Crafts just aren’t my thing.
Hand me a hot glue gun, some glitter, and ribbon…and I will make a mess. Not a little “oh, we’ll get this cleaned up right away” kind of mess. More like “sell the house…we can’t recover from this” kind of mess. I want to be good at crafts, but I don’t think I paid sufficient attention in school during art class.
For the past couple of years, Hectic Mom has been championing the idea of giving experiential gifts to our kids. She read an article about how millennials are more about the experience than the material item and has really taken it to heart. We’ve come up with some awesome gifts that fall into that category. This year we’re giving subscriptions. Each of the kids gets an opportunity to have input on what they would like, then we’re making final decisions on what to give them. With eight very unique kids, it’s pretty entertaining to see what everybody would like. Then we have a blast deciding what to actually get them.
But there’s always something missing with an experiential gift. We don’t get to actually see them open the gift. Sure, they open the card that tells them what they got…but we don’t see them kicking the soccer ball, flying the drone, playing the guitar, or whatever. All the kids have been pretty good at sending photos of them actually experiencing the gifts…but it’s just not the same.
Yeah, I’m kinda whining here…but what of it. I love opening gifts on Christmas and I love watching the kids open their gifts and use them.
So this year I’m adding something to the mix…unbeknownst to Hectic Mom. I figure better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. Heck, she might say “no”.
I’m currently searching for homemade food gifts to give everybody. Just like their experiential tastes, all my kids are pretty specific about foods they like and don’t like. Some lean towards the healthiest fare, others journey through the realm of pizzas, while others love their sweets. So I jumped onto Google and started looking around. I did the same on Pinterest.
So I’ve got a twofer for you today…
First, check out my Homemade Edible Gifts Pinterest board for tons of ideas (mostly in the format One Million Delicious Ideas For Holiday Gift Giving).
Second, here’s a list of sites I found that have loads of ideas for homemade food gifts. Check out these folks for inspiration. Most importantly, if you do make anything, I’d love to see it. Just tag #hectickitchen on social media and I’ll make sure I share it with everybody!
Midwest Living
Good Housekeeping
Martha Stewart
Womans Day
Country Living
HGTV
Serious Eats
Better Homes and Gardens
Food Network
Saveur
Olive Magazine
Real Mom Nutrition
Good to Know
Plated