Perhaps one of the consumer areas that proves the popular refrain "free trade and cheaper imports always result in lower prices for consumers" is an obvious, outright lie is the seemingly innocent area of greeting cards.

Just recently I was shopping for a birthday card for my wife, and I found a nice Hallmark card I wanted to buy for $4.49. The problem? It was made in China. Luckily I found a lesser-known brand that was made in USA for even less at $2.99. Amazing. I was able to buy American made and keep more money in my pocket at the same time.

It's really no surprise that we don't always compromise when we support lesser-known brands that enable us to buy American. And the beauty of doing that is we also support smaller businesses that often have a higher percentage of American workers employed in their company compared to larger, multinational ones.

There are all kinds of greeting card companies out there now with all kinds of different themes. Some are serious, some are funny, some are cultural, and others reflect the traditions of different areas of our great country. But I recently found a small greeting card company that I'll be using in the future because they are all of the above!

The La Casa Card Company is based in Arizona and offers Southwest style greeting cards, postcards and more. And here's the best part: All La Casa cards are printed in the USA, and all La Casa supplies are purchased in the USA!

What this means is that there's no more guesswork when you're at the store searching for greeting cards. In fact, you don't even have to go to the store (even though La Casa Cards can be found in most retail card stores and gift shops in Arizona, New Mexico and in parts of Southern California). No more picking up cards and putting them back because they are made in China. No more wasted time, no more wasted gas going to the store and back. Just pick your greeting card or postcard from La Casa Card Company. They'll source all the American-made supplies for your card, print them right here in America, and send it to you - customized, if you like - so you can prepare it for your friends, family members, or loved ones.

If you send out a lot of cards at Christmas time like I do, you'll want to order from La Casa Card Company. Whether it's a large package of 100 personalized cards for around $97.00, 50 cards for around $58.00, or smaller quantities like packages of 12 cards and envelopes for around $8.97, you'll like the many options at La Casa Card Company. You can even choose envelope imprinting with your personalized cards.

Like I said earlier, La Casa offers cards that are serious, funny, cultural, and reflect the Southwest tradition as well. How about a funny Christmas card showing roadrunners decorating a Southwest cactus with Christmas lights? How about a serious "Silent Night" card featuring the words "Peace on Earth" in the nighttime sky with the moon and the North Star in the background? Or how about a Southwest-themed "Chili Wreath" card wishing you Happy Holidays?

La Casa even personalizes cards for businesses. And whether it's a business or a consumer like you and me ordering from La Casa Card Company, a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Casa de los Ni?os crisis center for abused and neglected children and to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. So not only does La Casa Card Company support American manufacturing and American working families, they support American children in need.

La Casa Card Company offers Christmas cards, business Christmas cards, holiday greetings, note cards, new address cards and thank you notes. In short, they have everything you need - made in America - all in one place under one roof. They even offer Southwest oil and acrylic paintings!

The La Casa selection includes Arizona sunsets & desert scenes, California desert images, Texas and New Mexico images of pueblos, haciendas, arches and gates adorned with chili ristras, chili pepper wreaths, kokopellis, paths and entryways lined with luminaries, and playful images of coyote, roadrunner and quail. They also have a good selection hard to find Southwest Religious Christmas cards. And along with American made top quality, their greeting cards are reasonably priced.

October is just around the corner, and Christmas will be upon us sooner than you might think. Concerned patriotic consumers are always looking for more and different ways to buy American, and this is definitely one way that many American don't often think about. My suggestion - and this is what I'm going to be doing as Christmas comes closer - is to start preparing my choices for Christmas cards this year from La Casa Card Company.

In doing that, there are many things that are comforting because I know them for sure. I'll be supporting an American small company that only employs American workers and uses only American supplies; I'll be giving unique cards that can either be serious or funny depending on the recipient; I'll be supporting an American company that supports an important charity to help abused and neglected American kids; and I'll be spending less money for my American-made cards (remember that single Chinese-made card for $4.49?).

So check out he La Casa Card Company at www.LaCasaCards.com for American-made choices that will keep more of your American-earned dollars in your pocket.

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week" articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is now a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.

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