4/ Discovering Creativity
Now we are engaging with each other on issues such as our footprints and making ethical choices, we are seeing an inspiring diversity in what’s being created. The rise in organic fabrics or reusable items has shed new light on products that would once have been passed over as gifts.
However, it isn’t just new items that are coming through the #shopsmall movement. I come across so many spins on the old favourites that the choice is like nothing before. The creative talent I see in the online small business community and at markets is stunning. By shopping small, you are actively fostering these discoveries and helping to create the space for other fledging ideas to take shape.
5/ Bringing back the essence of Christmas
Reason number five is a bit of a squish of all the points above with a little bit of extra festive love thrown in for good measure!
Christmas is a crazy time of year, and it seems to be becoming more extreme year on year. Alongside writing I teach in a primary school. Santa lists are a hot topic from October, with more and more extravagant things asked for. I also hear in the new term that the once longed for toys are now broken or lying unused in the bedroom. It’s not hard to find a harried, frantic parent in the mall. You have to ask yourself, “What’s it all for?”
What is Christmas really all about?
Is it about buying the most expensive gift or having the largest pile under the tree? Don’t get me wrong, I love gift giving and I love receiving. For people like me, it’s my Love Language apparently, and that’s not going to change. In saying that, a well-chosen gift with a personal touch means more to me than anything grabbed off a department store shelf.
That’s what you get when you shop small.
You find those unique pieces. You find gifts with a story behind them, the people behind them. Christmas shopping, as I said, becomes about the whole festive experience; not simply something to endure on a crazy Saturday.
Whether you browse a boutique online or make your way to a market, you are making a step towards bringing Christmas back to what it’s all about; people, community, family.
Abi is a freelance writer, teacher, and mum to a cheeky two-year-old. In the words of the immortal Audrey Hepburn, she likes ‘books, tea and sitting on the floor’. Find her on Facebook, Instagram or click here for her website.
