Colorado
10 terrific Colorado-made stocking stuffers for under $35

Need help with your holiday gift list? The big stuff is all on you, but we’ve got a few ideas for stocking stuffers, and many of them are local. You’re welcome.
Oso Rojo Hot Sauce
Grab a three-pack of delicious hot sauces from Denver’s Oso Rojo Hot Sauce, which you can build to your tastes from a selection of a six total. We recommend the Habanero Jellyfish, Habanero Mustard and Orange Ginger. $21 per three-pack. osorojohotsauce.com/s/order — Lily O’Neill
B Fresh Gear
Some of the freshest gear in Colorado these days is also some of the most retro. B Fresh Gear, which was founded in Denver in 2012, sells 1980s- and ‘90s-style windbreakers, fanny packs, sunglasses, visors and other apparel emblazoned with loud graphic designs, neon colors and an early digital feel. One of the coolest items: a wide-ribbed corduroy hat with an 8-bit Tecmo graphic of an NFL quarterback dressed in orange and wearing No. 7 on his jersey. The hat puts a new-old spin on the nostalgic glory days of John Elway and the Denver Broncos. $33. bfreshgear.com — Jonathan Shikes
Casa Bonita Sopaipilla Scented Candle
When Casa Bonita reopened in May, it came with a new gift shop offering some creative and quirky souvenirs. One of the most popular is an all-soy, 8-ounce custom-made candle produced in Denver by Wooly Wax to mimic the aromas and flavors of the restaurant’s most famous dish: the honey-covered sopaipillas. Scents of honey, caramelized sugar, citrus and cinnamon mingle together in a way that will make you close your eyes and imagine Black Bart’s Cave. $28. shop.casabonitadenver.com
Joy Bombs
These Joybiles cannabis products look and taste exactly like Skittles and each candy has a manageable 2.5 mg of THC. They are also sold in smaller packages sometimes so they are extra cute. $20-$27 per 40 pack (total of 100 mg THC per package) at dozens of Colorado recreational and medical dispensary locations. joyibles.com/joy-bombs — Tiney Ricciardi

Tingly Crisp from Pho King Rapidos
If you’re a fan of chili oil — that lightly textured, spicy and often nutty addition that melds with Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and other live-giving foods, share the flavor of Pho King Rapidos’s Tingly Crisp. As the name promises, the $14 bottle of handmade hot sauce is perfect for Asian and Latin food, full of tang and bright personality but not overpowering. Bonus: It’s vegan, relying on sichuan peppercorn, lemongrass, thai chili, red chili flake, garlic, onion, brown sugar and salt for its profile. Visit pkr-denver.com (the main site) or bit.ly/3SI4ldl (the ordering link). — John Wenzel
Uncle Tim’s Cocktails
Toast the craft-distilling aficionado in your life with a sample pack of pre-batched tipples from Uncle Tim’s Cocktails. The Denver company sells so-called “series” of miniature libations, such as the Negroni and Manhattan, which feature true-to-form classic recipes along with original takes. The Negroni series, for example, includes a classic rendition, a white Negroni and a Boulevardier, all ready to drink over ice. Each series includes three, 100 ml bottles for $30. Uncle Tim’s Cocktails is also debuting an Old Fashioned series in November just in time for the holidays. If you want to try before you buy, head to Uncle Tim’s tasting room at 1150 S. Lipan St. in Denver. Bottled cocktails, including sampler series, are also available for purchase at uncletimscocktails.com. — Tiney Ricciardi
Indie bookstore gift cards
For the readers in your family or friendship circle, a gift card to Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store (make that a digital card) or any one of dozens of independent bookstores across Colorado will fit nicely in that stocking. Check out this list of some of them to help you choose (bit.ly/40DXdR0), and read up on local authors, book reviews and more Colorado literary news at denverpost.com/things-to-do/books. Various gift-card values available. tatteredcover.com — Barbara Ellis
“Iron Flame” and more Colorado fiction
It’s easy to find Colorado authors making national headlines these days, such as fantasy-lit megastar Rebecca Yarros, who has a new book out called “Iron Flame.” It’s also high time to introduce yourself to even more of our New York Times best sellers and buzzy, critically acclaimed titles (some just now in paperback). That includes national award winners Kali Fajardo-Anstine (“Woman of Light”), Vauhini Vara (“This Is Salvaged”) and Mario Acevedo (genre anthologies, “Cats in Quarantine”), as well as classics from Coloradans Kent Haruf (“Our Souls at Night”) and John Williams (“Stoner” and the recently adapted “Butcher’s Crossing”). $15-$35 at local retailers. — John Wenzel
Colorado Wildflower Seed Mix
There’s nothing like wildflower season in Colorado. Catching a meadow or forest trail in full bloom is truly a breathtaking moment. But these moments can be fleeting, which is why it’s also fun to plant your own. Boulder’s BBB Seed has been operating for nearly 40 years and sells wildflower seed mixes that you can buy online or in small and mostly independent retail stores around the state. Each mix includes annuals and perennials designed to grow in our climate, like blue flax, purple coneflower, Shasta daisies, baby blue-eyes and blue columbines. $6-$42. bbbseed.com/product/colorado-wildflower-mix — Jonathan Shikes
Vinyl Me Please, please?
Based in Denver, the fast-growing Vinyl Me Please makes and annually sells dozens of reissued, all-time classic titles as well as new albums and critical darlings from tons of musical genres, ranging from Dolly Parton and Stevie Wonder to Taylor Swift, OutKast, and Caroline Rose. While a double LP won’t necessarily fit in a stocking, a gift card ($10-$500) or subscription to its high-end, record-of-the-month club (starting at $128 for three months) certainly will. It’s sure to thrill your resident audiophile, especially if you pair it with a portable, rechargeable turntable from Denver-based Victrola ($60 and up). vinylmeplease.com or victrola.com — John Wenzel
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Colorado
A Meeting with the Mammoth | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (5-0-1) @ Utah Mammoth (4-2-0)
8 p.m. MT | Delta Center | Watch: ESPN | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
For the second time this month, the Colorado Avalanche will face their Central Division foes, the Utah Mammoth. The Avalanche defeated the Mammoth 2-1 in their first meeting on October 9th, and the teams will meet again in Denver on December 23rd and in Salt Lake City on February 25th.
Latest Result (COL): BOS 1, COL 4
Latest Result (UTA): BOS 2, UTA 3
Saturday Night Success
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice to help the Avalanche defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1 and improve to 5-0-1 on Saturday at Ball Arena. In addition to winning its last three games, Colorado is one of two teams that remains undefeated in regulation. Josh Manson and Martin Necas each scored for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced. The Avalanche outshot the Bruins 38-14, including 31-7 in the second and third periods. Boston’s John Beecher opened the scoring at 3:11 of the first period with a goal from the left circle. MacKinnon tied the game at 7:08 of the first period with his fifth goal of the season via a mini breakaway set up by Artturi Lehkonen’s feed after he intercepted a Bruins pass. At 10:22 of the opening frame, Manson gave the Avs a 2-1 lead with his first goal of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Brent Burns shortly after an offensive-zone faceoff. MacKinnon doubled the Avs’ lead at 4:14 of the third period with his second goal of the game and sixth of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Lehkonen. Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead at 17:23 of the third period with his fourth goal of the season via an empty-net tally.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon is tied for second in the NHL in goals (6) and tied for fifth in points (10).
All Hail Cale
Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for first in points (7) while being tied for second in goals (2) and assists (5).
Marty Party
Necas is tied for fifth in the league in points (10) and tied for seventh in assists (6).
Series History
In four previous games against Utah, Colorado is 3-1-0, including a 2-0-0 record in Salt Lake City.
Defending Home Ice
The Utah Mammoth defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 at Delta Center on Sunday. In the first period, Utah’s Logan Cooley opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 4:20 and Boston’s David Pastrnak answered with a power-play tally of his own at 14:38. In the middle frame, Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the night at 5:46 before Clayton Keller tied the game at 15:57. Dylan Guenther scored the game-winning goal for the Mammoth at 10:37 of the third period.
Making Their Mark Against the Mammoth
MacKinnon has posted six points (2g/4a) in four games against the Mammoth.
In three contests against Utah, Lehkonen has recorded three goals.
Brock Nelson has registered three points (1g/2a) in three games against the Mammoth.
Scoring in Salt Lake City
Nick Schmaltz leads the Mammoth in points (9) and is tied for first in goals (3) and assists (6).
Guenther is tied for the team lead in goals (3), third in points (5) and tied for third in assists (2).
Keller is second on the Mammoth in points (7) and assists (5) while being tied for third in goals (2).
A Numbers Game
.954
In the Avs’ past three games, Wedgewood has posted a .954 save percentage, a 1.00 goals-against average and a 3-0-0 record. He was named the NHL’s third star of the week.
1.5
Colorado is allowing a league-fewest 1.5 goals per game.
15
Colorado’s 15 goals at five-on-five are the third most in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“Overall, I don’t think there was a whole lot to it,” Gabriel Landeskog said about the game. “I thought we deserved to win. We played really well 5-on-5, [limited] their scoring chances for the most part. Obviously, there are things we can do better, but overall, a good W.”
— Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog on the team’s win on Saturday
Kick off the Avalanche season with a 7-day free trial to the all-new Altitude+ — now redesigned and packed with powerful new features! Use promo code AVS7FREE at *Altitudeplus.com* — then download the app and start streaming today! Offer Expires 10/31/25
Colorado
High fire danger and strong winds across Colorado Monday

Monday is a First Alert Weather Day in Colorado as strong winds and very dry air create critical fire weather conditions.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning through this evening for the I-25 Corridor, the Front Range Foothills, and much of the northeast plains. Wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph will be common, with some foothill areas briefly seeing gusts as high as 70 mph. The strong winds are also causing patchy blowing dust on the plains, reducing visibility at times.
In the mountains, a quick burst of snow moved through early Monday morning, along and north of the I-70 corridor. Conditions are expected to improve by midday as drier air moves in.
Winds will ease later this afternoon and evening, setting the stage for a Freeze Warning overnight for parts of the I-25 corridor and adjacent plains.
Tuesday brings calmer weather and more seasonal temperatures in the 60s.
Colorado
Small plane crashes at northern Colorado airport, Erie police say

Police are investigating after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon near the runway at the Erie Municipal Airport in Weld County, according to the department.
The Erie Police Department first posted about the single-plane crash at 3:59 p.m. Sunday. Department spokesperson Amber Luttrell said the crash happened about 15 minutes before that.
Two people were on board the plane, Luttrell said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
Additional information about the crash, including the cause and the plane’s flight information, was not immediately available Sunday.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Luttrell said.
Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment on Sunday.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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