Last year, we Americans spent $681 per household on the holidays, and the largest portion of our spending went to discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart. Even once-formidable niche retailers are struggling: Wal-Mart surpassed former Christmas giant Toys ‘R Us in total toy sales in 1998, and the gap has grown since.

More than eighty percent of the buying public now does at least some holiday shopping online, and the convenience of split-second, midnight price comparison from the comfort of home will continue to draw shoppers.

Many of us, though, wish the holidays could be more like something from a Laura Ingalls book, our children smiling with delight as they each receive the single small figure that Pa whittled from a piece of oak. As a nation, we seem pulled by two opposing forces: the desire for mass-market convenience and the yearning for the authenticity of handmade and homegrown goods.

A perfect marriage of these two forces can be found when local producers tap into the growing e-commerce market. Many here in the southern Appalachians are doing just that. Here’s a partial list. Some have online shopping capability, while others simply promote their products online and take orders by phone or email.

Apple gift boxes are available until December 20 from J.H. Stepp Farm’s Hillcrest Orchard in Edneyville, N.C. All boxes have fresh, local apples, but can also include apple butter, barbecue sauce, mulling spices, dip, and more. steppapples.com/apple_gift_boxes.htm

Fiber gifts including scarves, hats, virgin wool blankets, merino fleeces, shawls, 
leg warmers, tea cozies, mug rugs, hot mats, Christmas tree decorations, and more
can be ordered from Sandra Bennett at Thistle Cove Farm in Tazewell, Virginia.
www.thistlecovefarm.com/products.html

Wine enthusiasts may wish to sample something from close to home. Poke around at www.ncwine.org/wineries.html, where you’ll find dozens of wineries including many in the Yadkin Valley, our state’s first American Viticulture Area. Two of these vineyards closer in to the mountains are Windy Gap Vineyards and Raffaldini Winery, both in Ronda in Wilkes County. Windy Gap offers gift baskets with wine and locally-made cheeses and baked goods; Raffaldini has online shopping cart service and a wine club that will ship bottles quarterly.

Farm-made jams and apple butter, individually or in gift crates, are available from Fairview, NC farmers Wendy and Walter Harrill at www.imladrisfarm.com. Custom labeling of bulk quantities for wedding favors or corporate gifts is available.

Cheese is available from Karen Mickler and Bruce DeGroot of Yellow Branch in Robbinsville. They are also accomplished potters. Web browsers can view both product lines at www.yellowbranch.com. Two great mail order goat cheese sources
are www.spinningspidercreamery.com and www.splitcreek.com.

Ostrich meat products, eggshells (carved or plain), and ostrich-oil soaps and lotions are available from Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch at www.birdbrainranch.com/products.htm.

Sunburst Trout ships a long line of products and gift packages. Choose something including their world-renowned trout caviar or the stunning cold smoked salmon trout. www.sunbursttrout.com
Lavender and goat milk soap products are available from Yancey County producer Marilyn Cade at www.mountainfarm.net.

At www.madisonfarms.org you’ll find information about Madison County farmers, including their holiday gift boxes that combine farm-grown products with handcrafted items like pottery, candles, and soaps.

Finally, if you’re buying a Christmas tree, it’s the one holiday item you may not wish to mail order online. You can choose and cut a certified organic tree from Rogue Harbor Farm (www.madisonfarms.org/-rogueharbor ). Christmas trees are a major “crop” in the High Country of western NC. See www.ncchristmastrees.com for a great list of the farms that sell direct to customers.

Peter Marks is Local Food and Farm Coordinator for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). ASAP’s Local Food Guide is available in area retailers or online at www.appalachiangrown.org.

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