For high tech gifts, I have selected: the Kobo eReader from Borders, and several iPad cases since I am buying one for my husband. I have been reading that the iPad is one of the most requested gift items this year from kids. I believe it because the Apple store was packed when I went in last Friday afternoon!
If I have no idea what to get, my fall back is Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles and/or Target. And honestly, there is no shame in buying them at the grocery store. No one can ever tell where you purchased it from!
Our family tradition since 1997 has been to make a 12 page holiday recipe booklet as our Christmas & New Year’s card. Over the years as each family has grown, we’ve opted for separate cover blurbs and photos specific to each family but the recipe portion is the same. Each of us contributes three or so recipes of what we’ve enjoyed the past year. There are no rules about what type of recipe to provide and somehow my sister, who does the graphic design, manages to merge them into a cohesive theme.
Capability:Mom and I both agree that we get the SAME thing for our own mothers and mother-in-law. In my case, my mom and mother-in-law are friends and live a half hour away from each other. It would not be a stretch to imagine them discussing their gifts during casual conversation and feelings would get hurt, I fear, if the presents differed.
These personalized, “fancy” return address stampers make me so happy. I use them for the return address on envelopes but also for stamping inside of books that I loan out. If your price point is $50 ($40 plus shipping), it also makes great teacher and tutor gifts and/or gifts for family members.
My only contribution for Clove Fruit is this: You can purchase whole cloves at an ethnic grocery store to save money. Indian or Chinese grocery stores will have whole cloves in bulk packaged in plastic bags which is less expensive just because of the utilitarian packaging alone! This makes a great gift for extended family, teachers, and neighbors.
My cookbook is cracked with the pages falling out, I love this cookbook so much. And the page that this recipe is on has food stains on it galore. Nigella raves about this granola which she discovered on an U.S. book tour. I have made it and given it out as gifts. True story: I usually give this to teachers as a Whatever-I-Made-A-Huge-Batch-And-This-Is-Healthy gift. My kids’ Kindergarten teacher (extraordinaire) is usually on the list even when we don’t have her, but sometimes we run out. A neighbor gets it instead or I need a hostess gift. So one day she tells me that she is in the teacher’s lounge and recognizes the granola that my middle kid’s 2nd grade teacher was eating and said, “Is a gift from Pragmatic Mom? I love that granola. Can I have a handful?”