Giving Gifts That Matter

The holiday season is here, and we’re all about to be bombarded with all kinds of marketing designed to make us think that buying something can create an unforgettable moment. The thing is, once you scrape away the sales pitch, the sentiment can be true with the right gift. When we give someone the perfect gift, we’re giving more than an object. We’re giving a story. We’re creating a memory and a connection. And the best gifts have terrific stories — whether it’s how they were made, where they come from, or what they mean to you and the recipient.
Those are the special gifts everyone wants to give. That’s why marketers spend so much time and money coming up with emotive stories to attach to mass-produced items — so we feel good about buying them and giving them to the people who matter most in our lives. But now that the Internet has brought the world to our door, we don’t have to settle for the empty gloss that comes from a campaign thought up behind the doors of an ad agency. We can shop directly from makers, artists, creators and curators all over the world. Finding something truly unforgettable and one-of-a-kind has never been easier, and the human interactions and connections being enabled by the Internet are changing the world we live in, for the better.

I know this is true because I work at Etsy. Etsy is an online marketplace where you can shop directly from a community of more than one million artists, designers and vintage collectors. When it comes to finding one-of-a-kind gifts, there’s nowhere else like it. Every item on Etsy comes straight from a real person, a person who may be in the same town as you or somewhere across the world. And every item has a story behind it, whether it’s a custom key ring made in the image of a child’s latest doodle, a cutting board engraved with your mom’s favorite recipe in her handwriting, or the first edition of a favorite book. These are the kinds of gifts that connect deeply — the kind of timeless gifts that get passed down from generation to generation.
When you buy directly from an Etsy seller, you get more than an object and make more than a purchase — you support another person’s dream for the future, and you become part of their story. Your money doesn’t go to a faceless corporation — it goes to Inga or Katie or Michael, and they use the money they earn to support their families and give back to their communities. Every maker-to-buyer transaction that happens takes us one step closer to building an economy where people all around the world have the power to support themselves in more meaningful ways.

This isn’t just a feel-good assertion. Most Etsy businesses start out as one person with a dream, but they grow in powerful ways. Sixty-eight percent of Etsy sellers report that the money they earn matters to their families, and the American Independent Business Alliance reports that, compared to chain stores, independent businesses return more than three times the money into local economies.
In a very real way, how you choose to shop has the power to change the world.
This year, make your gifts count for as much as possible. Buy amazing things from real people. Take a moment to connect and shop mindfully. Think about what and who you want to support, because every purchase you make is an opportunity to support an individual and to take a step towards a more fulfilling and lasting world.
Photo: Hand-printed wrapping paper by Cliff from NormansPrintery on Etsy

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