nalls items on the list each day. Day six for instance was a special on fruit butters, day 10 was table-top trees and day 11 was their locally famous crop share program. Santa candles, an ice cream punch card and fresh eggnog each had an assigned day in the 12 days of Christmas.

Valerie Nalls is the mastermind behind their marketing program and she highlighted “an item a day for 12 days.”

Art Classes

If there’s no space under the tree, how about an art lesson? At the Monroe Street Studio in Herndon where the "fundamentals of visual art," are the focus in their classes there is something for all ages, said owner Yana Farmer, who is also the art teacher there. Throughout the year, there are classes and a summer camp that work around the Fairfax County School schedule. In the past, there were students on the "Gold and Silver Key Scholastic Program." that worked with officials at the Russian Embassy to display some art from Monroe Street students. Gift certificates of all amounts are available.