You’ve probably noticed that the Dandelion has been talking a lot about buying local as a theme for this year’s holiday season. The benefits of choosing to make local purchases are two-fold; you show your support for planet and also for local small-business owners. Whether the reasons are economic or environmentally driven, we are definitely not alone in this theme either. It seems like every day on the news you hear about buying things that are “made in America” or local to your community and even some businesses are now suddenly starting to proudly advertise themselves as “locally owned”. So for today’s post, here are a couple of ideas from some local Rochester news stations worthy of sharing to help make your holidays even brighter!
This first one came from 13 Wham News. Thinking about whether or not you should bring something to your next holiday gathering? The consensus on proper etiquette was- if it is a family gathering bring a dish to pass (preferably made from local ingredients!) and if it is a friend’s party bring a host/hostess gift. Here are some suggestions of what you can bring that give a shout-out to some businesses in the Rochester area:
- a center piece from Sara’s Farm Market in Brockport
- poinsettia or other floral arrangement from Wisteria Flowers and Gifts on Culver Rd.
- a bottle of Fox Run wine or other wine from the Finger Lakes region
- an ornament from One World Goods in Pittsford (everything is fair trade too!)
The second idea is courtesy of the YNN News Getaway Guy. Many of us reserve time to spend with those dear to us this time of year. Looking for some place fun and family-friendly to go? How about visiting the Genessee Country Village? Get a taste of history and see what it was like to live in the 19th century. It will take you back to a time when life was more sustainable, before there were so many electronic gadgets and the most common source of energy was muscle power! You might just be able to find a local and handmade gift there too.
We used to gather for holidays like Thanksgiving and such but now we find ourselves at Mimis Cafe eery Thanksgiving. The food is decent, affirdable and there isn’t any clean up afterwards. But I agree, what ever you end up doing make sure you bring some sort of gift with you.
i love the the local gives you an appreciation of labor hand made. before technology things were more pure and made with love. small cottages made by man power and hours. Rochester is to me one of the best to go..hands down they have more local there then anywhere else i seen..keep up the good work