Dec 11, 2025
By Rick McNary
The best Christmas presents come with a story. I recall when I was 8 years old, I received a Green Bay Packer jersey with the number 15, a replica of my hero, Bart Starr, that mom ordered from the Sears Christmas catalog. Starr became my hero when I watched him win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1967 and ’68 on our black-and-white TV. I’m still disappointed mom wouldn’t let me wear the uniform as pajamas.
As you prepare to buy presents, especially for those hard to buy for family and friends, we offer you a way to purchase a present with a story. Buying presents, especially food items, from local Kansas farms ensures you can give gifts with stories attached because you know the people who made them. You can also rest easy knowing your purchases help support a family farm.
How to give gifts with a story
- You can browse our new, beautiful Shop Kansas Farms Christmas Catalog. All the farms listed can ship items directly to your door.
- Go to our interactive map on our website and find a farm or ranch near you. You can find our map here: https://shopkansasfarms.com/farms-map
- If you have something specific in mind, you can find that under “Category” on our Shop menu on our website: https://shopkansasfarms.com/farms
- Once you select a farm or ranch to purchase from, go find the “About Us” section on either their Facebook page or on their website and print it off to attach to the present.
- When you purchase a gift, ask the farmer or rancher if they have any additional information they can include in the gift.
- Have a holiday party with various offerings from our farms and ranches and explain where the food came from and how you found them.
- Serve holiday dinners using food purchased from our farms and ranches and, before everyone digs in, tell the story of the people who produced the food.
- Explain how your purchase has supported a local family farm.
- Some farms and ranches have merchandise like hats, shirts and various other items that have their brand on them. Purchase those and give them away as a way to support and advertise your favorite family farm.
- Begin a yearly tradition for yourself, your family and your friends by purchasing gifts this way. Over the course of time, you can see how your purchases help these family farms thrive and increase their offerings.
The beauty of giving unique gifts like this is that you get to bring benefits to three different people: the family farm you purchased from, yourself for knowing you supported local Kansas products and the people who you gave a gift to with a story attached. Most likely, when Christmas 2026 comes a year from now, it will be these gifts that all of you remember the most.