Great Falls — While places like Tysons Corner might draw the large crowds and big numbers during the holiday shopping season, plenty of local residents are able to find gifts much more locally. The shops at the Great Falls commercial center offer a wide variety of items from locally owned businesses.

"One of my favorite places to shop during the holidays is Maison et Jardin," said Jean Bakewell of Reston. "I first found it when I was stopping for a sandwich in the shopping center, and since then it’s become a great stop for anything home décor."

Maison et Jardin features a variety of seasonal items that are starting to come in for the winter months. Thymes Fraser Fir candles and reed diffusers have arrived, and are one of their most popular items.

"We don’t usually put up our Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving, but I tend to get the holiday fever right after Halloween," said Jamie Jensen of Great Falls. "So I love to get those fir candles because they smell as close to the real thing as possible."

Maison et Jardin is located a few doors down from the Safeway in Great Falls. More information can be found at www.maisonetjardenltd.com.

While Maison et Jardin focuses on home and garden, Maison du Vin means "house of wine" in French. The store features more than 800 wines from around the world that are hand-selected by the store’s staff.

"My favorite part about Maison du Vin are the wines available for sample, because its nice to try a wine before you invest in an entire bottle, especially if you’re not an expert," said Sam Sharpe of Herndon. "I usually come in to pick up a few gifts, but after a few samples I end up getting at least a bottle for myself."

In addition to wines, there are other items, such as gourmet foods. They also sell memberships to a monthly wine club, which features a staff picked bottle every month and offer free wine chilling.

"The best part is that no one who works there treats you like an idiot if you don’t know what you’re looking for," said Anna Carmine of Fairfax. "I’m not a big wine drinker, but it’s a great gift idea for holiday meals, and once I know what’s on the menu, I just let the staff know, and they always make a great pick."

Maison du Vin is located at the Great Falls Village Centre, and can be found online at www.maison-duvin.com.