Get Out There and Buy Handmade!

Greetings readers, shoppers, and blog lurkers. Yes, the holiday shopping season is upon us, and as December rolls in and the countdown until the 25th begins, you'll be bombarded with SALES!, SPECIALS!, DISCOUNTS!, BARGAINS!, and STEALS!
Any moment now, another Wal-mart commercial will appear on your television, spreading holiday cheery frenzy via a silly, smiling dot. Seriously folks, consider leaving the superstore chains at the bottom of your list for shopping this year. Instead, search around, dig deep into that Santa bag of yours, and find gifts that are handmade. You won't regret it, and here's 3 reasons why:

1. Recipients will consider you one of the most thoughtful gift givers, ever! Who wouldn't enjoy a gift that was handmade, specifically for them?
2. You'll be supporting an artisan who takes great pride in his or her work rather than supporting the maker of "widgets" that are mass manufactured and run the risk of poor quality (not to mention, dangerous components...ahem...lead?)
3. Once you start buying handmade gifts, you'll be opened to a whole new world of possibilities for ALL celebrations of the year...birthdays, weddings, graduations...your options are endless.

So where can you start? Well, I'll throw the first SALE sign at you, but it'll be worth your while. The Etsy Bloggers Street Team is running a sale from December 1-December 8 on Etsy. See that little sign over there on the left? Click it and you can get more details. Or, you can get to the sale details page from here.
Now, you're ready to get out there and find that perfect gift, along with many, many more. 'Tis the season, folks. 'Tis the season to buy handmade.