Shopping rural helps small communities -- and it's a romp through one-of-a-kind gifts, practical gear and artful whimsy

Celebrating all the holidays in November and December can be more fun when shopping rural in-store or online. When gift-givers choose to buy from small-town businesses, they support local communities and get to spend their hard-earned gift-giving dollars on delightful, original items that can't be found at larger retailers. Below are just a few stops for readers to browse and hopefully, take time to enjoy the ingenuity, resourcefulness and craftsmanship rural businesses offer.

When perusing the web for outdoor adventure and nature lover gifts, Rural is Rad is a stop that offers an online database featuring local businesses in Colorado. The site has beanies, nature notebooks, hand-knitted hats and gloves, specialty ski apparel, hiking equipment and hiking guides and journals to go with it.

Mohr's art captures rich rural moments.

The art of Bonnie Mohr captures the beauty and spirit of life lived closer to nature. Whether it's cows, cats, old trucks, luscious landscapes or children playing in the snow, Mohr's work captures the unique perspective and warm wisdom of rural living. 

Inspired by the 1803 diary writings of midwife and tallow candle maker, Martha Ballard, 1803 Candles celebrate the nostalgia of simpler times. Like Ballard's candles, 1803 Candles are made by hand. Located in tiny, Waterman, Illinois, many of the company's employees are moms who work while their children are in school. 1803 Candles can be purchased online but can be discovered and smelled at a local shop with this handy finder.

Rural Cloth promotes rural as a lifestyle and strives to sell
high quality clothes that tout fashion and function.

Rural clothing styles are just as diverse as rural people, but for giftgivers seeking ranch, farm or outdoor life gear, the options start with flannel and go beyond. There's Rural Cloth for "those who live in small towns, like rodeos, bull riding, hunting, fishing, cold beer, backyard BBQs, and football." Duluth Trading is also a very rural pick. Headquartered in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, the company is serious about rural Americans being comfortable and ready for anything. The company even has "Fire Hose Workwear" and heirloom gardening bib overalls. Find a local store here.

Bookshop.org makes supporting independent bookstores simple. Avid readers need books, and bookgivers can choose a favorite rural/local bookstore to receive the full profit from their Bookshop.org purchases. Many smaller bookstores also offer book purchases through their own websites, which are "powered" by Bookshop. In Hazard, Kentucky, a local bookstore called "Read Spotted Newt" has a website full of local offerings along with the option to order books directly from its site through Bookshop.

Shop Rural can supply ideas and inspiration for gift-giving budgets of all sizes. The site supports "Small Towns and Small Batches" for hand-picking gifts that are special and support local artisans. The options go from craft woodworking to whimsical gnome-shaped soaps made from goat milk. Shop Rural is for small-town businesses only, so there's no mass production and the site does not take commissions. Shop Rural is still growing and has artist listing packages from $2 to $8.

Thanksgiving dinner is less expensive this year, but the small decline doesn't make up for 2022's dramatic increases

Serving up this year's Thanksgiving dinner will cost 5% less than it did in 2023. The average price of this year's turkey dinner with all the trimmings rings in at $58.08, compared to 2023's, $61.17, and 2022's painful $64.05. And while the decrease is welcomed news, this year's Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher than it was in 2019, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 39th annual survey.

To tally this year's Thanksgiving dinner costs, the AFBF sent out volunteer shoppers who checked prices Nov. 1-7, which is notably before most grocery store chains began featuring deep discounts on whole frozen turkeys. U.S. turkey prices declined in 2024, with the average price for a 16-pound turkey at $25.67 or $1.60 per pound, down 6% from 2023.

Several other ingredient prices declined, including the cost of whole milk, which dropped more than 14%, and the price of fresh vegetables decreased by 6.4%. Those decreases helped offset the price hikes on dinner rolls and stuffing cubes, which increased by around 8%.

Individual Prices:

• 16-pound turkey: $25.67 or $1.60 per pound (down 6.1%)
• 14 ounces of cubed stuffing mix: $4.08 (up 8.2%)
• 2 frozen pie crusts: $3.40 (down 2.9%)
• Half pint of whipping cream: $1.81 (up 4.7%)
• 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.73 (down 8.1%)
• 1 dozen dinner rolls: $4.16 (up 8.4%)
• Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $3.75 (down 5.1%)
• 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $4.15 (down 6.5%)
• 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.21 (down 14.3%)
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $2.93 (down 26.2%)
• 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): $.84 (down 6.4%)
• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.35 (up 11.8%)

Can social awkwardness at holiday functions be avoided? No, but preparation can help manage it.

Holiday get-togethers can be
awkward. (Adobe Stock photo)

The holidays can be the best time of the year, but it can also be the most awkward. As we reconnect with family, friends and coworkers, conversations can veer into uncomfortable stories or political views that lead to dead silence or arguments. In her opinion for The Conversation, philosopher Alexandra Plakias "offers a few strategies people can use to minimize awkwardness and deal with it when it does, inevitably, happen." A condensed version of her tips is shared below.

Know your goals, know your roles. Uncertainty is the oxygen of awkwardness. Before you engage in a potentially awkward or contentious interaction, ask yourself: What do I  want to get out of this? . . . I’m not suggesting that some forethought will make things go smoothly or guarantee that no one’s feelings will be hurt. But it will help you feel more confident in your ability to navigate toward your desired outcome.
 
There’s no ‘I’ in awkward. Awkward situations breed intense self-consciousness. This is both uncomfortable and counterproductive. By focusing on yourself, you’re not attuned to the people around you or the signals they’re sending – signals that could offer you a pathway out of the awkward situation. So make sure you’re paying attention to the other players in the drama, not just your own discomfort.

Plan, coordinate and be explicit. People do so much planning in other areas of their lives, yet they expect social interactions to just flow effortlessly. . . . Have some go-to topics or questions at hand. . . .If you expect to see someone with whom you have an unresolved relationship – an estranged family member, or an old friend you ghosted – try to do some prep work in advance. Emails or letters can give people a chance to process reactions without putting them on the spot.

Laugh it off. Despite your best efforts, awkwardness does strike, offer people a way out – they’ll probably grab it. This doesn’t need to be momentous; it could be a little joke, a small-talk topic, or even – and only if things get very desperate – knocking a spoon off the table to break the silence.

Consider the alternatives. These strategies might help you avoid awkwardness. But take a moment to consider whether you really want to. Awkwardness is the result of social uncertainty; it slows things down and curbs your confidence. . . . If things are awkward, it’s worth looking around to see what role that awkwardness is playing, and what might take its place if it’s gone.

Alexandra Plakias

Alexandra Plakias is an associate professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College in New York. She's a moral psychology expert who studies social awkwardness as a way to explore how it "it stops people from engaging with difficult topics and challenging conversations." For more of her insights on social awkwardness, read her full article here.

Yelloh, once known as Schwan's Home Delivery, closes due to 'insurmountable business challenges'

Yelloh started out as Schwan’s home delivery business
in 1952. (Yelloh photo via Twin Cities Business)

After years of decline, the frozen food delivery icon formerly called Schwan's closed its doors after 72 years of service. The company's direct-to-consumer delivery model increased its popularity among rural communities, where its signature yellow trucks became synonymous with good people and food. "At its peak, the company delivered meals and ice cream across 48 states," reports Aimee Ortiz of The New York Times. "But critics and experts said the company became frozen in time, ceding ground to competitors and modernity."

The company's setbacks began in the late 1980s, "with fewer people home as drivers came, the relationships between drivers and customers that had been built over decades began to diminish," Ortiz explains. "Then came membership stores like Costco, which could compete on frozen food price and quality, and on top of that regulatory changes added restrictions to their truck operations."

In 2019, Schwan's sold a group of its frozen food grocery store brands in a deal that forced the company to relinquish the "Schwan's" name and suppliers. The company renamed its service "Yelloh," but many loyal consumers were put off by the new name. "The 2022 rebranding was a failure on multiple levels, said Ken Moskowitz, who is the founder of Ad Zombies and has been a marketer for 40 years," Ortiz reports. "By changing the company’s name, decision-makers 'threw away all that history,' Mr. Moskowtiz said."

The loss of Yelloh's food suppliers also cut into its customer base. "The home delivery service carried Schwan’s items until early 2024, but soon enough customers lost access to many of their favorite entrees, snacks and desserts, including the Schwan’s ice cream that had made the company famous," Ortiz explains. Ed Johnson, a retail and consumer products expert, said "that he could not speak directly to what exactly caused Yelloh’s demise, but that it’s 'very hard to sustain that business in a world where there’s more choice.'"

Yelloh released a statement that explained the closure was due to “'multiple insurmountable business challenges,” including “economic and market forces, as well as changing consumer lifestyles,'” Ortiz reports. "The closure means that about 1,100 people across 13 states are out of a job."

The debate over fluoride in public water may just be getting started: Local stories and knowledge can help

Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent
tooth decay. (Photo by G. Rosenke, Unsplash)

The decades-long practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies to prevent tooth decay is under fire from anti-fluoride activists, including "fluoride foe Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped for a top spot overseeing public health as head of the Department of Health and Human Services," reports Joseph A. Davies for the Society for Environmental Journalists. Kennedy wants "to remove fluoride from drinking water, and President-elect Trump has said he supports the idea."

Adding fluoride to public water sources began in the 1940s; however, the decision to add fluoride is not made at the federal level. Davis explains, "The federal government has no legal authority to require fluoride in drinking water — not the EPA or any other agency. But some 13 states (plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) do — they currently have laws requiring utilities to add fluoride to drinking water. Hawaii is the only state to prohibit it. . . . Not only that, but laws in 37 states allow local governments and utilities to choose for themselves."

Davis writes, "The public should know the facts. For environmental journalists, that means local stories."

A recent court case won by anti-fluoride activists "ordered the EPA to reevaluate its rule on fluoride in drinking water, using the Toxic Substances Control Act rather than the SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act)," Davis explains. "The suit came after controversial research by the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program suggested fluoride could harm the IQ of growing kids."

The political atmosphere and anti-fluoride sentiment by some citizens is pushing the fluoride debate into more local community spaces. Davis shares these story ideas and sources.

Story ideas:

• Does your state require fluoride to be added to public drinking water systems? Talk to your state regulators.
• What are the main drinking water utilities in your audience area? Do they add fluoride? Talk to local managers about the issue.
• Does fluoride occur naturally in the source water(s) of your local utilities? How much? Is it below or above the maximum contaminant level (MCL)?
• Does your utility fully inform customers about fluoride in water (as they are legally required to under the SDWA)?
• What does your local or state health department think about fluoride in drinking water?
• Talk to your dentist and other local dentists about their views on fluoride.
  

Reporting resources:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: The EPA oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, with most enforcement carried out by the states.
• Centers for Disease Control: The main U.S. public health agency.
• National Institutes of Health: This scientific research agency has studied fluoride in water.
• World Health Organization: This international public health agency has recommended a level for fluoride in drinking water.
• American Dental Association: The main professional association for general dentists in the United States.
• Fluoride Action Network: A nongovernmental organization that opposes addition of fluoride to drinking water.
• Food & Water Watch: A nonprofit NGO opposed to fluoride in drinking water.