Everybody loves cookies! There is absolutely nothing tacky about that idea.
A lot of people are feeling the crunch this year, it might be worth trying to whittle your list if you’d like to. I’m betting you know a few people who’d be relieved at the prospect of only buying for kids, etc.
That gift basket sounds great (I love that stuff), and those potholders and aprons were inspired. I’d bet any amount of money that those are treasured items. Serious kudos on that one.
Your mom is crazy. And there’s nothing tackier than *bitching *about a gift.
I suggested “vacuum-packed ham and a few cans of asparagus” for my own Christmas list (not cheap, but cheaper than what my family has in mind and I’m going to buy it to bring back to Scotland any way) and my family majorly looked at me like I’d gone even more bananas than usual
I like home made gifts. My finacee and I are all about 'em! We go to great lengths to make each other something every year, even if it’s really silly. Last year I gave her an album of Depche Mode cover tunes… sung by me! (Duly note: I am not a singer. Really not. Plug your ears and run for the hills if I start because I’m really, really bad.)
I guy I used to build movie sets with works at a recording studio now, so he helped me lay down “vocal tracks” to karaoke mixes to create a reasonably polished “album” and package it up all pretty in shrinkwrap and everything to look like a real release.
Fianceephone was laughed so hard there were tears. It was totaly worth it.
Thanks for the opinions so far. I’m glad everyone here liked potholder idea, those took me forever since I had no pattern and wanted them small enough to fit 5 year old hands. The oven mitts kept coming out with oddly shaped thumbs.
I will still probably get the kids stuff for Christmas. There’s only 4 I have to buy for, and I was at the craft store the other days where I watched an older gentleman buy what I assume were 3 identical gifts for his grandchildren, spending less than $50. He got them crayons and markers and pencils and modelling clay and all sorts of art supplies. I wanted to tell him, I would have thought he was the coolest grandpa ever if he had bought me those things as a kid.
Now I gotta figure out what kind of cookies to make. Peppermint bark is definite, that is so easy and looks so pretty. Maybe snickerdoodles. Mmmmmmm…
My dad is impossible to buy for, and a few years ago, after finding a drawer full of stuff that we’d made when we were kids (popsicle stick ornaments and the such) and a conversation about how much he missed that sort of thing, I made him a construction paper macaroni art sign. Seriously. A big piece of red construction paper, covered in green, silver, and gold macaroni and glitter that said “I love my daddy” or something similar. He laughed all day, and afterward, he put it in a shadowbox and displayed it prominently in his store. He said that the ensuing conversations with customers were the best part.
“That’s adorable! Your kids made it?”
“My daughter.”
“How old is she?”
“32”
:eek:
One of my friends, both an artist and a very good cook, gave me a box of fudge and truffles one year; they were in a box that she had painted herself, complete with a “For meli” written in gold ink instead of a tag. I liked it so much that I kept the box. And the candy was delicious, especially to someone like me who never has the money to buy quality candy herself (and has no idea how to make it).
In summary, I’m all for the delicious baked goods. Not tacky to me.
Homemade gifts and little thoughtful boxes of knick-knacks from the dollar store are awesome. If someone you give those things to doesn’t like them then they just can’t be pleased!
There is no shame in giving whatever you can afford to give. Most folks understand that not everybody is in a position to spend much money. This year, I suspect lots of people will be scaling back Christmas plans anyway, due to the economy being in the crapper. Personally, I’d much rather get a box of cookies than another bottle of aftershave, or some other thing I don’t particularly want.
I had a relative that was in a similar situation while she was in grad school. She would take a mason jar, needlepoint an individualized picture or saying on the lid, fill the jar with hot chocolate mix, or candy, and give that. I looked forward to it every year. Now she sends aftershave and the like. I’d rather she revert to the mason jars o’goodness.
I make my aunt and uncle (brother and sister, not husband and wife) cookies, cupcakes, or bread every year and put them in a decorated bakery box. They always seem happy with that. Last year I gave them homemade cocoa mix in these cute little plaid tins along with the baked goods.
I don’t think homemade gifts are tacky at all and baked goods are a perfect gift for someone who has everything or is difficult to shop for.
I’ve made homemade gifts – walnut jewelry boxes for my wife and daughters-in-law – and I still have two sweathers my grandmother knitted for me for Christmases more than 30 years ago. There are few gifts more gratifying than one hand-crafted by the giver.
My stepmother makes jewelry, and I always get earrings. This year I’m giving my MIL and SILs salt and sugar scrubs. We’ve already drawn names (I got my younger SIL) so she’s the one I’ll spend the money limit on, but the salt and sugar scrubs are easy to make and I think they’ll like them.
Boy, I hope it’s not tacky to give homemade gifts. I give them all the time. In fact, I’m not sure my niece has ever gone through a gift-giving occasion without me sewing her something. If these gifts aren’t appreciated, my friends and family are some pretty convincing liars. Mom’s quite dedicated; she managed to eke out a few tears one year.
Something that is badly thought out, or not thought out at all, and/or badly made has the potential to be tacky whether it’s handmade or bought. But if you have some good recipes, or are confident in your ability to sew/knit/bead/paint/whatever, and have a good grasp on what the recipient will like, I say go for it.
I love getting homemade stuff, and I can’t imagine how someone could not only dislike it, but also be brazen enough to tell you that they thought it was tacky. When I was a kid my grandmother used to make little clothes for my dolls, and I loved that. It was way better than getting the same stuff that all the other kids had. I bet your nieces loved the stuff you made them.
A few years ago, when I was very broke, I made my parents a video of their lives. I dug through my Mom’s basement for hours, scanned all the photos I could find, and set a video to music detailing their relationship since they started dating. My Mom cried and cried and cried. She still brings it up, and still watches it sometimes. Total cost - $0. Total time spent - about 40-50 hours probably.
I love getting homemade stuff, especially food, and drink mixes. I’d never tasted “Russian tea” until a co-worker made some and gave it to me in a mason jar with a gingham ribbon around the top.
Last year my husband and I made candywreaths* for people. We bought the wreath frames at Michael’s, and got bags of mixed chewy candies and some bags of bubble gum at one of the Party Supply stores. They’re actually pretty easy to make, just time-consuming. But they look beautiful and everyone loved them! They really make a good impression.
By the way, they’re VERY expensive to buy online! These are much smaller, and use way less candy and lots of filler, and are $25+. At least these seem to be all candy, but look at how expensive they are – the tootsie roll one is almost $50! :eek: And they don’t give the sizes, but they look like the 9" ones, too, which are almost half the size of the ones we made. Making them yourself, you might spend about $10-12 each.
*Forgive the blurry pictures – I think I took them with my cell phone.
That’s my thought, too. I think your mom is missing the true meaning of Christmas, RedRoses. It sounds like she may be too bought into the “If you didn’t spend money, it isn’t worth anything” mentality. My family refuses to do homemade gifts because one sister (out of 11 people) is too busy to make something. Someday I’m gonna revolt against this.
A couple of Christmases ago, we got ahold of a bunch of ancient photographs my mom had, scanned them, cleaned them up digitally, then printed them out and framed them for her. I think she really liked them, and now I have digital copies of some very special pictures, too - like my mom as a teenager. (Isn’t she pretty? )
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