For the past couple of years I’ve tried to become a savvier Christmas shopper by searching for things produced locally or scouring my favorite thrift stores for great vintage finds. Another favorite is to give…and receive!…consumables. They’re useful, enjoyable and clutter free.
My daughter, the pickle lover in the family, always gets a jar of dill pickles. This can be purchased at the grocery store or, even better in my opinion, from one of the local farmers’ markets.
Chocolate always makes a perfect gift, but instead of the traditional box of chocolates with the icky-sweet fillings…the ones that say “I couldn’t think of anything else to get you”…I prefer a simple bar of rich, dark high-quality chocolate. Or what about a pound of organic fair-trade coffee? Or a tin of herbal or green tea?
If you make your own tomato sauce, give a jar of that along with a package of pasta. Tuck in a pair of beeswax candles, and voila…it’s dinner! Instead of wrapping paper and a box, the gift can be presented in a pasta serving dish and wrapped up in a lovely table cloth.
And what goes better with a pasta dinner than a good bottle of red wine? Check out a couple of local wineries to see if they have on-site shops. Many will even let you taste several wines so you know what you’re getting.
Now that’s my kind of shopping trip!
Do you have a favorite consumable gift? I’d love to hear about it!
Happy holidays!
Until next time,
Lee
