First, a disclaimer: We’re not trying to rush the holiday shopping season. But if you’re the type who likes to shop for everything a little more creatively — local, handmade, unique — it doesn’t hurt to get the calendar planned out early. And luckily, in the Nashville area, we have a lot of options coming up for tracking down that kind of stuff.

An early heads up on some of the great makers markets/shopping events coming up from Nashville to Franklin, all of which will help you gift the folks you love with stuff that comes from the South, and from the hands of real people.

Nashvember

More of a cause-focused festival than a straight makers market, Project 615’s Nashvember will include food trucks, live music and a crew of vendors, and the whole event is meant to help raise funds and awareness for Rescue 1 Global’s efforts to combat human trafficking.

It’s coming up soon, too: Saturday, November 14 at Track One in Nashville

Details at a glance:

Nashvember
Saturday, November 14, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Track One, 1209 4th Ave. S, Nashville
Up for grabs: beard care, leather goods, antiques and vintage finds, goat’s milk-based soap and beauty products, handmade books and more.
More info: Nashvember on Facebook

Made South Holiday Market

In Williamson County? You’re definitely not left out. The Made South holiday market puts the focus, as you’d imagine, on Southern makers, with 80 artisans sharing items that span from South Carolinan handmade soap to Nashville-bred leather goods, along with lots of other festivities, including food, drinks and live music.

Set for two days next month (November 20-21), this one’s a ticketed market, and buying in advance saves you a few bucks ($15 online, $19 at the door).

Details at a glance:

Made South Holiday Market
Friday, November 20, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 21, 9 a.m to 6 p.m.
Liberty Hall at the Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Road, Franklin
Up for grabs: handmade items from Southern artisans, from bags and socks to candy to denim blankets.
More info: MadeSouth.com

Gallatin Galavant

A big crew of East Nashville businesses banded together in 2014 for the first Gallatin Galavant, a shop crawl up and down the Eastside’s main artery on Small Business Saturday. It returns for 2015 (Small Business Saturday is November 28 this year), again with lots of East shops, restaurants and galleries jumping in with sales, specials and more.

A particularly cool extra: the Gallatin Galavant passport, which can be stamped at participating venues. Each stamp gives you an entry for a GG raffle; last year the prizes were lots of fantastic local goods, and guesses are it’ll be the same case this year.

Keep up with details, including participating businesses, at the Gallatin Galavant website.

Details at a glance:

Gallatin Galavant
Saturday, November 28, all day
Various locations on Gallatin Road/Pike in East Nashville
Up for grabs: participants list is still coming, but last year, it included specials from record store The Groove to cigar shop Smokers Abbey and assorted cool weirdness at Hail Dark Aesthetics.
More info: GallatinGalavant.com

Porter Flea

This year’s holiday Porter Flea is dubbed Porter Flea Holiday X, and that X means the Nashville makers’ market is at its round-number 10th installment. The organizers roll into the double digits as a well-oiled machine, too — if you’ve been to any Flea, you’ve quickly seen that these are impeccably organized, friendly and festive events, and with their picky, juried crop of vendors, there’s always a ton of great shopping options, from handmade bags to jewelry to furniture.

This go-around, Porter Flea returns to its roots, too, coming back to the East Nashville side of the Cumblerland where they started back in 2011, and taking over their biggest venue yet: Silver Point Studios at 10 Quality Way.

Mark down December 4 and 5 on your calendar (the first day is their ticketed preview market, second their open and free main market), and check out the rundown of vendors at the Porter Flea website.

Details at a glance:

Porter Flea Holiday X
Preview market Friday, December 4, 6 to 9 p.m.; Main Market 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 5
Silver Point Studios, 10 Quality Way, Nashville
Up for grabs: art, pottery, clothing, jewelry, handmade books and lots more.
More info: PorterFlea.com

Weho Holiday Market & Art Crawl

In the thriving Wedgewood-Houston community, the energy of a block party and the inspiration of an art crawl gets combined with a makers market at the Weho Holiday Market & Art Crawl.

Along with lots of shopping options — from art to vintage clothing — you’ll get to take in DJ sets from Amerigo Gazaway, DJ Rate and Shake the Forest. And, on the Saturday of the weekend-long event (December 5-6), the market’s followed by the chance to explore a mix of local art.

Details at a glance:

Weho Holiday Market & Art Crawl
Saturday, December 5 (market 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., art crawl 6 to 9 p.m.), and Sunday, December 6, noon to 5 p.m.
Track One, 1211 4th Ave. S., Nashville
Up for grabs: work from local artisans, designers, makers and artists; updates on vendors to come at WeHoMarket.com.

Know about any other local markets we should add? Tip us off!