LUCY BURDETTE: Here come the holidays, sprinting toward us again! For some of us, that means we need gift ideas, yikes! I almost always end up giving books, unless the recipient has made it clear this would be unwelcome. (Like one great nephew who opened his present a couple years back, burst into dramatic tears, and said “A book! That’s not a present!” We’re giving him a game this year LOL.) Of course we love to have our own books given as gifts, but this year I have several other suggestions.
The New York Times Book of Games is perfect for a wordsmith who doesn’t have all the time in the world. Next to that is a gorgeous book of poetry by women and girls by Ella Risberger. (Debs told us about this a couple months back and I immediately ordered it for our granddaughter. It’s so lovely!)
And two cookbooks–the newest by my Paris-loving idol, Dori Greenspan, and the Key West Woman’s Club cookbook for fans of history and Key West, which can now be purchased online.
HALLIE EPHRON: My yearly challenge is what to get for my grandchildren. Last year I knocked it out of the park with a personalized soccer ball light for my grandson who regularly scores goals for his soccer team. It comes from ETSY. So there’s a real person out there who makes them to order.
I’ve also found gorgeous silver (earrings) for my daughters on ETSY. (My fave: Liz Blanchflower at Stone and Sterling Design.)
And more. I like that there’s a real craftsperson who made the gifts. And if you read the customer reviews carefully you get a sense of whether the workmanship is up to snuff.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am so eager to hear what you all have to say! I have nothing, and need help. I saw some slippers (see photo attached) that look like you have monkeys climbing up your legs and was tempted. Because I am clearly scraping the bottom. I used to try incredibly hard to be perfect but there’s no way, so I gave up.
JENN MCKINLAY: When the Hooligans were youngsters, we implemented the four gift rule to mitigate the conspicuous consumption: So it’s something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read for the entire family (Hub and I included) and I really haven’t had to stress about gifts ever since. I await their lists and will shop and wrap in an afternoon and go back to cookie baking - the real holiday joy for me! The only other gift recipients are nieces and nephews and they get a Venmo transaction and we call it a day.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Shopping for my family is easy, because, like Jenn, we have protocols. Santa leaves cold weather necessities (lip balm, hand sanitizer and pocket-sized hand cream), candy, good socks, a book and something small and fun. Now they’re all grownups, everyone gets ONE gift from me beneath the tree. We all exchange Christmas wish lists right after Thanksgiving.
I have two suggestions for hostess/neighbor/I wasn’t expecting a gift from you needs. First, the Bed Bath and Beyond Fresh Balsam candle. I promise this isn’t sponsored; I love this candle SO much this time of the year. It smells just like fresh pine, and it lasts FOREVER.
The other is super cheap and easy. I get a few Christmas-themed mugs at a Dollar Store, a box of fancy Ghirardelli hot cocoa packets, and a box of candy canes. Each mug gets a few cocoa packets, a couple of candy canes, and voila, the perfect last-minute present. I usually tell the recipient it’s a cheap mug and they can recycle it in the new year - nothing to hang around cluttering your kitchen!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have two books for my granddaughter, the Ella Risbridger-edited volume of poems for women and girls, EVERYTHING WILL BE GLAD TO SEE YOU, which is, as Lucy says above, absolutely gorgeous. I think it is available for less and more quickly from Blackwell's in the UK than from Amazon. Blackwell's does not charge shipping to the US! And Jane Langton's THE DIAMOND IN THE WINDOW, as recommended by some of you here. I also may get Wren her first fountain pen. Lamy Safari now has Hogwarts pens, a different color and badge for each house. So cute!
My daughter will want a book, but she usually gives me a list to choose from.
Here's an idea for cooks in your life: Naomi After Cooking Hand Scrub, which was raved about in Bon Appetit and supposedly smells fabulous and will really, truly, get the smell of onions and garlic off your fingers. I ordered some to try, but if it is as good as advertised it may be too late to order as a gift for anyone else as it is apparently selling out. Bon Appetit recommended Bergamot and Pepper but there are other fragrances.
For the guys in my life, no idea. Hopefully they will have suggestions.
Weigh in please Reds, any gift suggestions from you?
I always ask for [and get] a wish list, so everyone is generally pleased with their gifts. At least one of the grandbabies will ask for LEGOs; one will ask for [and get] something that has to do with dinosaurs. So shopping is relatively simple and, like Jenn, I can get to the cooking-baking . . . .
ReplyDeletesounds like a good plan!
DeleteI just ordered matching flannel shirts for each son and spouse and granddaughter from LL Bean. Corny, but warm, and new flannel is so delicious to wear. Ida Rose is getting a boxed set of Beatrix Potter stories and a toy helicopter (that girl LOVES things that go) and a couple of kitchen implements for children (my d-i-l says they have a knife that cuts food but not fingers). And now I realize I'm overdue in asking the adults for lists!
ReplyDeleteLove the helicopter Edith!
DeleteIda Rose is a chip off her grandma's block! Vroom, vroom!
DeleteChristmas is easy. Everybody gets books. With the exception of my 13-year-old grandson, everyone is a great reader He is addicted (that's the correct word) to video games, television, and superhero movies but he will occasionally read graphic novels; so I managed to find a copy of the1967 paperback of THE AVENGERS BATTLE THE EARTH WRECKER by Otto Binder -- the first novel about the Marvel superheroes; I think he'll read it, and I hope he likes it -- if not, my philosophy is, "Suck it up, Buttercup!"
ReplyDeleteIn addition to books, my three granddaughters (all in their twenties) will be getting a pen holder that says, "Girls Who Don't Read Are Skanks." Their significant others are harder to buy for because I don't know them that well; that's where books by Edward Gorey come in handy because everyone deserves THE GASHLYCRUMB TINIES. The only ones who are not getting books are my son-in-law's parents, who are in their eighties and frail, and just moved down here so we can keep a better eye on them -- they will be getting gift cards for local restaurants.
I honestly think everyone will be getting something from me they will truly appreciate this year. The only person in the family who is really hard to buy for is me. I don't need anything and I don't want anything. Selecting gifts for other is my true Christmas present.
You've done such a good job Jerry--surely there's a book you need!
DeleteDeborah, You made my day! I'm a fountain pen geek, and have tried to "penable" some young people. Even though I don't need more pens, I couldn't resist buying yet another Lamy last week during a 5-hour layover in Frankfurt airport. I've seen the Hogwarts pens. The really great thing about fountain pens is all the different inks one can buy. And Lamy is a great choice because the nibs are easily changed out.
ReplyDeleteBeth, my granddaughter is almost ten and she loves my fountain pens so I thought it was about time for one of her own. I ordered it with purple ink cartridges and a converter so that she can use some of my inks if she wants.
DeleteGreat! For one of my niece's bat mitzvah I have her a purple Pilot Metro with purple ink, but I doubt she ever used it. (She had not expressed any interest in pens, so "my bad.") A few years ago I was telling a bar mitzvah boy that fountain pens were typically the gift quite a few decades ago. I asked if he was interested, and he said yes, so I gave him a bunch of my pens, a syringe, and a number of ink vials. Every once in a while I'll receive a note from him written with a pen. Share the love!
DeleteI also adopted the want-need-wear-read guideline several years ago and now I am down to read plus one of the other 3 which varies. Sometimes that is a gift card and sometimes it is cash. Sometimes it goes with the theme of the book. I’m behind schedule this year in choosing the books for everyone.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a present themed to the book!
DeleteI have made origami shirts, pants, and dresses with money.
DeleteMy family celebrates with a list of items they want, and we each select one gift off their list, so everyone has at least one present from family members under the tree. Then we do a Secret Santa with all invited guest to Christmas day and again a gift is used and this time you buy one gift for the name you have drawn.
ReplyDeleteSounds very reasonable Dru!
DeleteI have found over the years that giving Christmas gifts was just not my thing. Instead, I listen to folks and when I see something that says "Hank would love this!" I pick it up, stick it in a gift bag and give it to her the next time I see her. To me that says, 1) I was thinking of you, 2) I "see and hear" you and 3) this isn't something the season or a birthday requires me to do, it comes from the heart without expectation or strings attached, I just want to celebrate you and what you bring to the world. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have been known to make a significant donation to a local organization that helps those in need and explained to friends and family that it was done instead of giving individual gifts and it would help folks who needed it the most. -- Victoria
Deletethose are good ideas Victoria!
DeleteJulie and I already have all we need and most of what we want, so we don’t do much in the way of gifts for each other. We’ve both donated generously to Foodlink plus other food drives. And we’ve bought winter coats for another charitable drive, vary it each year but this time it’s all for kids, new stuff. I’ve already sent my children checks. Money is always the right color and fits, no matter the size. They like getting their Christmas presents at Thanksgiving, just in time to spend on Black Friday.
ReplyDeleteToday our tree comes down from the attic , along with the yearly conversation about whether we could shrink wrap it and tuck it away so we’d never have to decorate again. Won’t happen. Never does.
My greatest pleasure this time of year is buying presents for my two little great grandsons. Griffin also has a December birthday, and as Sam’s is in February, I end up sending their birthday gifts too. Most of that’s still a WIP although Sam is getting a Tonka dump truck that he could nap in if needed. I got Griffin the same one a couple years ago. He named it “My Dump truck” and even used it for his Easter basket. Obviously I can out do Santa when I try!
Next job is to make datenut bread for Julie’s family, using their mother’s recipe. I suspect by now that I’ve made enough changes in it that we could call it “Ann’s date bread.” I’ve been making it for twenty plus years now.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Festivus for the rest of us.
Love the dump trucks Ann! I bet our grandson would have loved that too
DeleteHonestly, the gift-giving thing has me just a bit sad these days. Our only son lives in Japan and we have not had good luck with shipping there, so are resigned to just making a deposit in his bank account. On Christmas my much older and not-well sister will join hubby and me for an exchange of gifts and a meal, but we are all at that stage of having all we need and pretty much all we want. So I need to come up with clever gift ideas for both of them and also for my sister to give to us. (As she has always been a big gift-giver and it really gives her great joy, but she is now totally dependent on me to make it happen.) Then the Saturday after Christmas we will have our first celebration with my husband's big family since the loss of his mother this summer. We used to draw names for that gathering, but now only the very littles get gifts there. But in addition to the joy of seeing most of his seven siblings and their offspring, there is one special joy there this year. We just learned that a favorite niece who got married earlier this fall is already pregnant! Ultimately, I guess she and her husband have found the best family gift of all.
ReplyDeleteHolidays are definitely hard Susan! You are so kind to your sister. Congrats on the new family member to be!
DeleteAh, the eternal dilemma. Forced gift giving! I do my utmost to avoid situations where I will be obliged to find a gift for someone who doesn't need whatever I'm meant to be giving, and also to not RECIEVE things I don't need. There is a garden club gift exchange that makes me want to skip the gathering. And my cousins, who meet monthly with my mother and sister and aunt, always draw names this time of year. Last month I gave everyone a calendar and said I do not need a gift, so don't put my name in.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else have trouble buying gifts for boys and men? Once they hit puberty it is difficult for me to choose gifts, unless they are readers. Or obsessed with Legos as Zak used to be. Now that he is soon turning 21, I have defaulted to gifting him little things for his apartment, especially for the kitchen. I found him some hilarious potholder mitts in the shape of bear paws that I think he will enjoy. But that's for his stocking. I gave him his real gift yesterday: a collection of beautiful glass Christmas ornaments for his first tree of his own, all with food themes (he's in culinary school). I packed them in a plastic box so he has a way of storing them safely. It was a big hit!
Hallie, thanks for the hint about Liz Blanchflower! She has lovely designs. All three of my daughters like silver jewelry, too.
Good, Karen. Misspell a word and BOLD it. Sigh.
DeleteSounds like you've chosen exactly the right things Karen!!
DeleteKaren, no sighs needed. Spellingis an elusive thing. Elisabeth
DeleteThank you all for reminding me about the book I got my husband that I need to pack when we leave for Nice tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteWe will be goi g to the holiday markets in Nice and Strasbourg, so I hope to pick up some trinkets for the friends who are visiting at Christmas. For their teenagers I plan some Euros and a map of the thrift stores in Nice. Two of the visitors also have birthdays on Dec 26 and 27, so there have to be non-Christmas themed gifts, too. Plus anything needs to be packagable for the trip back. Perhaps some lovely treats from the patisserie will do the trick and not lead to excess baggage.
This all sounds brilliant! Can we all visit??
DeleteSafe travels back to Nice, Lisa. Are you relocating permanently, semi-permanently or just for awhile? — Pat S
DeleteLove the idea of giving cash and a map to thrift stores, Lisa. Thrift stores in
DeleteFrance would be such fun to discover!
Semi-permanently. Still keeping our place in Long Beach.
DeleteFrom Celia; I was having this same discussion with a friend last night. Here's an idea for a local gift from Portland, ME - Heading Prints - bandanas and scarves at a reasonable cost. Described as: bold accessories for book
ReplyDeleteLovers.
Books are always my go to and after Debs wrote about Blackwell I got some great books from them. We do love to gift in my family. I think
It's because we are a small group. The grandboys/adults are the hardest but this year it's Venmo all the way fot them. My. siL is a mega Beatles fan so for hom a cap with the four on their iconic walk across Abbey Road. My daughter loves books though she has little time to read, but I've got hers cashmere and fur hat from Etsy which I know will suit her and I hope she'll love. As for mydaughter andSiL came over last night to decorate my tiny apartment with a dear little tree? Twinkle lights and and recycled garland of old fabrics which which made me think it would be a great way to use up scraps from quilting.
You are all set Celia! now enjoy...
DeleteI give books or gift cards for books. My nephew still gets toys but he's close to getting phased out of them so soon I'll probably just send a book or a gift card. Or maybe a gift card to someplace and he can buy some article of clothing.
ReplyDeleteI don't have many people to buy for and not a whole lot of dough to do it anyway so the easiest gift is a book.
Books are always in fashion Jay!
DeleteGreat Suggestions Everyone ! I highly recommend my lifelong friend who is a goldsmith and for everything jewelry she is your gal ! Visit French Impressions by Laurence B
ReplyDeleteSonger and be dazzled this Christmas by her unique and beautiful jewelry creations !
I give books to any and all and always buy new books by the JRW for my Little Free Library ! (Mary E )
French Impressions can be found on
DeleteEtsy ! ( Mary E.)
Julia, you had me feeling warm and fuzzy with the mugs ensemble gift…and then you TOLD the recipient what to do with the GIFT. A gift is a gift is a gift. Once it leaves the giver’s hands and the getter grabs it, the getter not the giver decides what to do with it. Grateful you write such wonderful books. They shine so brightly as block out your gift giving faux pas. ;-) Cheers, Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteWe stopped exchanging Hanukah gifts many years ago. We buy enough things for ourselves throughout the year. I dislike the holiday anyway as celebrated typically in the U.S, as it should really just be something simple with an enjoyment of the candles. Of course when I was young I enjoyed getting gifts, but most of them were quite small. Also, our birthdays are in January and February, so more gifts are always coming soon.
ReplyDeleteHank, think those are sloths clinging to legs…not monkeys…the sloths make them perfect resting socks. Happy December! Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteSLOTHS!! Oh, now they are irresistible...
DeleteSloths all around!
DeleteMy 30+ year old nephew still likes Legos kits, the more complicated the better, which can be pricey so I'm carefully considering my options. My niece's gift is buried in the linen closet, A pour spout for her mixing bowl. Sister and brother-in-law like food items, specifically salmon so I just have to time the purchase to arrive near Christmas. I also have two hand embroidered dish towels from the church's holiday bazaar. Almost done.
ReplyDeleteIt's just that it's so hard to figure out what someone would love, sometimes.. I always feel like giving someone a certificate for a gift from me when I find it. After all, why not spread it out? (Wild rationalization, I know....) xxx
ReplyDeleteLike many people who've already commented above, my family does gift lists. My husband, our son, my sister, and my American nephew and niece all tell me what they want (usually with one or two choices, so there's an element of surprise) and sometimes even where to get the items (very helpful), and then I can get them exactly what they want (and the demands are never too expensive). This works brilliantly; it makes Christmas easy, and I know people will be happy with their gifts. (However, I'd love to have given my son that football light when he was seven!) I never mail any from Switzerland; the postage would cost more than the gifts, not to mention whatever customs would charge. I just order the requests online from US firms.
ReplyDeleteOur Swiss family decided once the kids were over 18 that we wouldn't exchange any presents at all for Christmas, so we just enjoy a big meal together on December 24 evening, and no one has to worry about coming up with gift ideas.
I don’t have a clue what to give anyone! I think I’m going to be giving the older relatives bookstore gift cards. The little ones le I’ll probably be getting actual gift items from me. I don’t know what to do about a couple of the tweens. I’m also thinking of maybe giving one gift per family, like a fruit basket.
ReplyDeleteI need to make up my mind soon!
As for myself, I wouldn’t mind receiving yarn, or books, or bookstore gift cards!
DebRo
We had an aunt who always sent our family a jigsaw puzzle.
DeleteExcuse the above typos. Autoincorrect is determined to ruin my responses!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Growing up as a child and then older when we started bringing our own children to my parents' for Christmas, there was such a giant pile of presents around the tree, it was Christmas magic at its best. Now, we are few at Christmas at my daughter's. It's still a lovely gathering, with my daughter's family and her in-laws (whom I adore) and husband and me. My brother is hours away with his rather large family and doing their thing, and my husband's sister has her family together. We used to get together with my husband's sister and her kids at my daughter's, but then the babies started coming for her kids, and, well, their Christmas became celebrated at her home. So, the gift situation has slimmed down considerably over the years.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter gives me some gift ideas for my darling granddaughter (who somehow got to be sixteen and has her driver's license) and for their cousin foster daughter (who also just turned sixteen). So, it's usually a gift or two for them and some money. Teenagers love money for a gift. I don't always find a book for my granddaughter like I used to, but I'm going to try this year. My daughter gives me some book choices for herself and sometimes her husband, but I'm often able to find a book for him by myself. Philip and I just decide what we want and get for each other. In addition I always have some books I've bought for myself. I like to buy some non-fiction books at Christmas for subjects in which I'm interested. I like to give non-fiction books, too, as sometimes it's easier to choose that than what someone's fiction tastes in reading are.
Speaking of non-fiction. Thanks, Lucy, for reminding me I want The Key West Woman's Club Cookbook as one of my Christmas books this year. One of the stranger books I might get is Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics and Lore by Katy Horan, in which Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads. A book I'm still reading that I would recommend in the non-fiction area is Eight Bears:Mythic Past and Imperiled Future by Gloria Dickie (there are only eight species of bear left in our world). And another one I already have in my stack is The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World by Andy Merrifield.
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy it! John is getting Mark Twain, which he was halfway through when he had to return it.
DeleteBooks, books, books! They are always the best gift. thecatnipcalico.etsy.com is my favorite for kitty gifts. They are beautifully handmade and the lady that makes them is a champion foster carer for kittens and cats for a local shelter CAT.
ReplyDeletethanks for the idea!
DeleteIt's hard for The Hubby and I to buy for each other because we tend to buy as we go throughout the year. Maybe we stumble upon something, but we aren't worried about it. The Girl got skis, boots, and poles as she expressed a desire to learn to ski. The Boy is going to get his first "adult" suit - which should last almost the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteWe don't exchanged gifts for the adult extended family. My nephew will get a deposit into his college fund. In honor of my mother's memory and her desire for her kids to get along, I am getting my other nephew a Target gift card (because I know nothing about him aside from the fact he's 4 and has Down Syndrome) and my step-niece will get a Starbucks gift card. If I get the kind of response my last gift earned (a snarky text), this will be the last year I try. Sorry, Mom.
I just ordered The Key West Woman's Club Cookbook for myself. Everyone except my husband and brother will receive a tray of hand made chocolates from a recipe that uses a slow cooker. Everyone raves about these year-after-year. Anyone not on my candy list can go pound sand!
ReplyDelete