By Stuart Hata, Director of Retail Operations, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young \ Legion of Honor

This holiday season, Museum Store Sunday is making it easier than ever to discover meaningful, memorable gifts with the debut this October of its 2026 Holiday Gift Guide—a new digital resource showcasing exceptional products from museum stores across the country.

Created to inspire holiday shoppers while highlighting the extraordinary diversity of museum retail, the digital flipbook brings together a curated selection of gifts from Museum Store Sunday participants. All gift items were submitted by participants and then curated by the Museum Store Sunday Committee. Organized around themes inspired by different museum types, the guide demonstrates that there is a museum store gift for virtually everyone on your holiday list.

Something for Every Interest

From art and history to science, design, nature, music, and pop culture, the 2026 Holiday Gift Guide invites shoppers to explore museum stores through the passions and personalities of the people they’re shopping for.

The guide’s themed sections include:

• For the Ornament Collector — Discover beautiful and distinctive ornaments to add character and culture to any holiday collection.
• For the Museum Nerd — Perfect gifts for the person who can never get enough museums, collections, exhibitions, and fascinating facts.
• For the Air & Space Enthusiast — Explore gifts inspired by aviation, space exploration, flight, and the wonders of the universe.
• For the Anthropologist — Discover objects that celebrate human cultures, traditions, societies, and the stories that connect us.
• For the Art Admirer — Find gifts inspired by artists, masterpieces, collections, and the creative process.
• For the Cinephile — Celebrate the magic of film with gifts for devoted movie lovers and cinema enthusiasts.
• For the Cooking Connoisseur — From culinary tools to food-inspired treasures, find something special for those who love to cook and entertain.
• For the Computer Geek — Gifts explore the history, design, science, and cultural impact of computing and technology.
• For the Design Aficionado — Explore beautifully conceived gifts where creativity, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design come together.
• For the History Expert — Find gifts that bring the past to life and celebrate the people, places, and events that have shaped our world.
• For the Indigenous Culturalist — Discover products that honor Indigenous cultures, artistic traditions, histories, and contemporary creativity.
• For the Kids at Play — Inspire curiosity and imagination with engaging gifts designed for young explorers, creators, and learners.
• For the Library Learner — Find something for readers, book lovers, lifelong learners, and anyone who believes there’s always another story to discover.
• For the Marine Aquarist — Dive into gifts inspired by oceans, aquatic life, marine science, and the mysteries beneath the water.
• For the Military Buff — Explore gifts reflecting military history, service, technology, and the stories of those who served.
• For the Music Fan — Celebrate musicians, musical traditions, instruments, performances, and the universal language of music.
• For the Nature & Garden Lover — Discover gifts inspired by plants, landscapes, gardens, wildlife, and the natural world.
• For the Paleontologist — Unearth fascinating gifts inspired by fossils, dinosaurs, prehistoric life, and the science of Earth’s distant past.
• For the Performing Artist — Celebrate theater, dance, performance, and the artists who bring stories to life on stage.
• For the Science Wizard — Find gifts that spark curiosity and celebrate discovery, experimentation, innovation, and the wonders of science.
• For the Style Devotee — Discover distinctive fashion, jewelry, accessories, and design-forward gifts for those with an eye for style.
• For the Zoologist — Explore gifts inspired by animals, wildlife, conservation, and the fascinating diversity of the animal kingdom.

Together, these themes showcase the remarkable range of products available through museum stores—and make it easy to find a gift that feels personal and unexpected.

Discover Gifts with a Story

Museum store gifts are more than beautiful or useful objects. They often have a story to tell. Products featured in the guide are inspired by museum collections, exhibitions, artists, cultural traditions, scientific discoveries, and the communities museums serve.

Each featured product includes an image, price, museum name, and a direct link to the participating museum store’s online shop. For institutions without an online store, shoppers will be directed to the museum store or institutional webpage for additional information.

Shop with Purpose

The Holiday Gift Guide extends Museum Store Sunday’s mission to encourage consumers to Shop with Purpose. Every purchase from a museum store helps support museums and their programs while contributing to the artists, makers, designers, publishers, and creative communities represented through museum retail.
By choosing a museum store for holiday shopping, consumers can find distinctive gifts while helping museums continue their important work of connecting people with art, culture, history, science, and ideas.

A Resource for Shoppers, Museum Stores & Media

The Holiday Gift Guide is designed to be more than a shopping resource. Its digital format makes it easy for Museum Store Sunday participants to share the guide through email marketing, social media, museum communications, affiliate organizations, and community networks.

The guide also serves as a ready-to-share public relations resource for media and press contacts looking for unique holiday gift ideas. With participating museums representing a broad spectrum of interests and collections, the guide offers a fresh way to introduce new audiences to the remarkable shopping experiences available through museum stores.

Holiday Shopping with Museum Store Sunday

The 2026 Museum Store Sunday Holiday Gift Guide will be available on the Museum Store Sunday website, inviting shoppers to browse, discover, and shop from participating museum stores. Consumers will be encouraged, for the holiday season, to skip the ordinary and find something with meaning, creativity, and a story behind it. Whether they are shopping for an ornament collector, an art admirer, a science wizard, a style devotee—or someone who defies categorization—there is a museum store gift waiting to be discovered.

Museum Store Sunday — November 29, 2026. Shop with Purpose.

Stuart Hata is a veteran museum retail professional with more than thirty years of experience. Stuart Hata is Director of Retail Operations for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young and Legion of Honor museums. Hata currently serves on several MSA committees and leadership initiatives, including as Co-Chair of the Museum Store Sunday Committee.