Homemade Christmas gifts - good or bad?

Trixie Say as you're getting older your tastes seem to be changing and you find you really are loving the jams. Say you look forward to the jam as a delicious and delightful treat - but you are slowly finding you are using less and less chutney. Ask her if she would like a couple of chutneys back as "you will probably enjoy it more these days".

Alternatively you can post me the chutney and I'll send you the jams!!!

Sorry, BlueBelle you have already suggested this.

namo

Every Christmas for a few years now I’ve made Italian Panforte cakes for my two adult children. I’m not a cook but they always tell me after Christmas how much they enjoy them. So I believe them. I know it must be true from the howl of indignation when I said I wouldn’t do them this year!

Do you have a good recipe (and any tips) for this please?

JackyB

Who dug this one up?

A spammer who forgot to put a link 😁

Nanabilly

I have knitted a few scarves as gifts but I always but really nice wool to make them with not cheap scratchy polyester stuff. They have always gone down well and are worn often.
I have also made a family member a very special scrapbook for their ruby wedding anniversary and they told me that they often sit and look through it and everyone who visits them goes through it . It took me hours and hours of my time and lots of money to make it but the best part was in the making of it and spending time with them sorting through their photos and reliving the moments with them to write into the scrapbook.
The male of the couple has since passed away and the family took parts of the scrapbook to the funeral for people to look through at the same . It has become a real family heirloom .
I used to make greetings cards and some people loved them and some people looked at them and I could tell what they were thinking.

I used to visit a peace community in the South of France where all the members had vowed to live simply and sustainably. Each year 2 months before Christmas they would all put their names in a a box and take one out. Then make a hand made gift for the person they had chosen. It might have been a hand woven blanket, or a wooden carved candlestick with a copper inlay or maybe a handprinted book. All of these I saw in their rooms. They lived very simply but with a few beautiful objects made specially for them.. made with them in mind..

I make jams, chutney, spice blends and I also paint.

My sign is below blue tape.

Not keen on homemade gifts of any description. Luckily I'm unlikely to be given any!

Trixi

For the past three years my daughter has given me a hamper made up mainly of various home made chutneys and a few jams. I have never liked chutney and dont know how to tell her, so gradually throughout the year I throw them away one by one. I can't imagine she makes them herself, she's not a kitcheny person. How can I let her know kindly?

Throw them away! Please send to us - we will reimburse postage

Which recipe do you use? I love them but they seem so difficult to make?

Regarding food hygiene, I once hired some extra cutlery from a local catering company for a party. I was glad that I hadn't ordered food from them because when I collected the cutlery the cat was wandering on the kitchen table near the cooling sausage rolls !!

Hope you ladies who are squeamish about homemade food never ever eat in restaurants cafes hotels and never ever have a takeaway

BlueBelle

Hope you ladies who are squeamish about homemade food never ever eat in restaurants cafes hotels and never ever have a takeaway

Restaurants etc have a hygiene rating, a reputation for upholding and staff members that could comment on poor hygiene practices.

You have no idea if someone at home has a filthy kitchen and never washes their hands. that is the difference.

We made cheese straws, by the 1000s, for Christmas gifts.

Seem to go down well, people love receiving our cheese straws.

My daughter makes lovely fudge, which is always welcome at Christmas.

As a knitter, I see the other side of the coin though. 'People' (yes, I'm looking at you, sister ) have been known to ask me to make them an aran or fair isle jumper as a gift, not realising that the ones I wear could easily have cost upwards of £100 for the yarn, plus hours of work. They seem to think that yarn is free, and that as I spend a lot of time knitting it's not a chore - well, it is unless I am knitting something I want to knit, and preferably that I want to wear.

A few years ago my daughter asked for an adult-sized mermaid's tail blanket with glitter yarn knitted in 😩. I did it as I love her, but there is nobody else (son not being a mermaid tail fan) who has a hope of getting one. I've been asked to make fair isle socks, Christmas jumpers that would take weeks to make and be worn once, toys of various descriptions and bespoke items galore. I'm very good at saying no, or offering to teach the asker how to knit.

Personally, I'm happy with handmade items. If it's a pasta collage made by a child I will stick it on the fridge with a magnet, rather than frame it and hang it in the sitting room, but it's the thought that counts.

Theexwife

BlueBelle

Hope you ladies who are squeamish about homemade food never ever eat in restaurants cafes hotels and never ever have a takeaway

Restaurants etc have a hygiene rating, a reputation for upholding and staff members that could comment on poor hygiene practices.

You have no idea if someone at home has a filthy kitchen and never washes their hands. that is the difference.

You're very trusting of eating establishments. Theexwife!

I've got a box where Christmas, birthday and Mothering Sunday presents made by grandchildren are stored, along with special cards, programmes from school plays etc.
It's quite a large box and probably needs a good sort out.

One Mothering Sunday present made by a very young DGD hangs in the kitchen; she was insistent she knew exactly how to spell my name - she didn't and I love it, it makes me smile.

I love homemade gifts if they are made with me in mind - I hate it when people get hooked on making things and then just distribute them. Some things I get given I wouldn't buy in a million years, have no use for and they just become more clutter - children's gifts excepted of course.

Edible gifts I usually like - I don't think anyone I know is unhygienic enough to put me off.

Doodledog

My daughter makes lovely fudge, which is always welcome at Christmas.

As a knitter, I see the other side of the coin though. 'People' (yes, I'm looking at you, sister ) have been known to ask me to make them an aran or fair isle jumper as a gift, not realising that the ones I wear could easily have cost upwards of £100 for the yarn, plus hours of work. They seem to think that yarn is free, and that as I spend a lot of time knitting it's not a chore - well, it is unless I am knitting something I want to knit, and preferably that I want to wear.

A few years ago my daughter asked for an adult-sized mermaid's tail blanket with glitter yarn knitted in 😩. I did it as I love her, but there is nobody else (son not being a mermaid tail fan) who has a hope of getting one. I've been asked to make fair isle socks, Christmas jumpers that would take weeks to make and be worn once, toys of various descriptions and bespoke items galore. I'm very good at saying no, or offering to teach the asker how to knit.

Personally, I'm happy with handmade items. If it's a pasta collage made by a child I will stick it on the fridge with a magnet, rather than frame it and hang it in the sitting room, but it's the thought that counts.

After I'd made cot quilts for her 2 grandchildren, my cousin asked me to make patchwork quilts when they graduated into beds. The fabric, batting and thread was nearly £100. 30 hours at the machine to make each one? I can't remember, I think I've blocked it out.
But thanks to this experience I have a prepared response now when asked!
I feel your pain doodledog

Chardy

Doodledog

My daughter makes lovely fudge, which is always welcome at Christmas.

As a knitter, I see the other side of the coin though. 'People' (yes, I'm looking at you, sister ) have been known to ask me to make them an aran or fair isle jumper as a gift, not realising that the ones I wear could easily have cost upwards of £100 for the yarn, plus hours of work. They seem to think that yarn is free, and that as I spend a lot of time knitting it's not a chore - well, it is unless I am knitting something I want to knit, and preferably that I want to wear.

A few years ago my daughter asked for an adult-sized mermaid's tail blanket with glitter yarn knitted in 😩. I did it as I love her, but there is nobody else (son not being a mermaid tail fan) who has a hope of getting one. I've been asked to make fair isle socks, Christmas jumpers that would take weeks to make and be worn once, toys of various descriptions and bespoke items galore. I'm very good at saying no, or offering to teach the asker how to knit.

Personally, I'm happy with handmade items. If it's a pasta collage made by a child I will stick it on the fridge with a magnet, rather than frame it and hang it in the sitting room, but it's the thought that counts.

After I'd made cot quilts for her 2 grandchildren, my cousin asked me to make patchwork quilts when they graduated into beds. The fabric, batting and thread was nearly £100. 30 hours at the machine to make each one? I can't remember, I think I've blocked it out.
But thanks to this experience I have a prepared response now when asked!
I feel your pain doodledog

People have no idea do they? A woman asked me to crochet 2 white baby shawls. I explained that I don’t really like doing 2 of anything. She pestered and said she would pay me for making them and asked me to buy the yarn and she would settle up.

A few weeks later they were done and I took them to her with the receipt for the yarn. That was something like £12.50 so she gave me £13 and very generously said I could keep the change!!! so i earned 50p for a couple of weeks work. 😢

My MiL always insisted on making us a Christmas cake. I hate the stuff, but DH would get through a bit of it, but then I’d throw the rest out for the birds.
I can still see her face, when DD1 told her of its fate! I spent ages explaining it was just the end of the cake, not the whole one.

Home knits and food offerings are for and from family only.

For friends I sometimes pot up some bulbs, usually paperwhites for growing indoors and they have been well-received.

Of course anything produced by GCn is beyond price and is shown to be treasured.

Norah your painting is lovely!

Redhead56

Norah your painting is lovely!

It is! I missed that somehow. I can't draw stick men that look recognisable, so I am always impressed by artistic talent.

Norah

I make jams, chutney, spice blends and I also paint.

My sign is below blue tape.

Lovely painting, Norah

Chardy

Doodledog

My daughter makes lovely fudge, which is always welcome at Christmas.

As a knitter, I see the other side of the coin though. 'People' (yes, I'm looking at you, sister ) have been known to ask me to make them an aran or fair isle jumper as a gift, not realising that the ones I wear could easily have cost upwards of £100 for the yarn, plus hours of work. They seem to think that yarn is free, and that as I spend a lot of time knitting it's not a chore - well, it is unless I am knitting something I want to knit, and preferably that I want to wear.

A few years ago my daughter asked for an adult-sized mermaid's tail blanket with glitter yarn knitted in 😩. I did it as I love her, but there is nobody else (son not being a mermaid tail fan) who has a hope of getting one. I've been asked to make fair isle socks, Christmas jumpers that would take weeks to make and be worn once, toys of various descriptions and bespoke items galore. I'm very good at saying no, or offering to teach the asker how to knit.

Personally, I'm happy with handmade items. If it's a pasta collage made by a child I will stick it on the fridge with a magnet, rather than frame it and hang it in the sitting room, but it's the thought that counts.

After I'd made cot quilts for her 2 grandchildren, my cousin asked me to make patchwork quilts when they graduated into beds. The fabric, batting and thread was nearly £100. 30 hours at the machine to make each one? I can't remember, I think I've blocked it out.
But thanks to this experience I have a prepared response now when asked!
I feel your pain doodledog

A friend asked me to make her a crochet blanket because she admired the ones I've made. She wanted it for her dog!