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From Bye Local to Buy Local for the Holidays So what does “buying local” really mean when it comes to the winter holidays? by Tom Watson Well, the whole concept of the holidays started out local, because it was originally just celebrating with your friends, family and community. That was before the "buying" part became so huge.

But gradually Christmas turned into a consumption-fest. Christmas shopping is a huge part of our culture now. It even has its own vocabulary: "Black Friday," "doorbusters," "Cyber Monday." And most of the holiday shopping advertising and media hype still revolves around mass-produced stuff made overseas, often unsustainably.

But here in the Seattle area at least, the seeds are being sown for a holiday shopping revolution. Hype is turning to hope. Let's take a quick, quirky tour of a few of the cool opportunities here for buying local for the holidays:

- The Anti-Buy
If you really emphasize the "local" part, you don't have to buy at all. Grow your own veggies and can them for gifts. Grow herbs and do imaginative things with them to make presents – maybe your own special versions of tarragon vinegar or dried herb cachets. Scour Freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org) or the free section of Craig's List (http://seattle.craigslist.org) and make neat stuff out of what you got for free. The reason Seattle is so perfect for these kinds of gifts is that many people here appreciate them. They will think you are creative, not cheap.

- The Reuse Warrior
Or in the same vein, buy things at local thrift stores and turn them into gifts. My wife Linda is brilliant at this. Even if it's something that was originally made thousands of miles away, if you buy it used or get it free, it becomes local, since no new resources were used in a distant land to make it.

- Marketplace of Fun
Farmers markets (http://pugetsoundfresh.org) are getting so common and popular around here that I almost think I talk about them too much, and they're getting boring. But I'm going to keep talking and writing about them because they are the essence of buying local. Plus, having neighborhood farmers markets open year-round, or at least through December, is still fairly new, even around here. In Seattle you can Christmas shop at the University District, Ballard, Broadway and West Seattle farmers markets. And don't forget the granddaddy of buying local, the Pike Place Market downtown. Did I mention that going to a farmers market (even in the rain – just bring an umbrella) to pick up some cool local foodie gifts is about a million times more fun than shopping at the mall? Farmers markets have great people-watching, free samples, and often entertainment or food demos. Maybe a mall has some of that too, but at the farmers market the people you watch are actually happy.

- Everywhere
Let's end with this nice vague category. You can find locally-made gifts all over the place now – just keep your eyes peeled. Lots of stores carry them, even regular stores that are not overly green. And of course the truly greenie stores like Goods for the Planet (http://www.goodsfortheplanet.com) in the South Lake Union district and the new Nube Green (http://www.nubegreen.com) on Capitol Hill are great bets for locally-produced products. Goods for the Planet has been offering more classes and workshops lately on topics like canning and reinventing used clothing, and there are tons of other classes in the area along those same lines. And in this crafty town, chances are one of your neighbors makes some great craft or art items. Why not help your really local (in the same block) economy and buy one or two of those for gifts this year?

For more EcoConsumer resources from King County, visit www.KCecoconsumer.com.

For past EcoConsumer articles for the KPLU Around the House website, go to the EcoConsumer Archives.