I pride myself in usually shopping early and having all my presents wrapped and ready for Christmas gift giving. For some reason this year, I am at a loss. I have not purchased a single gift and I have no clue what I would shop for if I even ventured walking into a mall, searching on-line or even browsing through a something for everyone type store like Costco.
This post has nothing to do with food other than my attempt to stimulate my creativity. In these times of so much need and charity, one would think maybe giving a donation in the name of a loved one would suffice. I would donate anyway, so saying a donation is in lieu of a gift wasn't (isn't) very safisfying to me.
I'm the only foodie in the family, so something for the kitchen won't work. Cash works for some and gift certificates for others. Ties, underwear, socks bath and body sprays, perfumes, gels or lotions are so blase and who doesn't have umpteen bottles of unopened shower gel already? Jewlry works for a few more, but what piece haven't I already given over the years?
Clothing? Then you have to worry about the size. I don't want to be responsible for anyone having to wait in the department store return lines after Christmas. Electronic gadgets? What doesn't any of my recipients already have?
I watched those QVC and the Home Shoping Network programs hoping for some ideas. Nothing was convincing even with easy pay.
Eleven more days til Christmas. This weekend I think I'm going to be one of those last minute shoppers hoping for the right gifts to land in my shopping cart. Happy Holidays!
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2 comments:
Being the only foodie isn't such a big deal...but instead of going away from what you know, why not meet them halfway?
-The Shirley Corriher book "Cookwise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed" is pretty good. Food from a more scientific angle. Talks about the chemistry of why certain recipes work, and might be good for the family academic/nerd/geek/whatever.
-Kitchen gagetry is probably a poor choice, as many tend to be unitaskers, but there are certain fundamentals that even the non-foodies might appreciate. A butcher's block cutting board. A functional but unique tea kettle. A set of kitchen shears.
-A number of smaller breweries sell memberships to their "Beer of the Month" clubs. Good to expand the horizons of the family drunk.
-Something personalized. Make 'em an apron (a few bucks in cloth, a pretty simple pattern, and a few hours to put it together. There's even copius craft blogs and communities that would even take pity on a last minute "Need Help!" request.) On that note, a nice windowsill planter pre-stocked with a selection of live food-friendly plants: Garlic Chives, Mint, Sage, Oregano, etc. Maybe print up a primer with some cooking ideas to include with it. Somewhere along the line, highly personalized gifts go from "Lookie! I made it at school! I'm oh-so-cute, so you have to pretend to like it!" to "Oh, so you're cheap" to "Damn them, they always have the thoughtful, heartfelt gift!" The trick is to get to that last phase. Release your inner Martha. (and no, I don't mean egotistical perfectionist capitalist..er..um....witch)
A few thoughts, anyhow. The comments page was looking sparse. None of these should involve a huge amount of effort or cost on their own.
-transiit
Transiit, you have some good ideas. I really like the personal cooking primer idea. That way I can put together all our holiday recipes with pictures for our own family cook book. Great idea. thank you.
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