A Gift Guide for Anti-corporate Santas
Buy local, buy less, make more, give better
The holiday season is upon us, and we’re caught between resisting capitalism’s claws and celebrating generosity and thoughtfulness. I’m here to say that it’s possible and practical to do both. Burn your Amazon prime card, and let’s go gifting.
My birth family has a tradition that I adore. We grew up working class, and holidays were always a time to get creative. We’d make each other jewelry out of seashells collected at the coast, dip candles made of old crayons, stuff oranges with cloves, and decorate endless cookies with garish icing and sprinkles. One year, I remember weaving little baskets for every kid in the neighborhood out of printer paper waste and filling them with chocolate.
Today, this tradition of making rather than buying carries on. There are a lot of us—somewhere near 30 now, but who’s keeping count. We make our gifts in batches, so everyone receives the sameish thing. Every year I look forward to the gifts I know will come: the maple syrup that my brother & sister-in-law tap from trees in their back yard; one sister’s hand-made soaps; ceramic ornaments hand painted by another; quilted pot holders, tee-shirts and aprons decorated by niblins of various ages. I happen to know my mother hasn’t bought soap in over a decade, and personally I am absolutely dependent on the calendars that my sister Jesse delivers, inscribed with the birthdays of everyone in our ever-growing family. I don’t have a signature gift yet, like Jan’s Nuts, or Wyatt’s honey; last year it was Rose & Lava bath salts, the year before coffee I sourced from my brother-in-law’s family farm in Uganda and hand-roasted. This year, well, you’ll just have to wait and see . . .
In addition to making things, upcycling things, and thrifting things, there are artisans, artists, and mission-driven organizations that thrive on your holiday gifting. If you can’t make it to a local craft fair, patronize some of those listed below. These are not affiliate links. They are simply a few ideas to fill your stockings with local, handmade, and material-less gifts:
Junebug & Darlin cross stitch kits. Give the gift of crafting with these simple, fun, DIY kits. Or, buy a PDF pattern and make one with the your choice of materials.
Make cuttings from your favorite houseplants. Stick in water for a few weeks until the root. Put them in upcycled pots or vases. Tie with a bow. It’s almost as good as a puppy, less poop! Christmas cactuses make great seasonal cuttings.
Bless up your favorite witch with anything from Make & Mary. Yvonne is the real deal and her stuff is potent! I’m partial to the The Mush Love Elixer (Add to seltzer with a squeeze of lime for a delightful aphrodisiac cocktail).
Sew a flaxseed heating pad using upcycled, heavy-duty cotton. This is super easy and anyone can do it! Add in lavender for extra relaxation. Or—buy one from www.organicdreampillows.com. Here is a YouTube video if you want instructions; or go free style and sew by hand.
Mother Madre’s abundant goddess candle is so swoon. Deliver with a handwritten code: “I deserve and accept all the abundance life has to offer.”
Books! Books books books. Some crowd favorites I’ve given and received: Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Wall Kimmer) Take Me With You (Andrea Gibson), The Artists Way. New ones to consider: The Volcano Daughters (Gina María Balibrera), The City & It’s Uncertain Walls (Haruki Murakami), Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver)! If you don’t have a local bookstore, buy from mine!
Plan a day of sweetness. Write it up in a card. Watch a movie, bake some cookies, play music together, do a puzzle, roll in the snow . . . time and presence are the greatest gifts of all.
Send a subscription to a newspaper or magazine. Support independent media while supporting your beloved’s mind. Choose for their interests.
Buy a handmade mug. Add locally roasted coffee for a cute little kit. Some crowd-pleasing favs: Ruby Farm, Sarah Clark, Wolf Ceramics . . . or what ever is fresh at the local craft fair.
Donate on your person’s behalf to a nonprofit aligned with their values and urgently in need: VOZ PDX supports migrant laborers in Portland; support humanitarian aid efforts in Palestine through UNRWA, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF. Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project assists women who are financially unable to pay for safe, legal abortions or emergency contraception.
A gift Certificate to a local spa, float tank, or massage therapist never goes awry. Make it a date at a foot massage spa. Some allow you to bring in bubbly; just ask!
Or, make bath salts for that at-home spa experience. They is so affordable, fast, easy and beautiful to make. Simply stir or blend epsom salts, pink Himalayan salt, black lava salt, or sea salt, with herbs of your choice (think rose petals, lavendar, chamomile, hops) and a bit of baking soda if you like. The ratio and ingredients are flexible. I like to add a few drops of essential oil and a bit of shea oil. Blending helps the herbs go down the drain. Fill whatever glass jars you have laying around with layers of herbed salts to make a bath salt parfait. Top with a few dried flowers or sprigs of herb and a whispered spell for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Print free art at Amplifier.org and put it in a thrifted or upcycled frame, or paste it to a board. Add to the sweetness with a donation to this art machine for social change!
Put those iphone photos to work or print your own art at Artifact Uprising or your local camera shop.
Or, buy a print from a working artist! Here are some affordable favs: deathcapprints, namesecrets, HECHO CON GANAS
A box Set of Hiyu Wine. I am absolutely in love with this Oregon-local vineyard’s holistic permaculture philosophy. Their wines are wild, unorthodox, evocative, and always an experience. A quote from Nate Ready, the winemaker . . . “There are many moments where you have a certain control over what's happening, and for me, it's important to allow for other voices to be part of that conversation, to be open for other sorts of expression. To be open to what emerges, to resist the urge to put life in a narrow box of what we think is beautiful…”
May your holidays be rich with connection, creativity, and joy!
From my light to yours,
Ali
Hi AG, a font of ideas and resources, thank You! With Your mention of "Migrant laborers," I think You'll appreciate this organization down in California, @celebrationnationorg Founded and run by a real dynamo, @flowerinspanish They'd be a great group to contribute to, either financially or in the form of clothing and toys ramping up for the holidays. Cheers! #Instagram