With the first week of December behind us, the frantic, rush
of gift buying is well underway. Mobs of cars crowd the roads, all seemingly in
a big hurry to get somewhere. Shoppers are in every store, pushing, shoving,
and overall acting rude. They are all concerned about saving a few pennies on
Uncle Joe an ugly tie, or Aunt Martha a new set of pot holders. Really… is this
what the holidays and Christmas has come to-ugh.
I am proud to say that many of the gifts my family is giving
this year are handmade. This isn’t something we set out as a group to do; it
just sort of started happening on its own. When someone takes the time to make
a gift, it seems to mean so much more than running down to wally-world and
buying up the latest crap from China. Personally, I don’t have anything against
China. But, when my neighbor down the street builds things of excellent
quality, why should I go and buy the same thing made in another country.
America is full of talented craftsmen, we should support
them. As I watch my wife crochet and knit I am amazed at the quality of work
she turns out. What happened to our country? We used to be self-supportive; we
now depend on others for products we can easily make ourselves. Somewhere along
the line greed took over which has led us to buying lessor quality things from
other countries.
It is up to us, the buyers, to reverse this trend. Support
mom n pop shops… even if they cost a little more. It will be worth it in the
end if we can bring back the small business industry. Not only will we get wonderful
quality items, but pride of ownership as well. We used to be such a strong,
proud, and powerful nation, now look at us; fighting among ourselves, and on
the verge of another Civil War. United we stand, divided we fall. That
statement is just as true today as when it was first written. Buying at home to me
is like paying it forward, good things will come from it.
Lowell Henderson
