So today is the day after Christmas.  In Canada they call it Boxing Day.  That’s a day to exchange or return things that didn’t fit or someone had one of whatever it was they received already or the receiver just didn’t like the gift.  That last one is kind of sad but it happens. 

I started thinking about what the Christmas holiday has become and what it used to mean.  I have watched you tube vids of kids getting material gifts and you ‘d think they had lost their minds over some of the stuff that they got.  I get it though.  Kids love toys, I think we all do to different degrees.  I also think we have become very focused on the gifts and how it makes us feel both on the giving side and the receiving side.  There’s an excitement and a little joy that comes from watching a child receive a gift that they could not get for themselves for whatever reason.  As I have gotten a little older, I have realized that I am blessed with all of my needs being met and to a good degree my wants are met as well.  I can always come up with something more that I might want, but in truth, I just don’t think that the things that I would want are fair to ask for because I like things that are too expensive.  I like high quality things that last.  But I am aware of this fact and would feel awkward asking anyone for the kinds of things I would want.

This brings me to the thought of something I saw online somewhere recently and it was covering the idea that we should consider where our things that we buy come from and are they quality items or just a cheaply made piece of crap that will break in a short time.  Granted my home just like most american homes has plenty of things that are made in China and other places where labor and manufacturing laws don’t exist like they do here in america.  Often these cheaply made things break but the cost to benefit ratio is hard to ignore.  This means that stores like…and Im going just say it…Wal-Mart, can sell its goods well below that prices that it would cost to make a much higher quality product that would last a lifetime here in America.  I have a hard time bashing Wal-Mart because for the longest time, I loved them and was just like most people who shop there because the prices were unbelievable.  You could get pretty good supplies and things you needed that would last for quite a while….20 years ago.  I used to shop at Wal-Mart for lots of goods and when they came to my town here I was thrilled.  Now they have lost that appeal as I have watched them crush local businesses with cheaply made goods that local business just can’t compete with when the bottom line is only about pricing and not quality….at that moment.

A little example of a high quality American made vs cheaply made Chinese made crap:
When I was a kid, my school had a book fair…yeah that may tell you a little about how far back I go…
One of the things that they had that I wanted was a magnifying glass.  Not because I couldn’t see the print in my books but because I was burning ants and melting crayons just like most curious kids did in those days did.  Once I accidentally started a small fire at school on the playground with some leaves rolled up in some of that brown paper towel that kids use to dry their hands.  Didn’t get caught or get into trouble but I never did that again.

That cheaply made magnifying glass with the plastic lens has long since disappeared right along with my childhood but I do recall it became heavily scratched and finally the handle broke, thusly it ended up in the trash.  It was made in China and was definitely of inferior quality.  You can still get one similar to it for about four of five bucks and it won’t last long and they really don’t work that well but they are out there.

Cut to today. I still like magnifying glasses but I have stopped burning ants and melting crayons though.  I found one that was made buy a guy at work who did this kind of work as a side hobby with his sons.  The detail and quality are outstanding.  The lens is glass and the handle is a fine polished wood that to me is beautiful.  I paid over five times as much for it as I did for the cheaply made piece of junk I had as a kid and I suspect it will last me my lifetime and it might be something that someone else will enjoy for many years long after I am dead and gone.  That’s heirloom quality.

 When you have the opportunity to buy something made outside of our own country…consider these things. 
Are you getting instant gratification by purchasing xyz item?
Will it serve you well for a short time?
Will it eventually break and need to be replaced?
Can you afford to wait and save a little more to buy a better quality america made xyz that will last more than twice as long as the cheaper foreign-made xyz?
Do you know if your purchase of xyz product sends your cash overseas?
Do you care?

I realize that not everyone has the money to spend on quality made goods when there are options out there that cost so much less and can get the job done for the short period of time it’s needed.  We should consider though that we have become a generation that demands instant gratification for cheap goods in high volumes and taming that demand starts in the most difficult of places…home….it starts in the hardest places in the home…with our children and with ourselves.  It is especially difficult when we get joy from seeing kids almost loose their minds when they get what they want.  My thoughts on what kids want based on programming media input is a topic for another time though.

In support of a nice American made product I am posting the link to their site. I have nothing to gain from this link.

http://www.raincitypens.com/raincitypens.com/Welcome.html

-C.R.