Christian shoppers face daily difficulties when choosing where to spend their hard-earned dollars. Constantly, they are told where not to purchase goods due to misalignment with faith and family values. So as Christmas rolls around, many wonder where they can shop. This holiday season, The Stand staff compiled a few of their favorite shopping sites as alternatives to woke, big-box stores.

Prodigal Pottery ($$)

There is no denying the beauty in pottery pieces … and restored lives. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, Prodigal Pottery employs women impacted by homelessness, sex trafficking, domestic abuse, and addiction, inspiring them to craft unique pieces of art. With its parent ministry, King’s Home, Prodigal Pottery helps women see the love of Christ while teaching them a valuable trade.

Take Jenna Collins, for example. For 10years, she battled addiction, homelessness, and abuse. Through King’s Home and employment at Prodigal Pottery, she was radically changed by the power of Jesus. Today, Collins serves as the co-director of the store. Every day, she has the opportunity to help women facing similar situations find healing and hope in Christ.

“Our greatest desire for the women we serve is that they would walk out the doors of Prodigal Pottery every day knowing they are strong, capable, loved, and that the Lord has a powerful and important plan for their lives,” remarked Collins. “Every piece of pottery purchased is a picture of one of our women’s healing journeys.”

At prodigalpottery.com, handmade ornaments, mugs, dishes, and more are available. However, shoppers should note that the store’s turnaround time is roughly two weeks.

Noonday Collection ($$$)

Gifts that sparkle go a long way in bringing excitement. But what if those sparkly presents could also benefit families seeking to adopt and individuals needing a safe work environment? Noonday Collection does both. Perfect for all accessory lovers, this company offers a selection of jewelry, apparel, handbags, home decor, and more.

In the early 2000s, Jessica Honegger met a Ugandan couple who aspired to make handmade jewelry and provide safe work opportunities for their community. At the same time, Honegger was looking to raise funds for her family’s adoption of a child from Rwanda. With this knowledge, Honegger hosted an event at her home to promote and sell the couple’s jewelry as a fundraiser for the adoption.

The rest is history.

Today, Noonday continues to seek out artisans worldwide to contribute pieces to the collection while providing them with stable, fair-trade jobs. It also employs U.S. women as ambassadors to sell Noonday products.

Like Honegger’s adoption experience, the company holds “adoption trunk shows,” hosted by its ambassadors as a way to raise funds for adopting families. According to its website, the company has helped support 5,000 families thus far.

“I’ve been a customer and ambassador for many years,” Jessica Grey told The Stand. “One of Noonday’s missions is to help adopting families. We just completed an international adoption for our daughter from South Korea. I was struck by how many people shopped just to benefit us. … Noonday is special and [makes] a great gift!”

To connect with Noonday Collection, visit noondaycollection.com.

The Daily Grace Co. ($$)

One of the easiest ways to encourage Christians to strengthen their faith is to point them to Scripture. The Daily Grace Co., offers a large variety of Christ-centered Bible studies and faith-based products. Online at thedailygraceco.com, shoppers will find webpages filled with affordable Scripture prints, study tools, Bibles, and more. The company also provides several free printable resources.

The Daily Grace Co. donates a portion of each sale to benefit local and international missions. According to its website, one of its most passionate endeavors is supporting charities that translate the Bible into the native language of unreached people groups.

“At The Daily Grace Co., everything we seek to do and be is grounded in the mission to make and equip disciples of Jesus Christ,” explained Sarah Roberts, a Daily Grace Co. employee. “We do so by creating beautiful, theologically-rich, and accessible resources so that God may be glorified and the gospel be made known.”

Due to its vast collection of Bible studies, The Stand cannot review each one. However, by going to the shop’s “statement of faith” page, customers will see that this shop aligns with orthodox biblical beliefs.

Samaritan’s Purse ($$$)

Let’s be real. Some friends and family members are hard to shop for. So instead of stressing about what to purchase, why not get them something that could change the world? Samaritan’s Purse offers this opportunity through its Christmas Gift Catalog.

The annual catalog is filled with more than 40 options to financially support the poor and needy across the globe. A few opportunities include providing clean water to a community, purchasing dairy goats or a dozen chicks for a family, meeting medical needs, enabling discipleship programs, and more.

But it gets better.

Through this arm of Samaritan’s Purse, the ministry allows supporters to purchase these special contributions in honor (or memory) of others. To accomplish this, purchasers can choose the area they want to support, enter the desired dollar amount, and select “add honor/memory card.” At checkout, individuals can enter a physical or email address, and Samaritan’s Purse will notify the recipient about the donated gift.

“All of this is in Jesus’ name, and that’s what Christmas is all about – it’s about Jesus,” Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said in a 2022 video explaining the catalog.

To give gifts that make a world of difference, visit samaritanspurse.org, click the “Give” drop-down tab, and select “Gift Catalog.”

AFA Resource Center ($)

Check out AFA Resource Center to support a God-honoring, faith-based, Scripture-following ministry. The online center provides various resources and gifts, including AFA apparel, books, DVDs, and more. This Christmas season, AFA is once again offering several seasonal products, such as Noel coffee, (available now). Noel is a blend of cinnamon, hazelnut, and Bavarian chocolate, and it will surely fill any room with the aroma of Christmas.

AFA continues to carry out founder Don Wildmon’s Christmas button tradition. (See The Stand 12/22.) This year, the ministry is offering two buttons to help advance the true meaning of Christmas. One button is red and features these words Jesus, He came for you. The other is green and declares Jesus, our living hope. The AFA Resource Center also has green wristbands that read, Keep Christ in Christmas.

“In the middle of a very busy season, AFA Christmas products help us focus on the real significance of the season,” said AFA Resource Center director Leanne Patrick. “AFA’s Christmas buttons and wristbands are designed to make it easy to ‘wear and share’ the message of Jesus with those you meet.”

To shop, visit resources.afa.net or call 877.927.4917.