It’s now the beginning of December and I’m starting to think about Christmas boxes. For most people on my list, I recycle books I’ve read this year, and send homemade edible goodies — we’re all grownups, and we all have too much stuff, and my ideal Christmas is one where there isn’t much Stuff at the end of it.
I was watching Martha today, and her Miniature Golden Fruitcakes looked wonderful — I spent a semester in Ireland as an undergrad, and I loved English Christmas Cakes — heavy with fruit and booze with that snappy white hard frosting on them. I made a version last year, and people seemed to like them, so I’m thinking this year I’ll try this recipe I saw today.
But what else? I didn’t do a lot of canning this summer because most of our fruit crops failed … so cookies? cheese biscuits? another batch of paté?
What are you making for people for Christmas? Chime in in the comments …
Candied walnuts, sugar-glazed cranberries, vast amounts of assorted fudge (“creamsicle” with mini-chocolate chips is a favorite) , “Tiger Butter”, fig jam, fig conserve, fig catastrophe (do you sense a theme there? We had a *big* fig crop this Fall) chocolate-dipped bacon, Khalua balls, Sabra balls, Grand Marnier balls, various “mix in a jar” things, and an absolutely amazing tutu for the 3-year old on my list. That last one’s already done, but I sure need to get cracking on the rest of the list!
Tea towels! I bought several metres of tea-towelling (a nice linen and cotton blend) when a local fabric store was closing, and I’ve never done anything with it. Seems like a good year to haul it out and get hemming.
On the one hand, after a year of recession-induced cut-backs, there are quite a few items I’d like to buy — things my family needs that I can’t make. Like quality outdoor gear for my children. Clothes for my nephew. Or health insurance for my brother-in-law, for goodness sake…
On the other hand, after a year and a half of recession we are just barely able to pay our bills with our current income; to give at all generously we’d have to take it from our savings. So I am trying to come up with gifts that useful but that I can make inexpensively. Toys for my nephew are the easiest; and I dried a lot of spices this summer; but beyond that, I’m stumped!
I’m recycling books I liked (I *always* have too many books around the house). Jam, cookies, maybe those fruitcakes although, thank goodness, I sort of have too much work in December. I made spiced nuts last year that were a big hit, and were easy. I probably need to think of getting boxes together but deadlines loom …
Apricot brandy, reusable washable snack bags, dog cookies and drawstring bags. Found the directions for the drawstring bags on MaryJanes Farm website and the snack bags on Whipup.
Food. Cookies are one of our favorites to make and give. We have a number of special recipes for Christmas time.