BOUNTIFUL — The best holiday art shows are like the artistic version of a Christmas gathering, with plenty of presents for the whole family and the chance to say hi to old friends you haven’t seen in a while.

At the Bountiful Davis Art Center’s (BDAC) annual show and sale, set to be held Nov. 21 through Dec. 3, there are enough old friends and artistic presents to suit everyone’s wish list. There’s even a holiday party in the opening reception, scheduled for Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the BDAC (745 South Main). Hors d’oeuvres will be served, music will be provided by Ryan and Emily Miller, and everyone is welcome.

The real star of the show, however, is the art and the artists who created it. Sharp eyes will recognize a few pieces in the exhibit that are making a return appearance from earlier 2008 shows, and fans of a particular local artist will undoubtedly find a work or two of theirs tucked in amid the other creations. As is appropriate for a holiday get-together, nearly everyone has decided to drop by — Lester Lee, Barbara Dowdle, Sue Valentine and Jesus Silva are just a few of the artists represented.

There’s also enough artistic styles on display to satisfy nearly everyone’s holiday wish list. Beautiful landscapes depicting all four of the seasons hang next to portraits, with modern art and old-fashioned folk art also spending time together on the same wall.

There’s even a good selection of pottery, an art form that only rarely pops up in a BDAC show. The best are a set of three pots by Chris Adams, each surrounded by the delicately rendered, three-dimensional leaves and branches of a specific tree. The rims of the pots look as though they’ve been edged with river stones, half embedded into the tan mud of the pot. The result is pottery that seems to carry the breath of the forest.

There are even a few works by illustrator Micah Harmon, further proof that the form can easily hold its own next to traditional fine art. In “Strike,” Harmon’s rooster with attitude is almost riding a bowling ball straight into the pins, each clear, crisp line chock full of kinetic motion. More subtle is the play of shadows among the flying pins, giving them a surprising depth and complexity.

There’s even a touch of Christmas in the exhibit, thanks to two works by Robert McKay. One is of a ruminative Santa Claus and the other is of tiny, poinsetta-backed glass ornaments, and both are like rich, lushly textured presents wrapped up in tiny, jewel-toned boxes. They’re like little fantasy presents, right there for anyone to open.

It’s the two photographs by R. Jason Simpson, however, that I’d want under my tree. One takes trees and snow and turns it into a dreamy fantasyland, while the other offers up a slice of rich pink sunset that makes Bountiful look like a painting. Clearly, there’s some Christmas magic at work.