A present is something given to show friendship and affection.
Sounds simple!
Then why, come Christmas season, does the selection of gifts for people who are important to us bring confusion, throwing us into the familiar "this or that" dilemma? If our budget is tight, why are we willing to ignore the fact "just because it's Christmas?"
Some folks tackle gift selection with a no-nonsense attitude. They are the fortunate. The majority of us sink into a quandary, trekking along store isles searching out the "perfect gift." If we find ourselves in this state of mind, the following tidbits might spark some ideas for gift lists this year.
Whether operating on a limited budget or simply trying to avoid the customary, gifts can mean a million but actually cost only a few dollars.
Kids leaving the nest for college or jobs? Copy recipes that are personal family favorites. "Aunt Gussie's Walnut Honey Brownies," "Grandma's Quick Stickies," or "Mom's Microwave Fudge" on recipe cards can be bound together in colored ribbon and used as stocking stuffers. Raid a family photo album and paste pictures of relatives on the back of their recipe, laminating them when finished.
Pictures make a wonderful gift if presented with a bit of imagination. Use snapshots taken within the past year, place in a photo frame, and enclose a brief note to let the recipient know the memory of July 4 is still special. Dig out a picture of your grown children when they were the age their children are now, add the postscript, "Remember when..." Search for snaps of "the folks" in front of their first Packard at a long ago Saturday night dance or during the war years. Select a frame appropriate to the era and be prepared for a moment of silence when the "keeper" is unwrapped.
Recycle relics of the past, but be forewarned that timing is of the essence. Great-grandma's old cookbook published by a baking powder company during the rationing era of World War II is an item any cook would enjoy reading to compare baking techniques. My book is a special keepsake, given to me by my aunt from the era of my first memories of visiting their home in California in the early 1950s. Heirlooms are often the most appreciated gifts under the tree.
Made-to-order signs or sayings are always popular. Computers make all sorts of things possible! Take advantage of the fonts available and select a type style to create a mood for messages of sentiment or comic relief. Paper stock can add the customized look for these gifts (parchment for accomplishment or quotes to live by, neon for the teen with an always-cluttered room.) Paper is available by the sheet for pennies at a variety of stores.
A "turn-about" present can be the gift that keeps on giving. Is there a budding writer in the family? Select a decorative journal with blank pages and request poetry or fiction as a return gift next Christmas! Genealogy buffs might enjoy outlining the family tree or writing about a historic moment of family history.
Care packages containing a variety of teas or coffees with a special mug, homegrown popcorn or packaged, instant and microwave foods, or exotic canned goods will be a special treat.
Frozen gifts of sweets, homemade bread or soups will help ease the hectic winter routine for working families or provide an easy menu for the housebound elderly.
Kids gifts with everything they ever needed for doing nails, a blizzard kit for the college student's car, a supply of stamped envelopes and stationary to eliminate the writer's excuses. If you've discovered your grown kids forgot how to write when they left home, have a roll of address labels made for every member of the family, package with stamps and envelopes and you might be surprised what the mailman brings you.
Create a notebook for household hints. Clip magazine articles appropriate for the person's hobby and place inside page protectors. One thrifty, thoughtful woman clips daily crossword puzzles and word jumbles out of the newspaper, fastens them in a vinyl notebook for her sister to work during frequent air travel. A retired great-grandpa makes it his mission to clip magazine articles about dinosaurs for his second grade grandson. The project has closed the generation gap a bit and produced a common thread for them.
More time than money? Offering coupons or pledges requires no cash. Grandparents may offer promises to help their favorite Scouts earn badges. Young teens may offer to shovel sidewalks, rake leaves or chauffeur grandma to the grocery store.
Grandparents living on a fixed income, living close to the family, can be their grandkids' personal clipping service by clipping school activities, church projects and sports articles to assemble "a year in the life" scrapbook. Kids or their parents may not have the time, and besides, everyone likes to see their name in print!
It's later than you think! Time to get started with your Christmas ideas!
Happy holidays!