Everyone loves to receive a nice gift, and in this day and age, there are plenty of options when it comes to gift-giving. You could go to a local department store and pick out any number of items that are manufactured in large numbers. Or you could go with a handmade gift.
Even if you aren’t particularly crafty or creative, that doesn’t mean you can’t give out gifts you made yourself! You can find many different shops, both online and in your area, that sell handmade gifts that are made by local artists. Buying these items means you are supporting someone who took the time to make these items with their own two hands. It can sometimes make the gift recipient feel more “special”: like you took the time to get them a thoughtful gift.
Not to mention, buying handmade gifts means that, instead of paying for some corporate president’s salary, you are helping to support that local artist and you are helping that person make a living doing what they love. You are helping to send that artist’s kids to dance lessons, or you are helping him or her pay their mortgage or make a car payment. That can be a much more personalized way of looking at buying handmade gifts.
But if you are the crafty and artistic type, there is nothing better than handmade gifts given out by the person who made them. You don’t have to worry about the quality of the gift either since you will know firsthand who made it, what materials they used and how much effort and love they put into making the gift. These days, materials for handmade gifts can really add up, so you might have to spend some money on the stuff you’ll need to make the gifts. But that is money you would have spent on buying a gift in a store, so it all evens out.
No matter if you buy handmade gifts from a local artist or if you make them yourself, they all have one main thing in common: they are totally one of a kind. Mass produced items mean that you get millions upon millions of them that are all totally identical and they all cost about the same to make. But handmade gifts are all unique. Even if the artist produces several of the same figurines, for example, they were all made by hand so they all have their unique features that set them apart.
Consider buying or making your loved ones a gift that’s been made by hand the next time their birthday or a holiday rolls around!