There are plenty of reasons to buy only handmade gifts this holiday season, chief among them that handmade objects have more soul & personality than even the finest machine-made mass-produced goods. Of course, there are also environmental and social reasons: money stays in the craftperson’s community, and doesn’t (as often) go into the coffers of WalTargetMartEtc. or another international conglomerate that cares not at all about its customers or the quality of the products it sells. From buyhandmade.com:

Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving.

The
giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of
the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the
giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting
an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift
receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and
attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill
and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale
manufacturing.

Buying handmade is better for people.

The
ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us
dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be
consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and
human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us
reconnect.

Buying handmade is better for the environment.

The
accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause
of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every
item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or
crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

There are plenty of ways to do this. Visit one of the many hundreds of folks selling their wares on etsy.com, for instance, or your local artists’ guild, or contact a local community or technical college and find out who your neighborhood’s cabinetmakers and furniture carpenters are. Either way, down with plastic and up with real gifts!