Alternative holiday shopping

Handmade Christmas tree decoration from "Originals"

I made a pledge to myself this year: stay clear of the shopping malls for gift shopping. And I kept the promise. And I feel great. I ignored all the tempting offers that have been bombarding my mail and email boxes for the past several weeks. And I feel great. I feel that I beat the commercialization of the holidays to the punch.

That is to say, I am not against the tradition of giving gifts to our loved ones during this time a year. Not at all. Maybe we just need to rethink how we do it? (Homemade food is a great gift, but this post isn’t about that.)

Do the gifts have to be from big and fancy retailers? Do they have to be mass-produced or designer labeled? Or can they be original, affordable and locally made?

I’ve decided to stick to handmade and original this year. And I couldn’t be happier with my finds.

My first source: local craft shows. I’ve been to quite a few prior to holidays that I wrote about here, here and here. The biggest one was “Originals” at the beginning of December. I got most of my list crossed out right there. The selection was amazing. Lots of original works from jewelry to furniture, holiday decorations, fashion, you name it.

My second source was Etsy. Yes, I did my research. I spent some time looking through their e-shops. To make my task a bit easier and to be safe on timing and shipping, I only ordered from Canada and States this year. Again, great finds.

Do you have an alternative sources for gift shopping?