Thinking small could have a big impact this Christmas
I’ve been waiting to write this until after I visited my first Christmas market of the year. wanted to see if what I thought about shopping small, shopping local, was true.
For a long time, I’ve had the intention of moving away from the ‘‘big’’ shops at Christmas. So there we were, my friend and I, with our kids in tow, as we set out on our #shopsmall adventure.
I was not disappointed as we wandered and marvelled from stall to stall, so here are my top five reasons to #shopsmall this festive season.
Thriving community
The first thing to hit me was the wave of noise and excitable energy in the room. Some had come with friends, others had made it a family affair, and some were enjoying the experience alone.
The one thing we all shared? The joy of celebrating and revelling in the community feel. I can’t say I’ve ever had that feeling racing around department stores or battling the hordes in the mall.
It isn’t just ‘‘in real life’’ where this sense of community warms our hearts and gets the festive feeling flowing.
Markets are now a regular feature online and sites like Liked by Becky offer a thriving digital community where you can shop small from the comfort of your sofa, eggnog in hand.
‘‘When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance.’’
I’ve seen this quote a lot lately, and it is so true.
Every time someone asks me to write a piece, no matter how big or small, it makes my heart soar.
Sales and figures are not just numbers to we small business owners. They are a reflection of our hopes and dreams. They are validation that the brave steps we took to launch ourselves from the ground were the right ones.
Anytime you click ‘‘add to basket’’, you are paying it forward.
Not only do you get a gorgeous gift, a service that will make your life easier or a special treat for yourself, but you are supporting another person or family.
Global footprint
Last December,
Kiwis’ Christmas spending hit a record 178 transactions per second. That is an unimaginable amount of money in a time frame that makes my head spin.
We are all becoming more aware of our global footprint when it comes to food, travel and the content of our goods. But how much do we really consider the effect of Christmas shopping on our resources?
The enormous amount of plastic we order from goodness knows where comes in a laughable amount of packaging. It’s already travelled more miles
than we could count before it comes to rest under our trees. When you shop small, you become truly accountable for the impact your festive buying makes. You can talk to the creator and learn about the provenance of their items.
More importantly, often these owners are making ethically conscious choices that can only benefit our rapidly depleting resources.
Discovering Creativity
Now we are engaging with each other on issues such as 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.
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 fledgling ideas to take shape.
Bringing back the essence of Christmas
Christmas is a crazy time of year, and seems to be becoming more extreme. 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 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, 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 becomes about the whole festive experience; not simply something to endure on a crazy Saturday.
Whether you browse a boutique online or head to a market, you are making a step towards bringing Christmas back to what it’s all about; people, community, family.
So there you have my five reasons to #shopsmall this Christmas. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a mince pie and the hundredth rewatch of Elf coming on!
A well-chosen gift with a personal touch means more to me than anything grabbed off a department store shelf. Abi Copley, seen here with her husband Tim and their son Aldous Flynn