Call it a holiday, a fiesta, a fête, a yomtov, a sikukuu — all over the world, at special times of the year, the special foods and clothes and decorations and gifts all come out. No matter how hard the life, people all over the world find occasion to celebrate.

Crossroads Trade invites you to celebrate your holidays by sharing in the work of our artisans. When the weather grows cold and nights are short, holiday lights shine out.

Our collection of Judaica includes Israeli menorahs, dreidels, matzoh plates, tzedakah boxes, mezuzahs, and chamsas. Some of our most charming gifts come from Mexico, where artist Luis Felguerez has fashioned iron-and-papier-mache bar-mitzvah boys and bat-mitzvah girls. (Judaica items are not yet available online, but are in our retail store at 271 Harvard St., Brookline, MA. Feel free to email us about any item you are looking for.)

If you decorate a tree, you can find Christmas ornaments in felt, silk, wood, ceramic, metal, and beadwork. Some have traditional themes — nativity scenes from Armenia and Peru, stars from Cambodia and South Africa, Hungarian camels and magi. Other ornaments are more avant-garde — miniature Bolivian coca-leaf bags, for example, or felt Tibetan yetis. Our Christmas stockings come from Bolivia, Russia, Nepal, Peru, and Kyrgyztan.

Our selection of Nativity scenes is delightful — carved wood from Armenia and Palestine, a richly painted-wood Russian scene, bark cloth from Bolivia (with a river dolphin!), a felt yurt from Kyrgyztan, ceramic "chiva" nativity buses from Colombia.

The Easter season seems far away when we shovel the walks, but we have on-line charming painted eggs and springtime matrioshkas.

When you shop at Crossroads Trade, you add to the celebration in another land. Our artisans receive a fair price for their craft and work in safe conditions. There is no child labor — in fact, because you shop at Crossroads Trade, the artisans can earn enough to pay for their children's school fees. That's another reason to have a holiday!