Just interrupting the Holiday Gift Guide for a moment to react to this article I just read at msnbc.

The reporter attempted to boycott all goods made in China. And in the end determines that it is a “fruitless quest.”

I have been thinking about this quite a bit recently. The majority of the things that I pick up to purchase are made in China. And an even greater number are manufactured outside of the USA, even the beloved American Girl dolls. Say it ain’t so!

But to call it fruitless and toss your arms up in the air and give up seems the equivalent to me of not recycling anymore because you see other people throwing away their plastic bottles. Yes, it is difficult. Yes, there are times when it might be impossible to buy the item that you desire because it is only made in China. Hello iPod I am talking to you.

But for me, and I hope for others, it is not so much saying I will never buy anything ever again that is made in China, as it is examining whether or not I honestly need that item. Is there a different item that would do? Can I buy a different brand? Can I buy it someplace else? And probably most important of all, can I do without it?

Being an informed consumer is never fruitless in my mind.