UNIQUE CHRISTMAS GIFTS

GIVE OF YOURSELF 

• It is down to the wire, you are in the kitchen making cakes and pies and your famiy's recipe for biscotti. Your mind drifts back to your youth, the smells of you mother's kitchen, mayb grandmother's kitchen an all of a sudden you remember an important gift that wasn't bought to give. In the middle of baking cookies you realize you have forgotten Aunt Angela. She is your favorite aunt and somehow her name slipped your mind while shopping this year. Don't fret. You are making her favorite cookies. In fact the cookie recipe came from her. Now I know I have discussed making gifts, even gifts from the kitchen, but this unique gift is the gift of your family's heritage. What does Christmas, smell and taste like in your home? What family recipes have been handed down from generation to genration that it wouldn't be Christmas without? Give members a taste of their childhood, their homeland, their heritage. Bake items from their roots. My husband's family is Scandanavian. Burnt butter cookies is a Scandanavian favorite. In my family it is coconut cake. A three layer yellow cake with real coconut between each layer and coconut syrup to sweeten and moisten the cake. It has been 3 years since we baked the coconut cake. My mother baked it every year except for Christmas 2007; her cancer was too advanced and Christmas was hurried. In 2008, I didn't have the heart to begin that holiday tradition due to my mother's death. This year I will attempt to make it by myself, and continue a holiday tradition. I am giving our family heritage to all members by baking this cake. I am not the baker that my mother was, nor the cook for that matter, and that may be your own worry. Don't! It will be okay. It is the thought, and just as long as your cooking skills make your food taste good, it is a new version of the old.
  
  Being together with family and friends is the most important tradition, and giving a loved one something that is made by your own hands and continues that tradition will remind them of the love of family. Yes it is only 2 days until Christmas, but you are in the kitchen working on the holiday meal and desserts. Give Aunt Angela the biscotti. It will bring back childhood memories for her, make a new memory for you and her, and begin a new tradition of giving a piece of heritage to family and even friends. Find an old family recipe or one of your culture or heritage and give that gift this season.
• Early in December grab Charlie Brown's Christmas and watch it with your family, maybe watch it several times. Let the meaning of Christmas set the mood for your holiday.
• Give the gift of food. Now I know that this may not be unique, but what you make can be unique. If you are the only person to make truffles, or cookies, or that coconut cake that is 4 layers thick covered in coconut and saturated with coconut milk then give those gifts. Check out my chocolate blog for the latest hot chocolate and homemade marshmallow recipe. It can be given with a favorite Christmas mug and directions on how to make the hot cocoa.
  
  One other thought. Make extra food for Christmas (it isn't like there are already a ton of leftovers at the end of the day) then box up some of each dish and take it to that neighbor who is shut in. They will be grateful and you will find the Christmas spirit by giving to those in need.
• Find a family to adopt. Let this be a family project. Get the kids involved in purchasing a small gift for those in the family near their own age. Take a day to make some homemade cookies, get a basket or box together, decoreat it, add several food products, the cookies and the small gifts and visit them.
• Make ornaments for the elderly in a local nursing home. Construction paper, crayons, glue and glitter and a child's imagination can go a long way. The gift will be appreciated by the elderly.
• Grab the kids, and a few neighbors and their children and decorate that shut in or sick neighbor's home. Illness and old age don't go away during Christmas. Brighten your neighbor's holiday and their homes by getting out their own decorations and sprucing up their house.
• You may have to clean up that neighbor's home before decorating it. If not then maybe their yard, or some area around your neighborhood that needs cleaning. It will boost the morale of everyone.
• Use the computer to make up personilized coupons. Give it to that special someone, parent, child. Give a girl's day out coupon to your daughters. I don't have any daughter's so I give these to my nieces. They really enjoy shopping, eating at their favorite restaurant or going to get manicures and pedicures. Give a personalized coupon to your spouse, fiance, special someone. A quiet dinner at home with a friend watching the children or a back and foot rub, or maybe a weekend getaway. Giving paren'ts gifts are hard to do. Adult children notice that mom and dad have it all, and young children are usually without a lot of funds. There are so many things that we can do for our parents; taking them supper once a week, driving them to the beauty salon, doctor's office, etc. or just promising to be at Sunday dinner for at least 6 times in the coming year, just so they can be near you. Giving of yourself is the most rewarding gift of all!!!
• Take the list your children has made for their own Christmas gifts. Sit down with them and ask them to rank their gifts from the most important to the least important. Once the list is made go buy 2 or 3 gifts. Wrap them and put a number on them. (It is up to you, but I suggest not buying those $200 gifts). Choose several average cost gifts. Have the child pick a number between 1 and 3. The number they choose is the gift you put under the tree for them. In a card for Christmas day write the name and age of the child or children who recieved the other 2 gifts. Make sure those gifts were given in your children's names. If there is any way the children who recieved the gift can write an actual thank you to your children that would be even better, and if you wish to let your child in on the fun then ask them to write to the child/children who will be receiving those precious gifts.

MY FAVORITE GIFTS TO GIVE 

My favorite gifts to give are the one's I like to receive the most as well.

1. A DAY AT THE SPA: There is nothing like a relaxing soak in a tub and good massage to help me forget the hectic schedule during the holidays.
2. A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO PATTI'S 1880'S SETTLEMENT: Patti's is located in Grand River's, KY. The restaurant's signature dish is a 2 inch thick pork chop. But don't be fooled they have much more, i.e. flower pot bread, 14+ desserts on the menu, fried dill pickles to name a few. The town has antique shopping, unique gifts, animals, and putt putt golf. Chrismtas decorations go up early in November, and if you plan to go CALL FOR RESERVATIONS. It is a must.
3. WINE: I like to add a good bottle of wine from small winerys in Tennessee, or South Carolina. My favorite wine comes from the Low Country Winery in Beaufort, SC. It is Framboise. Try the medium sugar wine. Raspberry flavor bursts in your mouth.
   Low Country Winery
   Another good wine comes from Beachaven winery in Clarksville, TN. Their Barrister's Red is a muscadine wine. Beachaven
   One more good wine is just one I discovered. It is Tower Red from Paris Winery. It is a kicked up version of concord grapes. Paris Winery
   These wineries have other great wines as well, but these three are my favorite.
4. CHOCOLATE: Chocolate is one of my favorite food groups. I usually make chocolate peanut butter balls to give to friends and family. I also like chocolate covered cashews from Oh Nuts They also have other great chocolates. However, here is a list of my favorite chocolate websites where I buy chocolate to make my gifts or to just give.
   Dove dark chocolates is one of my favorite chocolates that I indulge in daily. However, I indulge in belgian chocolates during the holidays. But get some dove chocolates and add them to the more decadent chocolates you give to your family and friends.Rose City Chocolates is one of my favorite online chocolate suppliers and they have reasonable prices.
   Rose City Chocolates
   Teuscher
   Leonidas
   Chocolat

A FEW MORE GIFT IDEAS 

• Give a gift certificate to Patti's 1880's Settlement in Grand Rivers, KY. We live near Grand River's, KY. A gift certificate to Patti's 1880's settlement is on my list for several people. Patti's 1880's settlement boasts 2 restaurants and shops with unique gifts.
  Treat you and your spouse to a trip to Patti's right before Christmas enjoy the food, and choose a few antiques, wind chimes, clothes or novelties as Christmas Gifts for those hard to buy for.
• Find books on hobbies of that certain someone. My dad is hard to buy for. So we give him books on his favorite subjects or hobbies.
• Give a gift certificate to one's favorite place, spa, restaurant, or store. These are greatly appreciated because the sportsman in your family can go buy his own hunting or fishing gear.
• Give the music lover the gift of learning how to play an instrument. Your local music store either gives lessons at the store or knows who to send their customers to. A few voice, piano, drum, guitar lessons will make that 10 year old feel just like their favorite star.
• Give the gift of housecleaning. Yes, I said housecleaning. My parents used to travel to the beach regularly, so we gave gift certificates to some of their favorite places. However, when my mother got cancer the only trips they made were to the doctor's office and hospital. Mother couldn't clean house. So a neighbor, who cleans for a living began doing it for her. Give a gift of a few months of housecleaning to that someone who can no longer keep their own home. They will love you for it.
• Give your hobbyist a present they need. My step-daughter is an avid scrapbooker. Scrapbooking materials are a great gift for the scrapbooker, and scrapbooking makes memories for the entire family.
  Maybe your hobbyist is a photographer. Give photographing items, What about the candy maker, chocolatier, grillmaster, etc. There are gifts unique for each hobby.
• The builder in your life needs a few tools. Or a gift certificate to Lowes or Home Depot. Give the gift of classes to help that home repairman/woman learn how to build a deck, lay ceramic tile, learn special painting techniques.
• Give the traveler in your family a few fun gifts that represent their special places. Things like, a sandals key chain, a star fish candy dish, seashell framed mirror, etc.