Want to send a message this Christmas?? Don't go to the mall!!!

As I drove past the mall on Black Friday, and watched the cars swarming in, I wondered what, of all the Chinese junk in there, was so important for people to get?? I was headed to Joann's, where I needed more fabric, to finish my Christmas gifts. I have also bought gifts at the mall before this year, but I started some classes this year, quilting and pottery, and everyone in my family is getting handmade gifts this year. I am giving quilts, table runners, hand-thrown cereal bowls, and other pieces of pottery for the nieces. I will NOT give any money to corporations this year. I also go to a local store that has locally made gifts: jewelry, art, etc.

There are lots of gifts you can give, even if you think that you are not creative or able to make things. How about buying a vintage or antique planter, and putting some cuttings from one of your plants in it as a gift? I would LOVE that present!! Or some homemade cookies or banana bread? Could you offer your services to someone, like clean their car, inside and outside, every few months. Be open to new ideas, think outside the box, and you will find something that you can make or do for a wonderful gift. And if you have to buy, buy locally, from local stores, even if it costs a few extra dollars. You can afford to buy locally, because you are saving so much money on your other presents!!

I have already decided that if any of my family, who all adore crap made in China as long as it is expensive, complains, next year I will send money to a charity of MY choice!! And the republicans in my family will not be happy who I choose!!

Any other ideas? I would love to hear them!!

JoAnn's is terrible about that. Just sayin' . . .

I'm all for handmade gifts (need to finish my mom's cowl, my lawyer's set of mittens, and my boyfriend's socks yet) and usually give out dried herbs and such for gifts or knitted items. Let's not kid ourselves, though, on where our materials come from.

Which I am sure they can use...same for my SIL...

I just need to put in mail.

Bu you are correct as to where things come from

I know it sounds cold, just to send money, but honestly, with the way things are, it's a great gift.

Michaels is apparently one of the major stores for crafts. Everything is from China. I found some oils from England but just about everything else I looked at was made in China.

As for JoAnn's, I saw that some flower pots were from Germany. I don't mind buying things manufactured in a country where people earn a living wage. It's China that I have real problems with.

and I do what I can to buy fabrics not made in other countries. Of course, with batiks and some special fabrics, they are always made in Asia. :)

If so, where do you buy them?

I don't mind other countries, either, where they pay a living wage, but China, Bangladesh, etc., just kill me. American Eagle products, made in Bangladesh. Sick!

List:

http://www.apparelsearch.com/world_clothing_industry/united_states/Fabric_Mills_USA.htm

:)

I have yet to ever see any fabric from there made in the US, though they have some at the high-end fabric/yarn shop I love.

if you have any free time.

Good for the economy, bad for republicans.

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Our jobs have gone to China, yes, I have a problem with that. I assume most Americans do. Or at least the ones here.

most of the fabric at JoAnn (corporation) comes from China as well..............

Just sayin

We adopted a "no purchase" policy in my family a long time ago when my brother died at 27 of a heart attack. We just decided time was more important. Oh we still give gifts. Last year my sister altered the skirt and jacket of the only business suit I own so it was short enough for me. My brother had me put my own broken sewing machine in the car to haul to Michigan and he fixed it. I stayed with the sister, who works 2 part time jobs, lives alone and rarely gets a decent meal. I filled her freezer with homemade freezer meals.

My brothers kids were raised with the tradition of get ONE new gift. At Thanksgiving they spend the day at a shelter fixing food and serving to the poor, visiting and cleaning up after. They are then are given the task of deciding which of the things they own they can donate to a needy family. It had to be something really nice (no headless barbies or broken hot wheels). His kids have passed the tradition on to their kids. They've learned an appreciation for their blessings and for their belongings.

I wish I had begun these habits when my kids were younger, so that they would have absorbed it instead of the spend, spend, spend of the average consumers.

I always thought it was a bizarre custom that Americans summon "thankfulness" by gorging themselves, rather than by fasting or sacrificing in some way. Your Christmas traditions sound terrific, too. You should write an article on your family celebrations -- seriously.

www.etsy.com

Cottage industry!

I have yet to ever get anything through that site that isn't top-notch quality, too.

Haven't bought yet, but think I might this year!

Two extras come with every purchase:

1. Satisfaction of knowing you helped support a local mom-n-pop shop.

2. Your purchase of a used item is good for the environment, a definite plus!



:toast:

I try to only patronize local artisans or local businesses. Go to your farmers market and get your items from local foodies and artisans.

Even better... make your own!

I have 40 clients and this year I'm giving them all homemade apple butter made from the trees on the farm, with homemade bread. There are terrific "no knead" recipes out there that even the most kitchen-challenged can make and give away with pride. My kids know that many of their gifts will be from Goodwill and Platos Closet (resale shops) to lessen our impact on consumer waste.

Your OP is an important one. Glad you put it out there! K and R!

How wonderful! I am trying to figure out what to get my son who wants headphones and a FM transmitter for his car? I really don't want to buy stuff like that. So much plastic/crap and they work for 6 months or a year, and then clog up our landfills. I am really watching our waste recently

Our Holiday spending will again be only 10% of what it was in 2008.
Our two children in the Lower 48 will have their utility bills paid for Christmas.
My wife is making quilts for the grandchildren and a few other relatives.
I'm using Amazon.com to provide a wish list of books my daughter here in Alaska can find at our local used book dealer, Title Wave Books, and I put her name on my account so she can use my credit from returned books to get them at no cost to her.

Dissent can be fun.

Here is our motivation technique: We withdrew the amount we used to spend from the bank, we pay cash, and we have to watch real $20 bills disappear as we spend. Watching real money disappear is much more difficult than running a piece of plastic through a card reader.

Is this profound or un-American? No, I'm just living the way my grandparents did--frugally.

That is kind of how I feel. I saw 40% of my 457 disappear due to the guys who are now going to get HUGE bonuses, so I certainly feel no obligation to prop up corporations that pay their CEOs to ship our jobs to other countries.

I no longer look at the stock market as a sign of economic health. It clearly reflects the economic health of the Few, not the Many.

i have never really been into doing things myself. but i always enjoyed the things other people made. i want to start out with more simple things like make my own cards .

i tried knitting/crocheting once but gave up right away. i know you have to keep trying if you want to learn. but i don't think it's for me, or it's better to try other things.

We are lucky, there are lots of places to learn on the internet now. I learned watercolors from youtube and then wetcanvas.com. Youtube also has great quilting videos for beginners, I don't know about the knit/crochet, but you could go look. It is easy to learn when you can see it.

You can sign up for free daily e-mails.

Also About.com Today sends free daily e-mails.

Youtube.com has many craft tutorials.

www.heifer.org
You can buy shares of expensive items now, which I think is a very good moooooove on Heifer's part. And you can have Heifer send a card to the person in whose name you bought the share (so they will then be on Heifer's mailing list next year to receive a catalog).

www.seva.org
This is another group that really provides assistance in the true spirit of Christmas giving.

www.nrdc.org
www.wwf.org
www.defenders.org
These are among the very best for giving the Earth and the animals a chance.

I am going to go check them out today!

from Thanksgiving to the middle of January and that includes my staple stores, Value Village and Goodwill. I only drive to and from work and I almost always try to get scheduled to work all of the holidays.

Edited to add: The only time I ever step foot near a mall is when I'm going to see a movie that's encased in one of those things. I find them horrifying. It feels like bees are buzzing in my head the moment I walk in. I've been like that since a young adult. People have said my psychic filters just aren't good enough to filter out the noise.

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Homemade jams/jellies, bread-and-butter pickles, raisins (we live in raisin country) and organically-grown tree-ripened oranges from California. I'm told that they're all treasured commodities and that people look forward to receiving our gifts.