Weekly Dish

I love to give gifts. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I also love to receive them, which is true. But during the holidays, the pure delight for me comes from making my list of what to give and trying to think of creative ways to tell people in my life how much they mean to me. Some people might be inclined to think that being on a limited budget would take some of the fun out of gifting. True, I would love to not have to think about money when I decide what to get, but at the same time, there’s something to be said for the inventiveness required to give thoughtful gifts on a student budget.

Maybe it’s because I enjoy a good challenge, but I love it when I think of ways to give thoughtfully without breaking the bank. One of the easiest ways to do that, of course, is to make things. I used to think I was a craftsy person—and I do still have those impulses—but I’m happier in the kitchen than with a glue gun. I am great on the ideas part of crafts, but not so good on the follow-through. Even as a teenager, I would spend my babysitting money on craft supplies, and then get half-way into the project and tire of it. Maybe I’m not patient enough. Or maybe I like the immediate gratification of cooking—no month-long projects for me.

This season, as I thought of what I could make that would provide some homemade goodies for people in my life, I also wanted to consider buying from my local farmers and making the most of what is in season here. The oranges and Meyer lemons from the market have been a weekly staple at our house since they first appeared in November, so they seemed a logical choice. Then, when my sweet Aunt Prissy brought me the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook and I turned to the marmalade recipe, I knew at least one gift item that would come through my kitchen. I have not canned before, which made me a little nervous, but the process went pretty smoothly, and as you can see from the picture, the marmalade is lovely in its tiny glass jars. I made little pound cakes to give with the marmalade — a yummy holiday breakfast or tea combination.

Packaging is where my craftsy insticts kick in: if I’m going to the trouble of making homemade gifts, then I want to make extra sure that they are packaged well. The tiny jars of marmalade received a striped gross-grain ribbon (part of a surprise gift from a lovely friend) and a colorful tag, and each jar nests inside a Chinese take-out container with a tightly wrapped and ribboned cake. Seal the outside of the box with a festive card and tie on a cute spreader for the marmalade, and I am one happy gift-giver.

I feel a little like I’ve packaged up part of myself in each little box. And who wouldn’t want to open that on Christmas morning?

Posted: Tuesday, December 19th, 2006 at 6:33 pm Filed under: Miscellaneous Musings, Holidays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.