"A Gift of Thyself"

This Christmas I am making most of the gifts I am giving. There are several reasons for this decision, among them are:

1. I am sharing my late mother's fabric & button collection with those I love. The Christmas book my mother made for me is so special and filled with decades of Christmas letters and stories, I thought some of my children would like to continue the tradition and have their own Christmas books. Those who aren't getting one this year, will get one in the future.
2. I am making & sharing Christmas binders to celebrate and preserve Christmas memories.
3. I'm using the resources I have been blessed with to make wreaths & swags.
4. The economy has given me a new perspective on what's important.

A verse from one of my favorite poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "A Gift of Thyself" says it well:
"...Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a gem; the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing..."

I have not done the math or study for a theory I am developing in my head, but it makes sense to me that if we purchased all or most of our products "Made in U.S.A." and especially made locally, we would do more for our economy than any legislation the government could pass. We would bring jobs home.I believe we could turn our economy around.

As I was making my homemade wreaths, I naturally did price comparisons in stores, particularly Costco where I saw very beautiful wreaths and swags made from materials that would last basically forever, and they were priced below what I could make them for, (using my fresh greens from the trees in my yard) then I looked closely on the box and saw "Made in China". This is my case in point.

We would have to do without and wait until we could afford some things, but it would be good for us. I hope more and more of us will be aware that we are voting in a sense to help or not help our economy each time we shop.