Shop Small OKC Holiday Wrap Up
Believe it or not, I didn’t mean to take a whole month off for the holidays… but I did. It was full of traditions new and old, slow easy days, family visits, the OKC Ballet Nutcracker, playing in the snow and plenty of small business shopping. But all the angels sang today as I dropped every child of mine off at their respective schools and have the day to myself! I don’t reach my full creative potential when I am in the midst of meeting the needs of the tiny and not so tiny people in my care.
I actually did ALL of my holiday shopping locally with the exception of one thing I had already bought earlier in the year, two things I could only get via the world wide web, and one tiny gift that I knew would work for my daughter but I had only come across it on the internet. That was it!! All of my other purchases supported the local makers and dreamers and hustlers that are keeping our city vibrant and engaging. Everything was as local as I could get it… and I have to say that there were a couple of keys to that.
OKC Popups are really a God-send to a local shopper. I went every week and bought what I needed and then could fill in the gaps intentionally. I never stepped foot inside a big box store.
I bought from several gift markets. Again… planning ahead of time was key! I was very intentional at these to look for local shops and local artisans.
I used an app to keep my shopping straight. It was free, it was easy… it kept me on track.
I relished the fact that I wasn’t constantly checking on delivery times, shipping information and being worried about porch pirates. I never realized before this past holiday season how much energy I was spending managing the packages. (Swooping them away before children wanted to open. Amazon shipping to me in the actual box that revealed what was inside the package. Rushing home to grab a box off the porch so that it was not a temptation for a thief to steal.)
And things I will do for next year… start shopping earlier. I also plan on refreshing my Christmas decor with some of the amazing local offerings and that means I really need to get the boxes out in the heat of the summer and make a list of things I need and want to replace.
As I move into the new year, I want to really treat this space as a place to highlight my favorite stores and to document my own shopping adventures. I really feel like I am just dipping my toes in the water as to what OKC has to offer. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to give me information about your favorite places and to tell me about your small business.
May peace and happiness and small shopping start off your your new year!