Alternatives for gift-giving

It's that season again for people who celebrate Christmas or participate in gift-giving traditions around the time of the solstice... I've been trying for the last seven or eight years to make sure that I support local artisans and stores, especially independent bookstores. Christmas markets and bazaars are one good place to look, but if you want to shop online, sometimes that can be hard to do. Etsy is one obvious place to go looking, but there are other avenues as well.

Just recently my friends and I have been soliciting our friends to post what they make or sell on our timelines. It's a bit of free advertising. I lucked out and got something nice for my daughter. She doesn't read this so I can safely say that she's going to LOVE the crocheted mermaid tail blanket. It's exactly the colours she loves. Score!

I've made a short list of places below for your information and for the sake of interest:




MadeGrown - Free advertising for local businesses which make local food, clothing and crafts. You can search for places which are local to you as well. Much more prevalent in the US, but some Canadian listings as well. Room to grow in Canada.

Canadian Ewe Wool Shop - Knitting wool sourced and spun in Ontario, Canada. They have an incredible variety of wool breeds available, and they're part of the Upper Canada Fibreshed.

The Cottage Gardener - Established in 1996, family-owned and operated, open-pollinated, rare and heirloom veggies, herbs and flowers.

Seeds of Diversity - Preserving and studying endangered and heirloom food crops. They also have a store and seed supplier catalogue.


Spending just $50 on a local shop in the next month or so can help keep it afloat. Find a local bookstore, either new or used, and give them some love, too.

I'm taking a bit of time off after this, so look for my next post the first Friday in January! Enjoy your month!