Etsy Gifts 2020 and 2021 : Made in America Edition

Did you know that over 40% of Amazon goods are made in China? Add to that nearly 99% for Alibaba Group, which itself is the Chinese Amazon, and all its subsidiaries. To say nothing of the black market, and the human rights tragedies going on there, as I've typed madly about before. If you're tired of shopping in other countries for Americans, you should give the entrepreneur makers on Etsy a try.


Amazingly enough, even though the US lost a lot of its factory and industrial infrastructure to China, there's still plenty of manufacturing going on at home. That's because the era of the Internet, online shipping, 3D printers, and skilled trades crafters working out of their garage and basement has replaced what we once needed factories to make.

Granted, we don't have people at home pumping out their own cars and dishwashers yet. We still have to rely on some commercial scale for now. For the most common goods you'd be buying off the shelf at the mall, you can find somebody who makes it here, with a personal touch.

Jupiter and Saturn will be aligning in December of 2020 in a way that scriptural scholars concur just might have been the Star of David followed by the Three Wise Guys Men of the Biblical nativity story. Which is just one of the celestial wonders you'd be equipped to view with this detailed, authentic collapsible telescope. It's also suitable for your next Pirates of the Caribbean cosplay if you swing that way. Or stick with the three Magi cosplay - it's about time we brought back the concept of a "Magi" anyway, now that we live in a new Dark Age.

PERSONALIZED Name Travel Neck Pillow Microfiber Soft Lots Of Color Choices Airplane Travel

Nothing says "handmade Etsy" like your personalized name. Granted, you're not doing much traveling these days. You're more likely kicking it hardcore at the home hearth, what with the COVID-19 pandemic. But even if you fall asleep reading in your chair in the evening, you'll still want to wake up without a crick in your neck. Keep your name on one, because you don't want to fall asleep on somebody else's dried droll.

Don't tell me you don't have your own phone pillow! It's the little beanbag that will change your life, for hands-free cradling of your phone, tablet, or other flatscreen devices. This will change your life because you spend plenty of time lounging in bed or the living room on your mobile. You can lay down with this on your lap, plop it on the nightstand, or have it as a mini-console at the breakfast table. This also protects your mobile from minor hazards and makes it easier for others to see (and avoid sitting on).

The news literally just broke about this Stanley-Kubrick monolith appearing and disappearing all over the world, and here we have the funniest Tshirt about it. That didn't take long! This uniquely 2020 incident has captured the world's imagination. Considering last year we had our Naruto Run to Area 51 fun, this year the aliens strike back with their mind-control, uh, decorative fixtures. Don't leave 2020 without it!

Now, this is the kind of unique imagineering that happens when you empower a stay-at-home nation to make and sell their own stuff. Every calendar you're seen in your life has been the same boring rectangle, and then along comes this geometric maverick to make you question everything you thought you knew about shapes. Why can't calendars be triangular? Why do stop signs have to be octagons? Why are Q-tips straight? How come we park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?

Let it never be said that I didn't go out and find you the most unique stuff. Here is a bag of what would be ordinary saltwater taffy, with an imaginative sparkle in the packaging. Great for a gag gift to round out what has definitely been the weirdest year in living memory. Bigfoot, the social distancing world champion, is also the unofficial mascot of the COVID-19 pandemic and - need we remind - a uniquely American cryptid.

For the work-at-home desktop toy of the list, may we nominate a classic twist on an old idea. A miniature pallet of concrete blocks, familiar from American buildings everywhere, but shrunk down to desktop size. This is an original idea for a toy that will add some structural fortitude to your messy desk. In addition, you can build practical stuff on your desktop, grab a paperweight in a hurry, or amuse yourself while your Zoom call is re-connecting.

Sometimes the practical idea is the best one. A wallet may not seem to be that exciting a gift, but take a look at the man in your life. Ask yourself if this guy ever thinks to buy himself a new wallet? Guys don't do that. They carry the same tired folded wallet around while it cracks, splits, and falls apart. Cards fall right out of it. Every time at the check stand he has to struggle with it. You get this, and then you get it personalized too, with genuine American cowhide that smells like a "moo."

Fruity Soaps Gift Set - Unique Gift for women or men - Nine Happy Handmade Soaps in a Gift Box

"Today," said Tyler Durden, "we make soap!" Handmade soap has been a staple of boutique bohemian crafting for decades. This unique set has a variety of nine fruity fragrances, which is just what you need because if you're sitting around the house, your housemates would appreciate it if you smelled like something besides your stale socks. If you go out, it's a test to see who has COVID, since losing the sense of smell is the first symptom.

What will they think of next? We've seen thousands of ring designs, and nobody has thought of putting your city's unique downtown skyline on a ring. Here's a clever way to express your local pride, have a cool memento of every place you're visited, or just have a conversation piece among your jewelry collection. The detail is impressive on these too. These crafted cityscape rings will go with everything and be a little piece of home wherever you go.

Candle Making Kit | Create Your Own Candles| DIY Soy Candles

Talk about a stay-at-home hobby! For the homemaker on your list, not to mention the spacey Yoga Starchild or the practical geek, these DIY candle kits are an interesting gift. You get to pick up a new hobby and find out how easy this is, and then you have something to liven up your home space. You get to create a timeless object of beauty and joy and then set it on fire.

Get this, and you will have so many questions. Why a giant carrot? What kind of TV show was this exactly? Is there a tie-in for Bugs Bunny cosplay somewhere? But after that, you'll also ask "Who knew this could be the perfect shape for a body pillow?" It is uncanny how much this shape, with a little flexibility, can snuggle around your couch-reading or futon-bound work life. If you get guests, just act shocked that they don't have one too. Don't they watch TV?

BE a giant carrot! Collect Bigfoot poop. Shower with soap that makes you smell like a mango. After the slapping-around that we've gotten this year, we have every justification for all of us to let our freak flags fly. Nobody can tell us what to do! Society is being restructured, and whether anybody likes it or not, the smart people will come out on top!