Increasingly, it's more difficult to buy a locally-made gift for the holidays, though you can certainly purchase an iPod (made in China), or a laptop (made in China), or a piece of crystal (made in Sweden). Pick up pretty much any clothing item-from scarf to sweater-and chances are the item was made in some distant country. I'm no blind waver of the Stars and Stripes (I'd probably relocate to Italy if it weren't for the dour, repressive Vatican there and my mom's sublime apple pies here), but there's something disconcerting to me about the lack of products made in America.

According to Thomas Jefferson, what was most irksome about the pompous British wasn't the way they raised their pinky fingers while drinking champagne or those pesky taxes, but their prohibition against the rise of any form of manufacturing in the American colonies. To Jefferson, manufacturing was the key to the development of a truly independent country and he accused Britain of treating the colonies as a mere mine from which it extracted raw materials (cotton, grains, wool, minerals, etc.) from which its manufacturers fashioned all sorts of goods. These in turn were sold to the fledgling colonies-with a hefty markup and all that profit staying on the other side of the pond, mind you.

Two-hundred years later we've apparently chucked Jefferson for Wal-Mart, reasoning that it's better to have more goods for less than to make the stuff ourselves. The problems with this approach are manifold. First, the elimination of manufacturing means the elimination of decent paying jobs. In other words, we're good enough to sell TVs and clothing made overseas (relatively low-paying jobs), but we can't cut the mustard when it comes to actually making the goods (higher paying jobs).

Second, the transport of goods half way across the world isn't exactly a godsend for the environment. Aside from infamous episodes such as the sinking freighter that upchucked tens of thousands of pairs of Nike shoes into the pristine waters off the Oregon coast, there's a hell of a lot fuel that's used to transport the goods here. The shorter the distance from source to market, the less the environmental cost.

In addition, there's that little issue of taxes which are used to support all the services we receive from our local government. With manufacturing conducted elsewhere, the wages paid to those workers aren't taxed, of course, which means that we've effectively eroded our tax base (which might be one of the reasons the CTA and RTA, not to mention nearly every other service, is underfunded).

On a superficial level, all the stuff being manufactured elsewhere looks eerily alike. Banana Republic clothes resemble Gap clothes which resemble J. Crew's clothes which resemble the clothes offered at Macy's. Maybe it was only during the 60's, but didn't our country once value things that were unique? (I thought it was only the Soviets and Eastern Bloc countries that favored mass-produced, soulless goods.)

Our national heroes, James Dean, Martin Luther King, Ben Franklin, Babe Ruth and Eleanor Roosevelt, to name a few, were unique and reflect our values, don't they? The Slinky, Tiffany lamps, Pewabic tiles, Thing-makers, LL Bean mocs, and hundreds of other iconic American products were unique-and of high quality. So isn't there anything made here anymore, that's unique and of superior quality, that would constitute a guilt-free, feel-good holiday gift?

Certainly. Tatine Candles, in Wicker Park's Flat Iron Building, specializes in handcrafted pillar candles infused with unique scents and essential oils made by Margo Breznik. Likewise, Wax Man in Lincoln Square offers beeswax and tapers in a multitude of colors and sizes. American Apparel offers 70's inspired clothing all made in, well, America, and boutiques Akira, HABIT and Gamma Player offer cutting edge fashions by local designers. In fact, Wicker Park, and Division, in particular, may be ground zero for finding locally-made products. Renegade Handmade, Black Walnut Gallery, an jé nu, Doggy Style Pet Shop and Pump Shoes all carry hundreds of products-from chew toys to handbags. And Paper Doll, which carries über-cool gift wrap, cards and stationary, features slick stuff from Chicago-based Snow & Graham. For the foodie, there are melt-in-your mouth candies and cookies from Bleeding Heart bakery and the old school Margie's. For the boozehound and oenophile, there are finely-distilled bourbons from Kentucky at Sam's and full-bodied pinot noirs from Oregon at Rat Cellar.

In the end, giving a gift that's made in our area-or at least in America-offers additional gifts. Locally-made products support neighborhood craftsman and artists and independent store owners. In turn, the profits they make are reinvested in our communities, offering additional jobs to neighbors, cross-town rivals and maybe even a son or daughter. When local small businesses thrive our tax base increases, meaning lower property taxes (talk about a stocking stuffer!)

This holiday season I can't help thinking that in the land that seemingly invented choice, we've relegated ourselves to Wal-Mart, Target, and a host of other chain stores headquartered in distant states and cities. Even our most traditional holiday destination, Marshall Field's, has been taken over by a New York-based mega-store that sees in Chicago only potential profit.

In February I bought a cashmere sweater at Old Navy which literally fell apart last month. I asked myself if purchasing clothes that last only one season is being green. Moreover, the soft but flimsy thing had to travel half way across the world and might have been made by slave labor, children, or someone who worked a 16-hour day. As I shop for gifts this year, I realize that it's hard to feel right about giving something for Christmas that might have been made with child labor or that I wouldn't pay my neighbor to make simply because he or she wants to be paid a living wage and to work a 40-hour week.

In the end, is a product's primary-or sole remaining-selling point that it be as cheap as possible? At least during the holiday season, maybe the gifts we give should be about something more, at least if I've got the idea of Christmas down right.