Holiday Ettiquette Question

[Katie H]

I make AWESOME banana bread. I also make really good peanut butter cup cookies and the best chocolate chip cookies in the family. I guess I could bake for everyone. I know them better this year and I know Eric loves to eat. We hide food from him and he gives Wisconsin cheese.

Okay. I guess it's decision made, goodies. Jewel can always bring them to her family if she's still watching her weight religiously.

In that case, wrap your loaves of nut bread in plastic wrap then in a pretty (Christmas) dish towel, tie with a ribbon that has a wooden spoon in the knot and use the printed recipe as the gift card.

The dish towels and spoons can be had for next to nothing at a dollar store.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Katie that's a great idea. A "little" girly but the men both have significant others so who cares. You know they bring it home to their families and you want to wives/fiances to know it's for them to so girly is okay. I really like that idea a lot.

 

[Clienta]

Every Christmas morning, I think of a family friend who made us zucchini bread evey year for Christmas when I was growing up. We always had that with our coffee & hot cocoa while opening gifts. He will always be remembered by his thoughtfulness & delicious baking! You never know, your banana bread or peanut butter cookies could turn into a breakfast tradition or a treat for Santa!

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Oooooh, Callisto, for me, banana nut bread says Christmas! And who doesn't adore home made chocolate chip cookies??? I think you'll be a huge hit around the office and everyone will go home with warm fuzzy feelings. Don't we all feel really "cared for" when someone bakes for us? Be sure and let us know how it goes!

 

[jabbur]

Food is always a good gift. It is something that can be enjoyed and appreciatied without sitting around the house taking up space (well, maybe on the hips but who really cares about that at Christmas?). Depending on how your work space is, another thought might be to bring some substantial food into the office one day for everyone working there to partake during working hours. Maybe like meatballs and other finger food appetizers that can be easily eaten along with a festive punch.

 

[ChefJune]

Jewel can always bring them to her family if she's still watching her weight religiously.

Callisto, noone watches their weight religiously during Christmas, except to watch it go up! especially when they get homemade goodies for gifts.

 

[suziquzie]

I can't afford anything even for family this year. I was thinking some apple pepper jelly and an assortment of breads / candy. Cookies won't work because we always do a family cookie bake / exchange day about 2 weeks before. Too much Cookies!!!
I also learned to crochet, so that I could make pretty snowflake and angel ornaments for everyone, a ball of thread costs like $1.50 and I can make about 30-40 snowflakes from it! For my mom and MIL I will make some doilies, maybe some trivet and potholder sets... I could knit those too.
Being broke makes one think alot more... I think....

 

[David Cottrell]

suziquzie thank you for sharing. Maybe we can slow down this out of control so called Christmas giving thing. It's more and more a burden for so many. My immediate family has made a deal - absolutely no gifts. Daughter will take care of her children and that's it. I am very pleased about this and I hope she reduces the irrational amount of gifts to the children - age 7 and 8.

 

[GotGarlic]

Katie that's a great idea. A "little" girly but the men both have significant others so who cares. You know they bring it home to their families and you want to wives/fiances to know it's for them to so girly is okay. I really like that idea a lot.

Another option for the guys is to just wrap them in green-colored plastic wrap and put a ribbon on top.

I had a boss once who took a vacation day for holiday baking, and came in the next day with mini loaves of bread for everyone - cranberry, pumpkin, etc. I thought that was great.

 

[GotGarlic]

I can't afford anything even for family this year. I was thinking some apple pepper jelly and an assortment of breads / candy. Cookies won't work because we always do a family cookie bake / exchange day about 2 weeks before. Too much Cookies!!!
I also learned to crochet, so that I could make pretty snowflake and angel ornaments for everyone, a ball of thread costs like $1.50 and I can make about 30-40 snowflakes from it! For my mom and MIL I will make some doilies, maybe some trivet and potholder sets... I could knit those too.
Being broke makes one think alot more... I think....

One year, I made Christmas tree ornaments for everyone from crafty things from Michael's - for example, one was a 5-inch piece of eucalyptus and I tied a small (musical instrument) horn to it with a piece of red ribbon. I bought a package of small clear glass ornaments, filled them with potpourri, and hot-glued a ribbon to the top; bought some small, maybe 4-inch diameter wreaths and hot-glued potpourri, ribbons, etc., to them. I had a great book, similar to this (can't remember the name right now): Amazon.com: Christmas Naturals: Ornaments, Wreaths & Decorations: Books: Carol Taylor

 

[buckytom]

i've always tried to remember that you're supposed to give gifts because you want to, not because you have to. so then, it really is about the thought, and not the cost of the gift.

i like k.t.e.'s suggestion about a personal note with the bottle of wine. it's an all around feel good gift.

so long as you don't have to share the wine...

 

[lulu]

You've inspired me to bake. I usually bake alot or Christmas an or gifts, but sharing a kitchen with my mother had made me want to steer clear, but baking is my stress relief, and a personal gift and probably the least expensive I can do to.

I agree the ridiculousness of Christmas splurging is too much. I'm bowing out this year, DH and I bought a new saddle for the horse a couple of months ago and said that was Christmas If you can scrimp with a loved one you can scrimp with the others too.)

 

[mikki]

As everyone has said baked goods-- you really cant go wrong with. Where I used to work the first year I worked there I baked choc chip cookies as a treat, then I did it the following year and it became expected of me. One year I didn't have time everyone wanted to know where the cookis were,and how dare I not make them (joking of course)
It made me feel good to know people looked forward to my cookies so start a tradition. Where I worked closed last March and as it gets closer to Christmas I'm really missing my co workers and all the joking about my cooking.

 

[Bilby]

Mikki, could you send some of them a mini batch each of your cookies? It would surely put a smile on their faces, which in turn would put one on yours.

 

[mikki]

I'm going to make some for the two good freinds I still keep in contact with,so that will help,but it was a warehouse with 65 employees so I dont have any addresses. They were just a nice bunch of people to work with and most of them picked on me like I was a sister. The biggest joke was that I burned all the cookies(never burned any though),thats why I brought them in because they said I had to get rid of them somehow. That was the first job I really liked and I'm still unemployed because the job market around here stinks!!!

 

[Bilby]

Mikki, feel like emigrating or trying for a working visa?

Don't know if there are any jobs in your chosen field/occupation but there are jobs a plenty here. There is a mining boom in the north of our state and heaps of people are throwing in there regular jobs to work there on a fly-in/fly-out basis, like two weeks on, one week off. Big bucks there. But that has left huge holes in all the other employment fields. We have a doctor, nurse, teacher and police shortage as well as heaps and heaps of retail and hospitality positions available. Every shopping centre you walk through has adverts in almost all their stores. Even the fast food outlets are suffering. On the radio this morning, they said that several outlets from different chains had to shut because of no staff! Others were open but with substantial waits for food.

About the only jobs that we aren't short of are politicians and their support staff, after the recent federal election!! LOL

 

[mikki]

Bilby, wish I could do something like that,but I still have a child at home to take care of. In three years she graduates then maybe I can find a career for me insteas of what works for the family. The only places looking for work here are the fast food places and the wages are just enough for high school students to have fun on. I'm not giving up though someone will hire me eventually,hopefully we can stay afloat until then.

 

[Bilby]

Mikki, I knew that it the likelihood of you packing up and relocating was quite remote. I know I couldn't just up and move and I don't have kids! But sometimes you say these things to people and it is just the sort of opportunity they are looking for.

It is very tough having a reduced income. I have been off work since 05 when I was just too sick to continue any longer. I was lucky cos I had an insurance policy that has given me a guaranteed income while I have been off and haven't had to live on sickness benefits but it is not the same as money from work. It's still a struggle just not as bad as it could have been. At one point, I was looking at selling Mary Kay cosmetics again (I did it in my early 20's for a bit), just to be able to work in a more sustainable way than going to an office every day. But I just wasn't really up to that either.

WA is only in the situation with the jobs because of a couple of our overseas contracts. It wasn't like this a few years ago. Wish I could send you one of the jobs from here!!! Good luck with the search. I hope something turns up for you very soon.

 

[buckytom]

There is a mining boom in the north of our state ... But that has left huge holes in all the other employment fields.

not to mention the ground, eh?

mikki, c'mon downstate. plenty of work 'round here.

the only miners you'll find, however, are golddiggers.

 

[Bilby]

not to mention the ground, eh?

Very cute!!