This year, skip the generic. Seek out the unique, the handmade, the weird and wonderful. Buy a comic book, a print, a piece of art that speaks to you. Give something with soul.

Black Friday isn’t a holiday, it’s a heist. A glittery, discount-code-waving distraction where billionaires convince you that buying a $12 toaster you don’t need is a victory. Spoiler: The only people winning are the ones who already have more money than God. Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your $12. But the local bookstore? Your favorite indie artist? The weird little shop down the street that sells handmade candles that smell like a vacation in Scandinavia? They do.