Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Amanda’s 2014 Holiday Guide
My entire feeling about the holidays can be summed up in my recent trip to Michaels, the craft store. I went in specifically for white place cards, a Thanksgiving-themed stamp or stickers and a festive stamp to use on my holiday cards. I found all of these things pretty quickly and then spent 20 minutes pulling things off of the shelf, having a crazed internal dialogue and then putting things back on the shelf. The dialogue went something like this:
“Oh, look at this stationary, it is so cute. Simone would love it, I wonder if they have an “S”- Oh look-there’s an “E” maybe that would be a good present for Ella.”
“But I bet it’s made in China.”
“Oh who cares? It’s so cheap.”
“Yeah-it’s cheap because it is made in China. Let other people buy that crap-you findsomething special…”
So, in the end I didn’t buy any gifts at Michaels-though in the checkout line I discovered what must be the only American-made item they sell: Hammond’s Candy Perfect stocking stuffer!
So, how is my holiday shopping going? Well, I have to say, just as I’ve gotten a bit tired of the Made-in-the-USA search, the search has gotten easier. I think that companies that have been manufacturing here all along have gotten hip to the fact that they should advertise this. For example, my daughter has recently learned to knit, so I wanted to get her some yarn for Christmas. It took only 5 minutes online to discover that many Lion Brand yarns are manufactured in the U.S. and available on Amazon. Easy.
Similarly, when I bought new plates last spring, I discovered that there is a lot of dinnerware still made in the USA, including the always-appealing Fiesta Ware. My favorites are these cactus blossom bowls, which are made in Tuscon, Arizona.
Etsy continues to be a great source for American-made items, like this cute tote bag.
You can even search Etsy for Made in Brooklyn-I found this yummy wrap.
I’m trying not to be rigid: I bought my niece handmade leg-warmers from a women’s collective in Bali (okay, the woman at the Union Square Market made a strong case for her company-and the leg warmers were CUTE). Union Square and Columbus Circle‘s Holiday Markets and the Winter Village at Bryant Parkare all full of local-made goods.
Give yourself some boundaries, a budget, a theme and have a wonderful, meaningful shopping experience this year.