First of all, perhaps this scary economy is a time for a whole-family discussion on cutting back this holiday season–something that probably everybody (except the kids) would welcome in any case.
Suggestions?
Pool resources: if the dinosaur of a television set in Grandma’s bedroom has finally crossed the line to extinction, perhaps everyone can chip in whatever they can afford to replace it.
Maybe make a change to having each adult draw a single name for gift-giving each year from now on (this is more fun in a larger group–in small families, you can end up pulling the same name 5 years in a row, unless you pick a name the first year and simply rotate in years to come) or setting an affordable limit on the amount that can be spent per person.
Re-visit the message that it really SHOULD be the thought that counts, something everyone has heard before, but routinely ignores. The idea is to lower expectations–not to be a wet blanket, but to (1) keep in step with current realities and (2) to level the playing the field for, perhaps, someone in your family who has lost a job or a good-sized chunk of their retirement and is dreading the holidays because they feel they can’t fully participate. Some families switch over to only giving gifts to kids under 12. Some families try a “homemade-gifts-only” policy every few years–although this needs to be started a reasonable period in advance to allow sufficient time to create gifts that show your affection through your effort instead of those that will be exclaimed over and then slipped quietly into the trash. Young children might be told that because there are more and more children every year, Santa only has room in his sleigh to carry one or two gifts for each child. To de-commercialize holiday gift-giving, we all need to lower the expectation bar–but in a positive way.
Ideas (some old, some new) for homemade gifting (these are not all “almost free”, but allow for more gift for the reduced dollars you will be spending, while adding something of yourself to make them special):
From the kitchen:
Rum balls and/or bourbon balls. Very old-fashioned holiday treats that you just don’t get everyday. These can be purchased from gourmet shops, but cost a fortune for a very few. (Good choice for men.) They can also be made with a favorite liqueur, either using the chocolate fudge cake mix as shown, or a yellow pudding-style mix.
RUM BALLS
1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix, baked per instructions in 9” X 13” pan and cooled 1 Tbsp. rum or rum flavoring–or to taste (or substitute bourbon or a favorite liqueur) 2 cups powdered sugar + additional for garnish 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (Optional: 3 cups finely chopped soft nuts such as walnuts or pecans)
Crumble cake into large bowl and stir (with a fork–don’t mash) until crumbs are small. Add Rum or rum flavoring (or other liquor), powdered sugar, cocoa (and 2 cups nuts, if desired) and stir until all is well mixed.
Shape generously-rounded tablespoons of the mixture into balls; finish by rolling in powdered sugar or in one cup of finely chopped nuts (roll firmly in hands after rolling in nuts to be sure the nuts are sufficiently imbedded to stay.)
Makes 5-6 dozen. These are best stored, tightly sealed, for a few days before serving or giving.
A variation on this theme is a fancy-shaped bundt cake flavored with rum, bourbon or liqueur, then drenched with a glaze of the same liquor. If you don’t have a bundt pan, a ring pan works, or 2 small loaf pans that will give you a simple pound cake shape.
HOLIDAY SPIRITS CAKE
- 1 cup finely-chopped pecans (may be omitted)
- 1 yellow cake mix with pudding in mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup cooking oil
- 1/2 cup dark rum, bourbon or liqueur
Heat oven to 325°; spray pan(s) with Pam-type spray. If adding nuts, sprinkle in bottom of pan(s). Mix cake ingredients, above, and beat 2 mins. at medium speed. Pour batter into pan(s). Bake 1 hour for bundt pan; for smaller loaf pans, check with toothpick at 30 mins., then every few minutes until the cakes test done. Cool 10 minutes after removing from pan(s); invert on serving plate (if giving away, use several red plastic Dixie disposable plates for stability). Make glaze:
Glaze:
Melt butter in saucepan, add water and sugar, stirring constantly; gently boil 5 minutes; remove from heat and stir in alcohol.
Prick top of cake with tines of fork; spoon and/or brush glaze evenly over top, until all of glaze is absorbed.
At this time of year, many grocery stores carry extra-wide plastic wrap with holiday prints (if you don’t find it, tear off two 2-foot pieces of wrap, overlapping side by side and scotch-tape them together. After glaze has cooled, set plate in center of wrap, then bring it up, gathering at top above center of cake, and tie with curling ribbon.
Festive Gourmet Pretzel Sticks
Dip thick (3/4” diameter) pretzel sticks (about 7” long) in melted white, dark, or milk chocolate, leaving 2” at bottom to hang onto, then quickly roll in holiday-colored sprinkles, very finely-chopped pieces of candy-cane, chopped almonds, etc. These look fabulous and high-end whether served at home or as part of a goody-tray gift.
Chocolate-dipped plastic spoons: (Don’t settle for floppy white plastic from the grocery store; stop by a party store for more gift-worthy gold or silver.) Dip spoon-part only into dark or milk chocolate, allowing the spoon “basin” to be mostly-filled with chocolate; these classy little luxuries turn a home-brewed cup of drip coffee into a mocha-flavored treat. (White chocolate also gives a boost to cup of hot chocolate, as well.) When completely dry (perhaps the next day), wrap 3 together with a square of plastic wrap & tie with inexpensive curling ribbon, curling the ends. If these are going with cookies or other baked goodies in a tin or on a wrapped tray, they can be left unwrapped, but bundling them by 3’s & tying with ribbon is still a nice presentation. Or a bundle of these in a personalized photo mug is a nice gift for an aunt or coffee-loving friend. Be sure to store well away from any source of heat that will make the spoons stick together.
“Atomic” vodka or tequila: Cut 2 whole jalapeño and 1/4 of one orange-colored habanero peppers into strips, and slip (including their seeds) into a “fifth”-size bottle (can also be made in pints–obviously half the peppers for the smaller bottle,) and let it sit for a minimum of 2 weeks, sealed tightly. Create your own labels (“Sarah’s Flames-of-Hell Vodka,” etc.) and re-label; use as gifts for spicy-food lovers or to make killer Bloody Mary’s for a New Year’s brunch.
Candles: even children (carefully-supervised) can participate in this, and supplies (wax, wicks & fragrances) are available at most craft stores. Pick up odd glasses with holiday designs, or pretty cup-and-saucer combinations (or punch cups!) at thrift stores. Use wax in holiday colors for glass containers (if adding fragrance, choose pine, bayberry or spice); for cups, choose ivory or a “café-au-lait” coloring, with a spice scent for ivory and a coffee fragrance for the mocha color. Adding a light sprinkle of real nutmeg onto the top of the ivory wax just as the wax begins to set (so it adheres) gives it a festive, realistic “eggnog” look. If you run across punch cups at the thrift store, three of these “eggnogs” on a small tray makes a lovely little holiday display, either as a gift or for your own home.
Children love color, and love to make candles layered in numerous colors. These can be in jars or poured into clear-plastic beverage glasses (leave a 1”-long piece of wick at the bottom of the glass); when completely cooled, an adult can cut away the clear plastic. Invert the candle, pull the wick up and trim.
Other homemade gifts:
Pillows! For surprisingly little, a boring room can be brightened up or mix-and-match décor pulled together with a pair of coordinating sofa pillows (about 20” square), trimmed with abundant fringe or elegant cording. Beautiful home décor fabrics are available at every fabric store, although they can be quite pricey per yard. Some stores have remnant tables offering reduced prices on smaller pieces of fabric. Remember, only 21” (including seam allowances) makes a couch-sized pair of pillows. Also, the backs of the pillows can be cut from a piece of inexpensive but sturdy fabric in a neutral color, requiring only half the amount of the premium décor fabric, only on the fronts. Although you can stuff your own pillows, for couch pillows, which get leaned on squashed quite regularly, it’s better to go with a more sturdy prefabricated pillow forms sold in fabric shops than to stuff the pillows yourself. Also, since couch pillows do sometimes get heads lain on them for afternoon naps and snacked over during The Big Game, it’s not a bad idea to give the faces of the pillows a couple of coats of Scotchgard, to enable them to be spot-cleaned later. For someone with a smaller space, a table runner of the same fabric can give a lot of fresh style for a little money.
A bedroom can take a “boudoir” turn with a collection of fancy smaller pillows. Bedroom pillows (14” square or round) can be made of satins and laces, which are not that expensive, especially in smaller amounts. The pillows can be made with pillow forms, or stuffed with fiberfill (also available at fabric stores)–be sure to press fiberfill well into corners, overfill slightly, and evenly pack the filling so it isn’t lumpy. Trim bedroom pillows with ribbons, ruffles, and gathered lace. As for kids’ bedrooms, there are prints for pillow that should brighten up or add a theme to any child’s room.
Cozy fleece scarves: while you’re in the fabric store, you’ll likely find a huge assortment of fleeces in all kinds of colors and prints. The fabric is 60” wide–so only 1/4 of a yard will make a warm, cozy scarf. All you do is trim a 9”-wide strip nicely along the sides for an adult scarf so there are no irregular edges (perhaps 7” wide for a child–if a small child, you may also want to cut the length down from 60"); then, cut 3-1/2”-long “fringe” at each end with very sharp scissors, about 1/2-inch wide for each cut. Plain colors or a subtle plaid (there ARE some!) are nice for men or women; the many novelty prints are great for kids. There’s no sewing, and they make great small gifts or stocking stuffers. Or buy a coordinating hat and/or gloves and make it a set.
Do you knit or crochet? Have you ladies enjoyed a relatively inexpensive pair of socks made of heavenly-soft fuzzy fleece, usually in bright colors? Just a little treat for your feet, warm and snuggly but not as much as a slipper on a chilly evening. Well, they don’t make ‘em in men’s sizes. But if you Google “men’s crochet slippers” you’ll find a free pattern courtesy of Beverly Qualheim of Bev’s Country Cottage for very quick, easy crochet slippers that can be up-sized for men–and I think if you knit instead of crochet, they’re so simple that it would be easy to look at the single-piece design and convert. So with a skein of the same snuggly yarn, the guys could de-draft their feet, too. These would be great for after-ski!
Are you, or is someone in your family, an audiophile, with an expansive music collection? Burn CD’s customized to the recipient’s tastes for small gifts or stocking-stuffers. Did you work hard on a CD for your wedding, or someone else’s? Did they get compliments on the music? The couple’s friends and family might enjoy a CD of their wedding music.
Was someone in your family married this year, or a special anniversary celebrated? A nicely-framed wedding photo–of the couple or a family group–makes a lovely gift for relatives. For grandparents, perhaps an 8” X 10” enlargement that’s easy to see and/or a small, hand-done album with the photos you know they’d like best. Other photo gifts (mugs, calendars, etc.) are available at Costco’s online photo center–Shutterfly and Kodak have similar offerings.
*There are so many beautiful china patterns. You may have the odd, one-of-a-kind saucer, bread-and-butter or salad plate, or find them for next to nothing at thrift stores, since they don’t match anything. But glue them atop a clear-glass or crystal candlestick from the dollar store, Walmart, Target, or Ross, then glue beaded fringe (at fabric/craft stores) in delicate colors to complement the design of the china, around the edge of the dish: instant “vintage-chic” footed serving dish for cookies, candy, a couple of cupcakes or a particularly lush bunch of grapes.
Which brings up another of life’s small pleasures–a “green” concept of giving magazine subscriptions to a small group of friends/relatives, and rotating them among you–moderate cost, providing savings to each of you over buying a selection of magazines each week or month, and LESS PAPER! You might establish a tradition of meeting once a month over coffee to swap–like a book-of-the-month club for those of us who like their ‘literature’ with pictures. One rule: if you want to keep an article, scan it or copy it rather than cutting it out, so everybody gets a chance to read everything.
Know any red-hat ladies? For a fancy hat-stand for her special hat, seek out small, fancy lamps at thrift shops. Remove the “harp” (if any) for the lampshade; unscrew the nut at the bottom, remove the electric cording, and reassemble. Purchase a 5” styrofoam half-sphere (or you may have to buy a ball and cut in half.) Using a paring knife, cut a 1-1/2”-deep hole in the center of the flat side of the styrofoan, a bit larger in diameter than the socket that held the lightbulb. Wrap the styrofoam in satiny cloth, gathering on the underside into hole, glueing in place with craft glue such as Aleene’s. Add another layer of craft glue over the top of the fabric inside the hole, and fit onto the (empty) lightbulb socket. Will need to dry for a day or two for a strong bond.
Coupon books! Give the gift of YOU. Use the remnants of patterned scrapbooking paper (you don’t scrapbook? Buy a few colorful sheets!), cut into 3” X 4” (or whatever works) rectangles with pinking shears on the outside edges to make a festive presentation; hole-punch in one corner. On plain paper, print (by hand or computer) coupons for services you can provide that may be more valuable than you think–babysitting, taking kids to the zoo or a movie, lawn-mowing, leaf-raking, weed-pulling, hedge-trimming, dog-walking, snow-shoveling, outdoor or unreachable lightbulb-changing or dusting the high chandelier with 219 crystal hangy-dangies, gutter cleaning, housework, laundry, dinner-cooking, mending or simple sewing projects like sewing on buttons or shortening a skirt or pants–things that can be a godsend to new parents, busy working moms, and older relatives that you really don’t ever want to see perched on the edge of that roof again. In places where snow is only occasional (and therefore as an emergency), a coupon for rides to work on snowy days. If you have a cabin or timeshare, a coupon for its use. More personally, couples might give coupons for a candle-lit dinner, backrub, foot rub, uninterrupted child-free time for a bubblebath or hobby activity, uncomplaining accompaniment to a movie that the gift-giver does not want to see, a batch of favorite cookies, Movie Night (at home) Every Wednesday, etc. Cut the printed coupons slightly smaller than the scrapbooking paper, and paste with a gluestick to the colorful scrapbook backings, then tie with a ribbon threaded through the punched holes. (BUT BE PREPARED TO CHEERFULLY HONOR THE COUPONS YOU GIVE.)
Don’t forget movie DVD’s. So many people have their favorites sitting in VHS format on their shelves, deteriorating because they don’t want to go out and replace them all at once. If you could find out a particular favorite, you could help get them started.
Hope there was an idea or two that you might find useful, and that might help make the holidays less about the mall and more about the togetherness. 12.01.09
