In my family, Christmas gift baskets are a tradition. You see, when I was growing up we didn't have a lot of money. We did, however, have a lot of relatives. That meant a lot of Christmas gifts to send out each year. Finding the right Christmas gifts on a limited budget can be expensive. Forget about buying all the cousins toy soldiers like they wanted. Forget about buying aunt Berta the new sweater that you were meaning to get her. The only thing we could really put together on a limited budget was Christmas gift baskets.
If there is one thing you can say for my family, it is that we always did the best with what we had. Every Christmas gift basket was a work of art. We would, of course, include small bits of gourmet food. My grandmother loved to make preserves, and this was always one of the central ingredients of every Christmas gift basket. We would include pieces of cheese from my father's pasture, and a little but of sausage if we could afford it. Besides that, of course, there were candies for the children. They were all wrapped in brightly colored paper and tinsel, perfect for the holidays.
Christmas gift baskets are half about what is inside and half about what is outside. We would do an amazing job wrapping those things up. What we did not have in money, we made up for with time and care. We would use bows, ribbons, streamers, and anything else we could find around. We would also make great Christmas cards and send them out to all the relatives. No one was ever disappointed with our Christmas gift baskets.
As a matter of fact, more often than not, we received compliments on them. People really love getting a personal, handmade gift. I can't emphasize this enough. It is nice to get something useful and practical, and it is even better to get something indulgent and whimsical, but getting something that someone you care about spent a lot of time making is unbelievable. It really makes a nice gesture and they will know how much effort you put into it. It might take a while, and the first attempt does not always come out well, but keep at it. Christmas gift baskets or any other handmade gifts are definitely worth it. You will save a few bucks, and give a gift that will be cherished.
3/12/2015
News