Do you have a favorite gift you like to give people? And if it’s a book, be specific!
Julie: I love giving handmade knit items to family members. I’m on a “each niece and nephew gets a afghan” kick right now, and I knit hats and sweaters for babies in my life. My grandmother taught me how to knit, so it means a lot to pass that on.
Sherry: I love that you knit gifts for your family, Julie! I always give my husband Michael Connelly’s latest book and Robert Crais if he has one out. It’s a win-win because I read them both too!
Liz: I love to give people gifts that benefit causes. Like, making a donation to World Wildlife Fund and getting really cute gifts to give the person along with the certificate that says they donated.
Barb: For years I gave The Joy of Cooking and The Joy of Sex as my standard wedding shower gift. I received The Joy of Cooking at my own bridal shower, with a note that said, “Kissin’ don’t last–cookery do,” which I thought was rather depressing. My paired books were meant as a joke but became a coveted gift in the family. The Joy of Sex went out of print, but I soldiered on for years with The Joy of Cooking. I still remember my husband’s cousin, who married a little later in life, clutching the cookbook to her chest, sighing, “I thought I would never get my Joy of Cooking.”
Edith/Maddie: I love that pairing, Barb! And handmade is always good, Julie. In Christmases past I have made sewn gifts: vegetable-themed aprons, wine coasters, and plastic bag “socks” – stuff the bags in the top and pluck them out at the bottom – and I’ve knitted scarves (the easiest knitting not to screw up for this undisciplined knitter). Also (except it’s not a Christmas gift), whenever a new baby is on the way in the family or our family-by-choice, I make a baby quilt. I do give books for Christmas, especially to the children.
Jessie: I love to give baskets of homemade goodies! I love to make tea breads, jams and preserves, hand-dipped dried fruits and boozy cordials all wrapped in sparkly cellophane and tied up with elaborate bows. It is my favorite standard gift and I love to see the looks on the recipients faces when they receive them!
Readers: Do you have a favorite gift you give?
I live to give handmade quilts.
Your quilts are amazing!
Mostly I just give gift cards to people. I have a nephew that I can still buy toys for so I try to give him those.
But for people that I can give books to, I enjoy doing that. But I can’t be real specific because I just find out what they like and get them whatever titles they are looking for.
I love getting books!
I’m a fan of giving gift cards to Bookshop.org. That way, folks can shop for what they want to read and it helps support local bookstores. A win-win to me.
That’s a great idea!
For me it would be the goodie boxes I give. Love to bake and love carrying on a tradition my Mom started.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I love that you are carrying on a tradition!
I love to give crafts – I’ve done afghans, soaps, bath salts, wreaths, and the like and like, Liz, gifts that benefit charities close to the heart of the recipient.
Those are great ideas!
I love to give either a White House ornament or a Mount Vernon ornament to people who don’t live in the Washington, D.C. area. Both are very nice and certainly evocative of the area. And some recipients are now building their “collection.”
I love White House ornaments too!
Like so many people on this blog, I love to give books. Not any one in particular,. It depends on the giftee! And I always buy them from my indie bookstore, Aaron’s in Lititz, PA.
It’s so great to be able to support an independent bookstore!
You can add me to the love to give books category. It varies based on what they ask for, however.
I love when people give input!
Love all these gift ideas! I wish I were crafty enough to do handmade presents (though one of my kiddos *is* getting a custom knitted afghan from a teacher for winning something at school). I’m a big fan of tailoring gifts to individual tastes, although I also generally like giving out pretty bookmarks and wonderfully scented hand soaps.
What a great gift from a teacher! And I love your idea of bookmarks and scented soaps!
Donations in the giftee’s name to a charity they support. Love it when it is a food bank!
That is a fantastic idea!