"Getting it" this holiday season

Here in Chicago, the weather finally turned cold. I always consider myself lucky if we hadn’t needed to pull out the winter coat by the time Thanksgiving rolls around… this year, we were again lucky. The trees are bare and there is a distinct cold in the air; but it’s December and so it’s time.

With the holiday season is upon us and everyone scrambling to find “the perfect something” for their loved ones, I am again reminded of why I started Trove. The answer is both simple and not so simple… but let me share the simple. I started Trove because I felt there was a void in the marketplace for finding handmade objects from all over the world. We can easily fill our homes with accessories from chain stores at our local malls, and quite honestly there’s nothing wrong with that. However if you can add to your home, a cherished item here and there, you’re making a difference far larger than you realize.

I find myself smiling as I walk by the textured vase that I received from my artist in Paris; there are so many beautiful adjectives to describe it: stunning, awe-inspiring, textural, heavy, structural, unique… and, I could go on and on. A vase from Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel would get only “pretty.”

However in addition to the obvious, there is the story connecting the object and its artist. Whether it’s the centuries-old technique that the maker employs or how the she arrived at “being” a maker, the story is a big component to the piece itself.

I believe we all want to surround ourselves with things that make us smile because if we can’t find an inner peace within our homes, we certainly can’t find it anywhere else. I was thrilled when last month “Handmade Makes a Definite Difference. As life gets increasingly digital, slick, and formulaic, one-of-a-kind gifts crafted by humans are the kindest gift of all.” was published in the Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty section. People are “getting it,” finally. 

I hope that your holiday season is joyous and filled with everything that makes you happy. From my home to yours, let’s all strive for a little more authenticity in 2025.