THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, BUY FROM HUMANS NOT CORPORATIONS

I’m not saying throw your laptop into the sea, but I am saying… maybe don’t let Jeff Bezos wrap your holiday gifts this year.

We keep saying we want to support small businesses—artists, makers, healers, local shops—but then we panic and hit Add to Cart because it’s “easier.” You know what else is easy? Killing off the last remaining independent bookstore in your town.

I come back to NYC and there’s Chase Manhattan Bank on every corner. It’s so sad.

I remember someone once said,

“Oh look, your teenager wants a job, but Jo-Ann Fabrics is gone, that indie bookstore closed, and the only jobs left are in Amazon warehouses and Walmarts.”

That line has haunted me ever since. Because the truth is, we did this!!!!

We traded connection for convenience.

This year, I’m asking you to inconvenience yourself on purpose.
Call your local hardware store. Walk to your local art supply shop. Order from your friend who makes candles, reads charts, or paints from her soul. It’s not just a purchase—it’s a prayer for a world where creators, not corporations, thrive.

Now, if you know people who want to be in the gift guide BUT you, yourself, might not be into your friends at or services, send them my way.

You should never feel obligated to purchase from friends and family but you can share their work and mission.

✨ CALLING ALL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, CREATIVES, & SEEKERS

I’m putting together a Holiday Gift Guide for Real Ones—a curated list of artists, writers (substacks), mediums, astrologers (astrocartogaphy), tarot readers, travel advisors, makers, and healers who believe their work changes lives.

This guide will go out to my Substack readers (and beyond) next week.

If that’s you; if your work deserves to be seen, gifted, and celebrated; send me your info.

And before you ask—
No, I’m not using a Google form.
Fuck Google.
You’re going to email me like a person.

🪄 HOW TO SUBMIT (BY NOVEMBER 5)

Send an email to cheematravels@proton.me or reply to this email with the following:

• Business name

• Description

• Image (1)

• Website

• Email (if you want it shared)

• Services or Products (up to 3, with links)

No pricing, keep it simple

Here’s what that looks like 👇

Cheema’s Travels
A Place Where Travel World Meets The Spirit World. Services for seekers & “woo” travelers who know there is more beneath the surface.

[IMAGE]

🌍 www.cheemastravel.com
📧 rani@cheemastravel.com

Services:

1. Psychic Mediumship Readings for Seekers and Travelers

2. Custom Talismans & Jewelry

3. Life & Career Coaching

🎁 WHO THIS IS FOR

If you’re the kind of person who says “I don’t know what to get them,” the answer this year is simple:
Buy from a small business. Support a dream.

If you are the dream, this is your time to shine.
Submit your info by November 5 and let’s show the world what real magic looks like.

Next week: the actual guide drops.
Let’s make it the season of buying from humans.