Sometimes it is nice to give a gift that won’t be around forever. I know when I am trying to find new homes for all of the fabulous gifts we receive at Christmas, I like to have one or two that will be eaten or used and won’t need a specific space on a shelf. Over the past several years, I have given and received some great consumable Christmas gifts. Gift cards fall into this category as well, but I tried to list non-gift card ideas. I am thinking about restaurant gift cards this year– any thoughts?
BBQ Seasonings: My husband loves to grill. Not only have I given him the BBQ judging weekend with friends, which I think qualifies as a consumable gift (?), my kids and I gave him a box of spices and rubs. We went to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to hunt around for things like smoked sea salt and roasted cayenne powder.
Hello, Cupcake!: OK– so this is not a totally consumable gift. It allows you to make something that is consumable. Sewing Sister loves things like decorating cupcakes, so I gave her the Hello, Cupcake! cookbook and included supplies she would need for the recipes. I added things like white cupcake wrappers, Ziploc bags, and a small clear roller to flatten candies.
Magazine Subscriptions: One year all of the parents, sisters, brothers, brother-in-laws, and sister-in-laws received a magazine subscription. We like gossip-y magazines in my house, so I sent subscriptions to Life & Style, which is a little junkier than US but not quite as trashy as Star (I thought it was the perfect middle ground for a guilty pleasure). The men received ESPN Magazine. Other subscriptions that make good gifts for my family are Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food or the Sunday delivery of the New York Times.
Wolferman’s: My brother usually sends Wolferman’s English muffins to each family household a few weeks before Christmas, so we can eat them during the holiday break. They are fabulous English muffins. My favorite are the cheddar flavored. I toast well and spread with lots of butter and strawberry jam. There are multiple gift packages on the website from which to choose.
Omaha Steaks: The steaks (or other meats) are shipped overnight in dry ice. Since my husband grills, my parents usually send us a little Omaha Steaks meat care package at Christmas. It is great to have steaks, hamburgers, or pork chops on hand in the freezer.
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I do this as well but now I'm canning and people know when I do it so the gifts don't last till the holidays...
Consumable gifts are my favorite--especially for relatives we don't see as often. We plan to make our favorite granola this year and wrap it with the recipe. The parents at school have provided casseroles the last few years as gifts for the teachers. When we eat it over the holidays, I always feel like the parents really gave me extra time with my family.
I rely on that casserole we get at school!
Caitlin, you could share your recipe for Rosemary flavored nuts that people love. I've gotten raves when I've given a batch of them as a gift.
That would be awesome! I would love a savory nut recipe.
Gaga, I think that is your recipe-- which one is it?
I've loved things that feed my hobbies so - cashmere, silk, and hand-dyeds yarns have been a favorite gift (to feed by knitting habit). And sea salt, rainbow pepper and a pepper mill was also a favorite (because I love to cook). And I would also put stationery in this category - notepads, lovely thank you notes, or monogrammed stationery is a great consumable gift.
I'm all for consumable gifts. Renaissance Dad is a practical cuss and isn't interested in anything he can't eat, drink, smoke, wear, or use to fix up the house.