Friday, December 2, 2011

Christmas Melancholy



As you may have noticed I have not posted for several days. After 15 days straight of company for Thanksgiving I am just wore outIndeed it has been a rough end of the week for me. I am fighting a personal battle right now not to be a scrooge. I just was not finished giving thanks yet and then I feel like I got Christmas crammed down my throat.  O Wise One and I have made a decision we are fighting back. EVERYTHING this year is going to be homemade, American made, locally made or at the very least made in the USA. 


What has brought this on you may ask. Several things really. The last of our guests left on Monday and we spent the day processing the deer O Wise One had killed over the weekend. Starting jerky in the dehydrator, washing sheets and getting the house back in order. Tuesday morning we got up and watched our normal news and weather report out of Kansas City. We have a regular routine of watching the morning program and liked the team. Especially the little weather guy. Wednesday evening we find out that the same weather man  went home that morning and killed himself. I guess at 31 years of age he felt he couldn't go on. Even sadder leaving behind a young wife and child to mourn his loss. Even sadder was the  psychologist giving numbers on the amount of people that commit suicide during the Christmas Season.  That this beautiful young man could find no hope during a season that should symbolize hope and joy. 

Also this week a national manufacturer closed down their plant in the local town just one town over from where we live. Two weeks before Christmas no less! These folks are now without a job. A large majority of these employees are our neighbors and friends.  One young couple expecting a new baby in just a few months. Losing their healthcare also will hit hard. Because this company is moving their plant to Mexico. Below is a statement released by their company. 



HANESBRANDS TO CLOSE GEAR FOR SPORTS CHILLICOTHE, MO., PLANT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2011) – HanesBrands today announced that it will close its Chillicothe, Mo., apparel decorating and screen-printing plant in December and move production to a new lower-cost company facility in Mexico.        “We regret the loss of jobs for our Chillicothe employees,” said Craig Peterson, Gear For Sports general manager of operations, finance and administration. “The Chillicothe plant is a well-run operation with a tremendous workforce. This decision is not a reflection on the capabilities and dedication of our employees. We would like to thank them for their contributions over the years.” To maintain competitiveness, HanesBrands is opening a new apparel decorating and screen-print facility in Reynosa, Mexico, that will replace the Chillicothe plant’s production for Gear For Sports and will supply other HanesBrands retail apparel businesses. The new plant will operate with lower costs and higher efficiency, consistent with HanesBrands supply chain strategy of operating fewer, larger facilities in lower-cost countries.



HanesBrands
HanesBrands is a leading socially responsible manufacturer and marketer of everyday basic apparel under some of the world’s strongest apparel brands, including HanesChampionPlaytexBaliJMS/Just My Sizebarely thereWonderbra and Gear For Sports. The company sells T-shirts, bras, panties, men’s underwear, children’s underwear, socks, hosiery, casualwear and activewear produced in the company’s low-cost global supply chain. Hanes has approximately 55,000 employees in more than 25 countries and takes pride in its strong reputation for ethical business practices. More information about the company and its corporate social responsibility initiatives, including environmental, social compliance and community improvement achievements, may be found on the Hanes corporate website atwww.hanesbrands.com. Hanes is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner of the Year for 2010 and 2011 and ranks No. 91 on Newsweek magazine’s Top 500 greenest U.S. company rankings.


My response to Hanes is that I hope these people in these "lower cost countries" are gonna buy your products from now on because I Won't.  I can sew just about anything including drawers and bras and this is one old broad that won't be buying your Wonderbras because I choose to support ( no pun intended)  companies that employ Americans.

So in the spirit of Christmas my husband loaded me up in the 1964 American made pickup truck and we put on a Willie Nelson Tape and we went to Amish Country. No Super Stores, no big box stores. No crowds, lots of parking and lots of help. Just remember where you step because that horse poop can be awful slippery.



Advertising was Great !

 Who wouldn't want a homemade basket maybe stuffed with a homemade apron and some homemade jam and cookies. Or maybe some herbal tea and mugs. Don't forget a jar of that local honey.
 I bought some beautiful 100 % cotton yarn that will make some beautiful pot holders and maybe  washcloths with some homemade soap to go in one of those baskets.

And no trip is complete without going to at least one quilt shop. And lets not forget that Missouri honey produced less than 5 miles from my door. And some beeswax for soaps. And some fresh goats milk and cow milk. Some creamy fresh butter to go with it.    


Now I know that everyone can't live near an Amish or Mennonite community but you can shop American. Better yet look around your own community. If nothing else there are so many great Etsy shops and sites out there selling goods produced right on their own farms.


At a time when we are supposed to be celebrating the greatest gift of all. God's gift of his own son sent to earth to save the souls of men. Search your own soul and maybe help a brother or a neighbor. Keep your community alive.


Invest in your community, invest in your nation, invest in your neighbor, invest in your brother. 


Shop American


Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter


10 comments:

  1. Amen! Making all of my gifts this year too.

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  2. Thank you so much for this post (even though it brings some very sad news)! I have always loved home-made gifts, etc., but now I have even more of a reason to think about that. I didn't even know that the Hanes plant was closing, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the way things are going. Thanks for taking definitive action and inspiring others to do the same!

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  3. I love your rebel spirit Mamma Hooch! Amen! Trying to keep it about the real "Reason for the Season" here, too, without going down :))

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  4. I can't make a bra, but I can go bra-less. ;-)

    My brother in Zeeland Michigan goes to an Amish place in Ohio, if I remember right. He loves their furniture and meats.

    Seeing this, reminds me of an article that my husband linked me to. Butterball turkeys are 100% Halal processed, even though they don't openly say so.

    So, I won't buy another Butterball turkey, either.

    These companies are so arrogant and sneaky.

    Thanks for sharing this, CQ. *hugs* ♥ God bless these people. I hope they can find new jobs quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for posting this, I wonder how many other companies that we use are leaving the states for cheaper labor. I really hope that you also put this in your local paper & on Face Book so that we can all protest this. I remember years back that Levi shut their plant down in MO & moved them to Mexico also. We the people have got to take a stand. I must say that I really liked the socks, bras & panties from Hanes but no more. I WILL STAND WITH YOU on this.

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  6. You are so inspiring! I just heard about the weather man from my son (who lives in Liberty, MO). He said he was his favorite weather man. So sad, we just can't know someone's pain. I just wish they knew that life is subject to change and it CAN get better. In the meantime, you have inspired me to buy American and make more gifts. Thanks.

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  7. Well said!!!

    Buy American and Keep the Jobs here!!

    and when you get a chance, I'd love a tutorial on making bras and drawers. :) I sew pantaloons for the girls to wear under their dresses over their undies for modesty.

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  8. I am wholeheartedly with you on every point. Hang in there on the battle with the blahs. Im fighting it alongside you.

    I am with Laura with the request for a tutorial on making underthings. My size calls for custom made items which I haven't been able to find in a long time. If I could make them myself I'd be ecstatic!

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  9. Well, you posted this years ago, thanks to Trump, many companies have moved back to the good old USA. Shame on Hanes, I wonder if they have come back 'home', now in 2020. I'll have to find out. My husband and I made Christmas gifts last year, I like that so much better. I say hand made is best.

    ReplyDelete

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