General opinions on homemade christmas gifts?...

[walkingonair]

Okay, I'm coming over all Kirsty Allsop this year and have made some homemade Christmas chutney. I've also tried my hand at fudge making and I have to say, so far so good!

What are peoples thoughts on receiving edible, homemade Christmas gifts? naff or not?

They're lovely if the giver puts some thought into it. Last Christmas two friends did preserves and chutneys as presents. Lovely except they know I already make all that stuff for myself anyway, it meant I was overloaded with homemade jam. Some of it is still in the fridge now unopened.

Now if it had been fudge, yum!

How long does fudge last? Does it need to be refridgerated? Can I make and box it up now ready for Christmas day ( am due 1st DC on 21st December) or if I do that will they be opening a Box of mould on the big day!

you can't refridgerate fudge because it goes funny - it gets a bloom on it and goes all sugary.
I think it's more to do with the condensation than the cold, as you're advised to keep it in a cool dark place.
a pantry would be fine.

i wouldn't make it any more than 2 weeks before the day, personally.

I would love to receive homemade fudge. Great news about no calories too.

Love home made gifts especially FUDGE! yum.
When I was younger I would request knitted stuff from my gran.

I brought loads of bits and bobs to make home made felt decorations and cards but just don't have the quiet time to concentrate on it. When i'm making stuff I like it to be calm and quiet. No chance of that around here.

I love getting them - they really are miles better than virtually anything else comparably, or more, expensive.

I love homemade gifts, especially foody ones. I also think it's more about the spirit of Christmas than a lot of bought gifts. I honestly want to vomit sometimes at the thought of the money people spend on X boxes and Wii and the like as Christmas presents these days, and they're not remotely Christmassy really, and just add to the pressure people feel to spend money they don't have.

I like to think of Christmas like I imagine the ladies of Cranford would, give a little of what you have to give, to the people who you love, in celebration of the season. Homemade gifts epitomise this for me (and by that I don't mean they're a paupers excuse for Christmas presents, I mean they're actually what Christmas presents should be about, for me at least).

D

I love them BUT only if the giver is competent enough at doing a good job in making them. If not, there is nothing more awful and awkward from the pov of the recipient - MIL I'm looking at you!!!

This year, it was a brightly coloured imitation of Turkish Delight. Personally, I am not a fan of the latter but I would choose it any day over the doughy, over-sweetened gloop which she densely packed into an empty Danish biscuits tin which ended up weighing a kilo. My DS tried to pick it up to take it to the kitchen and actually buckled under it's weight and fell over. DH (who would not otherwise have touched it) did the dutiful son thing of slowly working his way through the tin. At some point, I got frustrated and chucked it in the wheelie bin on the right day (otherwise he may have attempted to retrieve it).

The year before, she cut up some old knickers and made these little parcels of raw rice (don't ask, dunno) the contents of which were so badly tied that I am still finding grains around the house.

Don't even get me started on the attempts at soap making.

Each time, we are meant to appear eternally grateful and praise her obvious talents.

One of my aunts on the other hand was brilliant at homemade gifts and I remember to this day the beautiful paper baskets filled with her truffles and mints.

I think they're fine - but then I subscribe to the 'never look a gift horse in the mouth' school of thought.

However, you can easily end up spending far more on making stuff then you would on a shop-bought present - and if you're not really competent it just looks like tat.

Sounds like a great idea.

I can't make fudge till much nearer Christmas otherwise DH will eat it all (even if it's already packed nicely)!

I made marrow chutney earlier in the autumn which should be maturing and I'm doing fudge in the next couple of weeks which we will give to the staff at school and playgroup (and then hiding it so DH doesn't find it!).

I'd much prefer consumables than things I don't know what to do with or where to put (apart from plants!).

I made sweets/truffels etc for everyone last year & they went down VERY well.

This year I am making flash soya wax/essential oil candles a la the Arts & Crafts thread. Will probably do some sweets too. Might try mangos fudge!

I am not a sweet toothed person, but would love the chutney!

home made edibles - FAB , as long as they are edible...
(NB to my lovely friend, please stop it. The biscuits are always burned and look like your children have played football with them before decorating them with snot.)

Home made crafty things, ok, as long as it is not a badly-knitted spectacle case - and you don't even wear spectacles!

If the gift is given thoughtfully to the person, home made is great. I always make my mum's present and she loves it. I have made shortbread, toffee, granola and brownies. They always go down well, although she called me from the US last night for my shortbread recipe so she could make it to take to friends on Thanksgiving. Don't know if I can give it to her any more, now she knows my secret!

I think they are lovely. I did chutney last year, the only person who didn't like it was MIL - interestingly, like the IL's of a couple of people on this thread, she likes and expects expensive presents. I don't agree that you should accomodate people in this way - ok, if you know someone hates biscuits, or jam, it is thoughtless to give them that - but she does like chutney, she just wanted more money spent on her.

This weekend at a market I bought a candle in a teacup that someone had made - it was £18! Wish I'd made it myself now - it makes a beautiful gift, but would be so cheap to make.

There is a huge list of edible christmas gifts here