Consumable Gifts for the Holidays (WFMW)

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This is a post that I wrote for an old blog that I don't have any more, but it's about our gift giving last year for Christmas. Sure...you may say, "Why post this in June?" Well...it's because Christmas is just six months away, darn it. And, I have found that the best way to have a stress free holiday is to plan early.

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I am excited this year to try to give (mostly) everyone consumable gifts! (Consumable as in "able to be used up," not just able to be eaten.) An exception to this "rule" is our kids, who will each be getting just four gifts (one from Santa, three from us) plus stocking stuffers. Oh, and then I did find a beautiful handmade prayer shawl for one of my Grandmothers, as well as an electric razor for my husband (his request). Oh...okay, one more, I am giving handcrafted pocket rosaries to CCD teachers. So, at least several of the non-consumable gifts are handcrafted.

Otherwise, my gifts are consumable this year, and I'm really excited about it.
A few people will be getting restaurant gift cards. Always yummy and useful, as long as you know what restaurants your receiver actually likes. Seriously -- this is important. My husband and I have received a few different restaurant gift certificates to places we just don't go. We don't really get a chance to go out on dates, and so we prefer something to somewhere family friendly.

Another example is my grandparents. They have just about everything a person could need. But, what did I get them? $40 worth of McDonalds gift certificates! They go there each morning for coffee and something breakfast sandwiches, so I knew they would use them.

For school teachers, I am planning to put together handmade blank cards -- either photo note cards or dry embossed cards. (I'm leaning toward the photo note cards, since people like them and they will be quicker than hand embossing cards.)

Each of my siblings families are receiving (or have already) a basket of goodies. Included in these goodies are: a holiday snack mix, pretzel rods that are half dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles, cherry chip cake dippers, mint thins (a faux Thin Mint), a decorated plate (purchased at Goodwill and then decorated by me), a lovely wooden Christmas ornament (purchased at the craft show I was just at a couple weeks ago), a mini loaf of bread (either pumpkin or lemon poppy seed), a set of four photo note cards with envelopes, two jumbo cupcakes with frosting (both from scratch) in the style of the Fat Daddy Bake Shop on Etsy -- all put into a bushel basket that I got 40% off at Michaels.

Whew!

Let me tell you -- the baskets are full. (Oh...and the plates did not fit inside the baskets.) We are also giving these baskets to a few other friends and relatives as well. These are best put together in groups. For instance, I just did up five of them for a Christmas celebration that we did at Thankgiving.

I have been so pleased with the reactions I have gotten already to all of the consumable gifts this year (since, as I said, we have already celebrated Christmas with one portion of my family this past week). But, really -- I just love that I think people know that I have put a lot of love and thought into their gifts. And, to me, that is one of the best parts of gift giving!

Photo by Manassas Cakery