A Bazaar Christmas Season

November 29, 2011 A Bazaar Christmas Season

 

With Turkey Day now officially behind us, Christmas season beckons. The Shanghai air is now cool and crisp and Christmas carols fill the air, particularly at Wal-Mart’s ten local outlets. Many commercially-minded establishments have long been adorned with lights and trees, offering us a not-so-subtle reminder that we still have shopping to do. However, the crass materialism and artificiality of the holiday can be overwhelming, leaving one craving something a bit different. Thankfully, some clairvoyant market-makers have come to the rescue, organizing fantastic bazaars to showcase the beautiful creations from local craftspeople, many going to help great philanthropic causes.

 

 

At Expatree , we wholeheartedly believe in and live by the motto “buy and sell outside the box.” At no time of year is this concept more applicable than during the Christmas holiday season. Instrumental to buying and selling outside the box is using commerce to empower individuals. Whether it is giving innovative small business owners a platform from which to market their wares to a wider audience or promoting local charitable organizations to help the neediest within our community, we strive to imbue all of our actions at Ex

This holiday season’s bazaars of fer the perfect mechanism for aggregating these ideals, allowingcraftspeople the platform to ply their trade, consumers to find perfect gifts, and providing much-needed funding for local charities. The philanthropic projects that are being sponsored this year include a venture to build schools for Chinese children ( Couleurs de Chine ), building basic needs infrastructure in remote villages (Fuji Ladies), and providing much-needed medical care for children with chronic heart disease ( Heart to Heart Shanghai ).

As cards and present are de rigueur this holiday season, now is a perfect time to take advantage of win-win-win opportunities providing by these local charities. Not only are the handicrafts on offer unique (allowing you to eschew the artificial, plasticky fare of traditional outlets), but they go to support the neediest amongst us. Shanghai Sunrise, a local education initiative, is offering gorgeous Christmas cards that can be sent to friends and loved ones. The Fuji Ladies, a Japanese charity, is selling very ornate Christmas decorations to raise money for the victims of the recent tsunami. A Pleines Mains , a fundraiser for a variety of noble projects, recently organized an indoor charity bazaar . With so many great choices and a fantastic opportunity to give back to the community, the time is ripe for getting involved.

Shanghai will feature a plethora of bazaars this holiday season, each one an eclectic mix of both charitable and for-profit booths. Peas and Pods , a community organization for families, held a great charitable kid’s bazaar November 12 ^th . A November 19 ^th extravaganza held at Concordia School featured a number of great philanthropic organizations, includingThe Baobei Foundation , an organization selling knitwear to raise money to provide lifesaving surgery for Chinese children. Upcoming bazaars will be no less fruitful in their ability to help worthy causes, not to mention finding the perfect gifts . For a full list, check out Expatree’s market-bazaar listings . So don’t forget the neediest and make the most of this beautiful holiday season in the Oriental Pearl City.

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