Jake Pendley holds one of the Christmas theme Painted Ponies available at Tucumcari Ranch Supply. Several other Painted Ponies along with other western style gifts are available at the Tucumcari Ranch Supply.

April Shipley holds one of the I-Pod touch which puts music, movies, websites, and now Apple games and applications in the palm of your hands. Shipley Systems also has I-Pod accessories and several other electronic gifts.

Dora Maes displays one of several religious lamps available at Maes Special Occasions. There are also religious figurines, Nativity Scenes and Christmas cards at the store as well as homemade cookies.

With eight days until Christmas, you might began to feel the holiday crunch, rushing around for last minute gifts, decorations or treats.

Well there is some good new for those last minute shoppers, there are several great gift ideas and items available at your local retailers 
Looking for a Nativity scene, Christmas cards or religious figurines? You might stop by Maes Special Occasions  at 824 East Route 66.

"We have kitchen ware, picture frames, bird houses, sewing and baking supplies," said owner Dora Maes. "We have religious lamps for those kids looking to get grandma something she does not have."

Maybe you're looking to get someone on your list something shiny like silver jewelry, Tucumcari Ranch Supply at 502 South Lake Street, has several items from Montana Silversmith Gifts.

There's a selection of jewelry and watches, as well as leather  wallets for men and women that are made by Roper and Montana Montana Silversmith Gifts, said co-owner Stella Watson.

Watson said that the store also has many different clothing items for adults and children such as jackets, sweaters, jeans, boots, hats and baby clothing made by different companies such as Carhartt, Cinch, Wrangler, Cruel Girl and more.

For the horseman or horsewoman in your life, the Tucumcari Ranch Supply has the Painted Ponies, which are resin statues of ponies painted in different styles, some of them with a Christmas theme. For many they are collectibles.

"They are part of a set that has been made for the past four years," Watson said. "Each year their are six to nine new statues made and each year there are Christmas statues made."

The Ranch Supply also features some one-of-a-kind cookware with the Montana Silversmith Gifts brand, including  glasses, dinner sets, spice jars and more. There are also some western theme books including several titles from Jack Terry such as "Wide Open Spaces" and "The Great Trail Ride."
To check items at the Ranch Supply visit their Web site at www.tucranchsupply.com.

You can also find locally made jewelry at the Desert Rose Crafts Store at 212 East Main Street.

"Many of the items you will find in the store are made by local Quay County artists," said store owner Diana Beck.

Desert Rose Crafts offers items such as quilts, stem ware, crocheted items and much more, said Beck, who recently expanded her store's space to include the former J&M Jewelry.
We all know how hard it is to shop for children and teenagers these days, but electronics are often a sure bet, according to the staff at Shipley Systems (RadioShack).
"We have something for everyone and can cover all ages," said April Shipley.

Shipley said that many of this year's hot electronic items at RadioShack are  the I-Pod touch, digital cameras, laptops, GPS systems, Sirius Satellite radio, Blu-Ray players, and LCD TVs.
"From cell phones, pre-paid and plan-based, to accessories and Bluetooths, you can find them here," Shipley said.

"We have toys for children including radio-controlled toys. Sometimes you just cannot get out of town, but you can find some great gifts at your local retailers."
Perhaps you are looking for a gift that is pleasing to the palate? Several local retailers offer edibles for a range of different tastes.

At Maes Special Occasion you can please your sweet tooth with the holiday favorite biscocitos cookies.

"Since the beginning of December, I have made about 50 dozen biscocitos cookies," Maes said. "I expect that there will be several more orders as Christmas gets closer."

What about that cheese lover on your list? Visit  the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory which offers a variety of cheeses. Or as the staff puts it: "A gift of taste."
You can buy cheese flavors as native to New Mexico as Baked Beans are to Boston, with the Green Chili, Jack or Cheddar.

Also available are the Muenster, Sundried Tomato and Basil, Kalamata Feta and Greek Style Feta.

Maybe your looking for something with a little more meat, well you can find steak, chicken, fajita meat, brisket, shrimp and hamburger meat at the Tucumcari Ranch Supply.

If you want to spice it up a little, they also offer soup, dip and bread mixes from Desert Garden in Albuquerque, and barbecue sauces such as Mildly Wild and Absolutely Wild from Abilene, Texas.

And what could say spicy better then some salsa, such as, Del's Restaurant's 'Salsa De Del's' to be exact.

Del's award winning salsa is available at the restaurant or on their Web Site, www.delsrestaurant.com, and is a popular item shipped out of Tucumcari, said co-owner Yvette Peacock.

"Earlier this week I shipped six jars of salsa to Indiana," Peacock said. "We also offer Seattle Best coffee mixes and gift sets at our sister location Kix on 66."

Homegrown or handcrafted,  there are plenty of items for the last minute shopper, say local retailers.