Why We Need More Handmade Gifts

Hey, friend. I don’t know why you clicked on this post—maybe you’re looking for handmade gift ideas, maybe you’re looking for some gift inspiration, or maybe you’re just daydreaming about the holidays. Whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here. Truly. Because this blog post centers on one of the main aspects of my business, and why I strive to work and serve you in the way that I do. 

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Handmade Gifts are More Heartfelt and Genuine

I believe we need more handmade gifts and handmade gift-givers because they are intrinsically more heartfelt and genuine than something generic and/or pre-made. Why is that? Why do handmade gifts always feel so much more special? 

Well, for a gift to be handmade, you need to make it. You need to plan it, find the right materials, put it together, and give it to your loved one. Handmade gifts show your loved ones just how much you care about them. 

Because handmade gifts are messy. 

Handmade gifts are hard. 

Handmade gifts are time-consuming. 

Handmade gifts can even be expensive. 

If you don’t care about the person you want to give a gift, then you wouldn’t go through all that. Not when you can just buy something off of Amazon really quick. And have it delivered in a day, no less. 

Handmade gifts show people how much you really care about them because you’re willing to put in extra work to get them the best present you can. 

Handmade Gifts Connect us More than Generic Gifts

We need more handmade gifts because they create connections in ways that generic gifts don’t. For example, if you bought a local artisan-crafted table centerpiece as a hostess gift, and the hostess asks how you found it, what would you say? Well, you would tell her that so-and-so down the street made it from x, y, z, and that they handmake them every Thanksgiving to sell at the local farmer’s market. 

Now imagine you bought a table centerpiece from Target for your hostess. When she asks how you found it, what would you say then? Well, you would say, “I found it at Target.” The end. 

I don’t think connection and relationships are built upon objects. I don’t think buying a mass-produced item from a giant store makes you a terrible, inconsiderate friend, or even that buying a unique, handmade item necessarily makes you a good one. I don’t want to shame anyone for ordering gifts from Amazon (I’ve done it before!). All I’m saying is that when you give something handmade, there are suddenly more people involved than the gifter and the giftee. There’s the artist(s) who made the gift. There’s the people and families who produce/grow/supply the materials to make the gift. 

Handmade gifts lead to connections automatically, because that’s just how they work. 

Handmade Gifts Fight the Isolation of the Internet-Age

This sounds like a big, dramatic statement—much too big for a little handmade present. But it’s true. 

On one side of the coin, you have the person who made or who bought the handmade gift. There are two ways to do this. One: go out into the real world to buy it or make it, and two: go out into the real world or the internet world and communicate with a real person. Handmade gifts are rarely a solo endeavor. This communal nature of handmade gifts is beneficial to the gifter because, like the point above, it involves making connections. 

On the other side of the coin, you have the person who will receive the gift. The age of the internet (and, increasingly, AI) has brought about profound isolation. We no longer go ask our neighbor in person if we can borrow their hedgetrimmer. We text them. Almost every aspect of human communication has been distanced to some degree. Handmade gifts fight that. They show an intentionality that we rarely see anymore, and that can mean the world to someone. 

Handmade Gifts Spark Creativity

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Every human—every human—was made to be creative. This shows up differently in different people, but it’s true. We’re made in the image of a creative God, therefore we were made as creative beings. 

When we, as the gifters, make our handmade gifts, we foster that creativity. We give a little piece of ourselves away, in the absolute best way possible. 

Are Not-Handmade Gifts Bad?

No. 

A gift is a gift. You give something to someone. But, if you’re in America, you live in an incredibly affluent country where money and technology can make life very simple but, often, also make life less genuine. Make love less genuine. 

If your best friend really wants that fancy speaker for their birthday and you have the means to get them that speaker, then please, go for it. The fact that you know they want that speaker shows them that you care the same way that a handmade gift does. 

I just ask that we remember that we give gifts because we love people. And, sometimes, giving an intentional (maybe even handmade) gift helps us remember to love people in the first place. 

To Recap:

• Handmade gifts are more heartfelt and genuine than something generic or mass-produced
• Handmade gifts have the potential to create human connection
• Handmade gifts help fight against the isolation caused by our internet-heavy world
• Handmade gifts help spark human creativity
  

 

I hope this post offered some good insight into a) why I do what I do, and b) why you should consider getting/making more handmade gifts. I promise it’s worth it. 

Until next time, 

Lydia