Best Holiday Gifts Made In America
This Hub presents a number of gift suggestion from group of high quality American Made items form companies that produce and handle American Made products. A few of these businesses handle some high-quality imports as well.
Amish Furniture
Outstanding Craftsmanship
It's fun to shop for imported goods as special presents at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, but it's also a good idea to buy American Made goods to support our own labor force and business climate. By this I mean small businesses in America and each US State. These include artisan's shops, local high-quality crafters, Native American/First Nations, Amish, Appalachian, Shaker, and other regional and American-ethic handcrafted goods. For instance, Amish quilts and furniture are study, attractive, long-lasting and retain their value. They become heirlooms with sentimental and cash value.
In addition to the Amish craft culture, the Applachian and Great Smokies culture is admirable as well. This is not the world of Lil' Abner and moonshine stills in filmdom or Tobacco Road, but of crafting communities that produce fine arts, quilts, furniture (often without using nails), primitive artistry, and a variety of culinary gifts. The latter includes jams, jellies, preserves, chutneys, pickles of just about any fruit and vegetable, and varied relishes.
Electric Amish - Parodies in good humor benefit charities.
Mountain Dulcimers
Appalachian Dulcimers
A mountain dulcimer is an enchanting gift - I purchased a CD of original dulcimer music at a Renaissance Festival and sat in the drizzle to hear the artist play for half an hour. I never noticed the rain. A dulcimer itself is an uplifting gift and many community centers often dulcimer lessons. In fact, some recreation or art centers offer a moderately priced course in which one can build and learn to play a dulcimer - what a great gift that would be for someone that could use a bit of music in life.
Native Americans in Appalachian and other American regions create their own style of wooden flute, available in speciality shops and online. CDs of this music are also available as much-appreciated gift items. In the American Southwest and California, Native American and Tex-Mex pottery is offered. In the Pacific Northwest, First Nations carving and paintings are exquisite. Texas also offers jarred chili seasonings that I have seen given at Christmas and I can testify that they are delicious.
All over America, we have gift items made in this nation. Small business owners are everywhere and we may pass them by in a frenetic life, but we can look for them. We can find furniture, paintings, wines, and handcrafted items of all sorts. Within the different cultures of our communities, we can find treasures with which to treat our friends and family members.
A link below lists over 50 Small Businesses that produce American Made items. The Comments thread includes new businesses as they add themselves.
Over 50 American Made Small Businesses Online
- How to Find American Made Products
American consumers have spent substantial amounts of money in the past on foreign goods. Occasionally, some citizens decide to protest foreign products and services that they feel send money overseas to weaken the American economy...
The Elvis Phenomenon is Still Growing
...and now I know why. Stumbling upon the fact that friends have been outstanding Elvis Tribute Artists in the past led me to begin listening to The King's music and learning about Elvis Fests in Michigan and the American South. A purely uncountable number of types of Elvis merchandise is sold in the widest price range that can be offered. Every day I hear of more Elvis fans and additional memorabilia.
While not obsessed with the phenomenon, I do have a few Elvis items myself. One is Elvis's Ultimate Gospel album on CD, featuring a cover of the Blind Boys of Alabama's number called Run On. Elvis recorded this number with his backup group of many famous artists and if I listen to it once, I'm hooked in for 10 repetitions. Its an engaging energetic number that is worth the price of the album alone.
I also have the recording of the 1968 Comeback Show. Another item of mine is a Doug Church Elvis Tribute performance album that includes La Vida Loca and covers of other popular songs first performed after Elvis's death in 1977. This album startles listeners.
You might want to present your Elvis fan - man, woman, child, or pet - with any of the gifts in the following links. Tickets to hear Doug Church or to attend the Ypsilanti Elvis Fest would be fun for fans as well. Reported to me by another tribute artist, Doug Church's voice print when performing as Elvis matched The King's fully, except for one spike during the recording.
For ELVIS FANS - Costumes, Foods, Jewelry, Books, CDs, Event Tickets, Home Decor, Everything Is Elvis
- The Best Elvis Presley Memorabilia Gifts - Never Eno...
Extreme Elvis Fans can chase down The King's memorabilia faster than the rest of us and usually have everything Elvis before the rest of us have even heard of these items. However, it's still fun to look at... - New Year's Fest Kalamazoo - I Didn't Know I Knew Elv...
I recently learned that one of my long-time friends was formerly an Elvis tribute artist that entertained children in hospitals during the Christmas holiday season and for other audiences around the Midwest.... - Elvis Fest Ypsilanti and Others: Michigan - Touring the State by Music Festival
In the 2000s, friends helped me discover dozens of large outdoor musical festivals around the state of Michigan. Here are three favorites. I discovered the music festivals of Michigan in my first...
Easy to Make Gift Treats For Your Dog
- Bacon and Sweet Potato Dog Treats - to bake or buy
More and more people in America are cooking for their own pets in a trend toward more natural and healthier eating among the cat and dog members of the family. Many pets seem to be going vegetarian as well as...
The Best Polynesian Foods for Gift Giving
One of the finest Polynesian restaurants in the US and a National Historic Landmark in Ohio was nevertheless demolished. However, it's foods are still available from the manufacturer online and Tiki and Kahiki memorabilia are still available.
The frozen foods are so good and in such high demand, that the owners are too busy to open a new restaurant! They are created right in Gahanna, Ohio; a suburb of Columbus.
Faous Kahiki Foods Shipped Globally
- Kahiki Foods - Best Polynesian Grocer in Ohio - Trib...
Zsa Zsa Gabor used to frequent the Kahiki and always ordered milk. The Kahiki Supper Club was built in 1961 and its food manufacturer lets you enjoy almost all of the dishes today.
Williams Cheese Store Online/In Person for Michigan Made Gifts
Michigan Made Cheeses, Spreads and Gift Baskets
- The Best Cheese in Cheesetown - Pinconning, Cheese C...
Williams Cheese Company is a cheese and sandwich shop only a 20-minute drive north on M-13 from Bay City. The pleasant drive is along the highway parallels the shores of Saginaw Bay...
Ohio Made and Ohio Assembled Items
- Ohio Art Company
Mickey Mouse, little more than a whistling stick figure with mouse ears and Walt Disney's voice characterization when he begin with the famous Steamboat Willie cartoon (1928), is known all over the world...
Selected Native American Gift Items
American Made and Imported Gifts
- Best Gifts Come From Bronners CHRISTmas Store in Fra...
Wally Bronner began his Bronner's CHIRSTmas Wonderland store as a small sideline in 1945 in Downtown Frankenmuth - Little Bavaria - in Mid-Michigan. It grew so fast that he had a purchase a large corner lot... - It's Christmas 361 Days a Year at Bronner's in Frankenmuth
Each year, Bronner's Christmas Store at the south end of Frankenmuth - Michigan's Little Bavaria - sponsors a hilarious photo contest that should be on...
Holiday Coloring Pages
- Dozens of FREE Valentine's Day Coloring Pages
Valentines Day occurs in a month full of Holidays and Celebrations. Copy the FREE coloring pages and read about other Holidays in February, and pick inks to hundreds of more free coloring pages and Valentine's Gifts. - Thanksgiving Coloring Pages of Native Americans
At Thanksgiving, let's present additional high quality coloring pages for the kids that picture more about real-life American History than they may have been taught in school. We know that there were no such things as ...