An American Made Christmas

As the holidays approach, as Americans we can give gifts that really are produced by American hands. There really are American made products that you can locate at various stores in your city and I am speaking of frequenting some of the smaller local boutiques and shops rather than the big stores such as WalMart and Target. Support your little local business owner and the products that they carry that are American made.

At this time of year, many churches and cities will have craft fairs where local artisans will have their wares for sale. You can probably do all of your Christmas shopping right there and not have to run all over town shopping. You can find almost any type of gift available for the men, women and children on your list.

Let's use our ingenuity and think of things that are truly different and unique.  How about thinking of services that we can give to some one else? How about gift certificates that lets someone you love be pampered for the day? Perhaps to a local spa, where they can also get a manicure and a pedicure? Or getting a haircut from a local hair salon or barber? With everyone concerned about their health, consider a gym membership, which is good for any age group.

For someone who doesn't have time to wash their car, how about several gift certificates to a locally owned detail shop and car wash. Or how about an oil change for their vehicle, or getting their tires rotated for them?

As a person who doesn't have the time or energy to care for their yard the way they  would like to, perhaps they would really appreciate having their lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed during the winter.

For the golfer in the family, how about some certificates for some rounds of golf at the local golf course. For the younger set, a chance to race go-carts, go horseback riding, or perhaps swimming lessons offered through the local YMCA.

There are a many owner-run restaurants, all offering gift certificates.  Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains, we are talking about the small locally owned restaurants here. This is about supporting your home town Americans helping to keep their doors open.

Could Mom use some help cleaning the house? How about the services of a local cleaning lady for a day or more throughout the coming year.

It really doesn’t have to be a big gift, just let others know that they are appreciated.  Leave the mailman, the trash guy or your babysitter something a little extra like a tip or even a small homemade gift such as a gift basket filled with homemade cookies and candy.

Stop  draining American pockets by buying foreign made products. Keep our money here at home and support our local American businesses so they can continue to keep their doors open and afford to hire more employees. When we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in the form of local community growth, more jobs for those in our community and also the feeling of unity which is priceless.

So this Christmas, as so many of our local businesses are struggling during this economical depression, lets each of us do our best to BUY LOCAL and BUY AMERICAN.