Naughty or Nice, You Can Pledge to Buy American this Season

By Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch
Dec 03 2014 |
Made from “cuddly washable fur,” the Vermont Christmas Bear is just one of many Made in America stuffed toys handcrafted by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. | Photo courtesy Vermont Teddy Bear Company

The stockings are hung on the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be here — and hopefully jolly ol’ St. Nick will bring a few American-made gifts in that old sack of his.

Along with trimming the tree and downing plenty of egg nog, Americans are expected to celebrate the season by spending an average $720 on gifts, the folks at Gallup recently projected. A quarter of Americans will spend $1,000 or more.

And all this gift giving presents an opportunity to support U.S. workers. If Americans spent just $64 on American-made goods this season, roughly 200,000 new jobs would be created, according to ABC News. More than 4.6 million jobs could be created if Americans bought only American-made goods.

That’s why the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) is asking holiday shoppers to pledge to buy Made in America items whenever possible this season.

We know that it isn’t always easy to find American-made goods, and even we admit that it’s pretty darn unlikely that shoppers will purchase only Made in the USA gifts. We just hope every shopper does their part.

After all, by picking up an American-made item or two for someone special on your list, you can support the workers who made it and the effort to Keep it Made in America.

Don’t know where to start? Check out AAM’s 2014 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide, which includes a wide variety of U.S. made goods to pick from — we’ve even picked out a few gifts for your pet! There’s also clothing, handbags, shoes, skincare products, jewelry, household items, outdoor gear, food and beverages, and, of course, toys.

All of us can do our part by choosing to buy Made in America gifts this season. Please join AAM and pledge to include a few Made in America items on your holiday gift list.