Well before Thanksgiving, I began receiving four or five catalogues a day in my snail-mail box, and as many email pitches from wilderness outfitters, sports-gear and gardening retailers, chef suppliers, and鈥攆or some reason鈥攁 number of high-end purveyors.
I鈥檇 often spend a few minutes thumbing through the catalogues, just for fun. Today鈥檚 batch featured a two-story inflatable reindeer (with integrated fan that 鈥渋nflates the reindeer in five minutes and maintains inflation鈥), an automatic pot-stirrer (only $60), waffle tongs, a solar pineapple pedestal garden fountain (soothing sounds of cascading water…without the hassle of extension cords), sunglasses (whose frames are smoothed to a high gloss 鈥渁s a result of being tumbled in teakwood and bamboo鈥), and a 鈥渞unning dress鈥 complete with convenient 鈥渃leavage pocket.鈥 I could go on.
So much stuff.
The year of giving local
After a week or two of catalogue-perusing, my eyes glazed over, and I decided that this holiday season and throughout this year, I鈥檇 give local, no matter the gift-giving occasion.
By local, I mean gifts that keep my money circulating in the recipient鈥檚 local economy, directly supporting individuals and companies who work and hire locally using locally available materials as much as possible.
Within minutes, I came up with more than a half-dozen suggestions that met my criteria:
- A gift certificate for home landscaping services. Landscapers plant, prune and care for trees and shrubs; create gardens and 鈥渉ardscape鈥 features such as fences, walls and patios; improve soil; mow lawns and plow snow.
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A share or half-share in a . Thousands of community-supported agriculture projects have sprung up across the nation, allowing people who can鈥檛 or don鈥檛 want to produce their own food can support local growers who do. The idea of sharing both the risk and the bounty of a nearby farm operation gives shareholders 鈥渟kin in the game,鈥 encourages them to meet the folks who grow their food and maybe visit the farm operation itself.
- A basket of products from a local farmers鈥 market. Even the winter markets here in central New Hampshire offer locally grown winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, potatoes, apples, honey, and eggs. Except for the eggs, all these products enjoy a long shelf life without refrigeration, so people can enjoy them over a long season. Summer market baskets (weddings, baby showers, housewarmings) could over overflow with green vegetables, small fruits, cut flowers, and fresh herbs.
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For word-burning households, a cord or two of green wood to season for next year. (For Christmas this year, we each bought the other a cord of cut, split, and delivered firewood from the logger across the street.)
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Also for woodburners, a certificate for a chimney cleaning, a fall safety check, or even a new stovepipe (with installation).
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For veteran gardeners, a truckload of compost and a strong back to spread it.
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A length of rock wall or a raised-bed planting area, built by a local artisan from native materials.
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A hands-on course in vegetable or tree-fruit gardening, land management, rock-wall building from your community-education program or cooperative extension educator.
I鈥檒l bet you could add a few of your own.
