Holiday Gifting Blog

A couple of years ago, I started making my dad cookies for Christmas. I had run out of ideas for him. He has every power tool known to man or woman, no longer wears out his clothes and has more magazine subscriptions than he can possibly read in his lifetime. He also has a diabetic wife who no longer bakes like she once did. Having sampled the store-bought cookies at their house, I saw a void I could fill.

I collected my mother’s old cookie recipes and chose three of his favorite ones. I bought huge plastic holiday tubs and baked for a day. He was surprised and seemed interested, but I really didn’t know how much he loved those cookies until my sister and I discussed his gift the following Father’s Day. She groaned about how hard he is to buy for now that he’s 84 years old. Then she said, “You’ve got the cookie-thing nailed down.”

“What?” I asked, not sure I heard right. “What do you mean?”

“He loves those cookies you made at Christmas.” She answered. After some probing, she described how stingy he was with them, how he wouldn’t share with company and managed to nurse them along until March. She assumed that I would bake more for Father’s Day.

Another thing my dad loves is tradition. He does not like change. So that cookie-thing is really nailed down. He returns the holiday tubs each year and I fill them with oatmeal, chocolate chip and ginger snaps every time. He is delighted. And so am I. And so are my nephews who get overflow cookies in their stockings and my husband who gets to snack on warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookies while I bake.

Dr. Nancy’s article on “Holiday Gifting on a Budget” will give you more ideas about ways you can celebrate and honor those you care for this holiday season. Holiday gifts can be more fun when you have to get creative about what to give. Tough economic times can create wonderful memories if you give from your heart and your imagination. Click here to find out more.