I’ve mostly been making people gift boxes with foods, teas, coffee, wine, spirits. Sometimes, I’ll add some kitchen gadgets, gadget-tools, soap or nice socks.
I sent out 2 gifts so far this year.
One was 2 packs of Scottish biscuits (Island Bakery) that are fairly difficult to find in Canada.
The other was a holiday-inspired birthday gift: local shortbread, Fortnum’s lemon biscuits, Fortnum’s ketchup and a figgy mustard.
A gift I bought for someone in our household is a jam Advent Calendar.
Open to both food and non-food gift ideas.
For non-food gifts, I like to give concert tickets.
I went to an Italian friend’s 47th birthday party, at a casual restaurant, about 15 years ago . I’d never seen anything like it before. My friend’s sister gave my friend a $200 pair of jeans and $200, and her brother gave her $500 cash. Her other sister gave her around $500 cash. The family was in the banquet business, and sometimes banquets are paid with cash.
Jewelry… Sunshine loves any type of jewelry, especially her birthstone (opal). She recently lost an opal earring and was very upset, as she really liked that set. Although, I’ve already completed shopping for Christmas, our Dating Anniversary and Valentines Day; I’ll have to poke around and try to find a pair of similar earrings as just a “surprise” gift.
Thanks… she still has the other earring, so I’ll use that as a guide and try to locate a similar set.
I did find a beautiful pair of ruby Celtic Knot earrings for Valentines Day. (that should be a good “stop-gap” present until I locate a pair of similar opal earrings) Apparently the Celtic Knot is supposed to represent “infinity”, so I thought that would be a good Valentines Day gift. I will need to pick up a big box of chocolates… just because my Sunshine loves her chocolates!!
Opals are my favorite gem as well (tho not my birthstone). My PIC and visit Philadelphia every December just before xmas (hotel prices are cheaper that week), and always try to visit a little booth at the xmas market, selling almost exclusively opal jewelry.
Other than that, we stopped gifting in our family several years ago. The nephlets are grown (and one makes more $$$ in a month than I make in 6), our parents are dead, and buying “stuff” for siblings just seems silly.
Instead, my partner and I prefer to spend our money on experiences (travel, meals, etc.) vs. things.
Well… save for that pair of opal earrings each year
I know some jewellers will convert a single earring into a pendant or a brooch/pin, if you think that would also appeal to Sunshine. That’s part of one friend’s jewellery business.
After watching “60 Minutes” last night, Mrs. ricepad will receive a Noble Title for Christmas. I think I’ve narrowed it down to Baroness of Sealand. (She has ancestral ties to the Essex area.)
I forgot to add that one of my traditional gifts to give is homemade caramel corn (or cracker jack, if I add peanuts). One year I gave about a quart to our letter carrier. She reported that her husband loved it so much that she hardly got any of it. The next year (and every year since), I gave her a quart to show her husband what she got from us, and about a gallon for her to carry in her mail truck to snack on while she drove her route.
I saw those cute Bon Maman Twelve Days of Christmas boxes at my Costco today. At $19.99 each, I scored a few to accompany some homemade baked goods I’ll make to gift to the package delivery drivers, the postal carrier, etc.
I thought I might try to buy some See’s Candy, Russ & Daughters or Zabars to be shipped to Canada. Turns out none of those businesses ship to Canada.
I decided to order a Collins Bakery fruitcake from Texas for someone here in Canada. Our Texan friend who passed away around a decade ago used to send them to us.
My great-aunts always made a chocolate candy that’s individually wrapped. I tried to find out where their recipe originated, and it turns out it was from See’s, with their own tweaks made along the way.
The story goes that in about 1930 a See’s employee in Los Angeles gave it to her friend, and then it spread.
Where people get confused (and their candy doesn’t come out right) is, the recipe refers to packages, jars, and cans… and all the products have changed sizes now. Anyway, if you or anyone here is interested in making some I’d be happy to share the proportions my family uses (ours is a little different than that link).
The family was in the banquet business, and sometimes banquets are paid with cash. 
