WIBU to give baked goods as Christmas prezzies??

[PancakesOnATuesday]

I have a large family and often struggle to think what to buy them all, I like to bake and although I'm not a professional baker I do feel confident the things would come out nice. Things like chocolates and truffles, gingerbread men I can decorate with the little ones.
OH thinks that people might not like it knowing it's not store brought and might prefer a box of celebrations instead.
I've never received any home baked stuff as gifts so I don't know if it's a good idea or not.
My question really is would you prefer a store brought box of chocolates, over something maybe not as perfect but still nice??
I know it's only November btw I just get way to excited then an adult probably should over Christmas
Thanks for any replies xx

I would much prefer to receive homemade than shop bought baked goods! Lots more personal.

Every autumn our next door neighbours take a bit batch of pears from our pear tree (they ask, we have more pears than we know what to do with!) And every christmas we receive a handmade pear chutney and it is always one of my favourite presents.

I do it. People seem grateful. I know what they like and don't like as they are friends and family who I feed regularly throughout the year anyway.

I don't give stuff which needs to be eaten immediately; usually I go for biscuits or sweets, or a preserve of some kind. Caramelised nuts maybe, something which doesn't go off quickly anyway.

It's always a reusable tin or bottle so if people feel the need to bin it then they can still use that for something else.

And I don't wrap it completely so people can see what's in it - I have a few friends who keep my munchies in their bedrooms and eat them as they do all their wrapping type stuff.

Sounds lovely OP. I'd be tickled pink to get that.

And I can't wrap my head around those who object on hygiene grounds. How very sad that you'd prefer some mass marketed crap probably full of junk. Modern life has a lot to answer for.

Hmm, a tough one. Home baked gingerbread men instead or shop bought box of Celebrations, nah not tough at all, home baked every time.

Last year instead of rushing out and spending a small fortune on Quality Street, me and DD made shortbread. We spent a weekend in November making and freezing and the day before we handed them out we baked them and packaged them up. The response was unbelievable and DD was very chuffed at her creativity.

Some people will prize shop bought over home made but I've never found them to be in the majority.

Has anyone else tried the cake mixes from The Bottled Baking Company? (Can I put the name here??). I got two bottles at Kirkstall Abbey market a couple of weeks ago and they were lovely. Seems like a good compromise on home made baking and giving a pretty gift for the OP. I can't agree with the worries about someone's kitchen though, unless I know they have questionable habits. But then, I suppose I may not know that. Hmm.

We often do this in my family, jams, chutney, fudge etc - my favourite is the Christmas pudding my sil makes 😊

Baking, not so much, but jars of pickle or jam that I can keep at eat at leisure after Christmas would go down very well.

I'd love that as a present.🍰🍰🍪

Home made sloe gin is one of the best presents I've ever received.

Sighs happily.

I agree with knowing your audience.

One side of my family actively request the home-made hampers, while the other side would be openly (and rudely) appalled.

They value shop-bought, bulky items.

This is only a good idea if you really can bake to a high standard, and are able to present things nicely, too. The problem is that once you have bought the ingredients, decorations, wrapping/jars etc, it may not be any cheaper than buying a modest gift.

As pp suggested, make things that are likely to keep for a while and don't need refrigerating e.g. gingerbread men, peppermint creams, shortbread etc are a better idea than brownies or fresh cream truffles.

I only like homemade things from very close family or friends, and only then if I know they have a clean kitchen and good food hygiene! Anything else goes secretly in the bin.

My friend once told me she sieves the weevils out of flour and I've also found a hair in a homemade fairy cake (different friend).

What sort of things are you planning to make? Homemade confectionary in a pretty bag looks better than say a tin of mince pies. I sometimes make fudge and truffles for my close family but I wouldn't give something 'everyday' as a Christmas present. It needs to look special. Could you combine baked goods with a small bought gift, e.g. Bag of homemade fudge presented in a nice mug, homemade gingerbread men inside a china biscuit barrel, panettone in a basket with a bottle of wine, that sort of thing?

I'd love that. Ask people how theyd feel about it.

Hmmm, let me think.... Something home-made that someone has actually spent time making or a box of generic chocolates that they threw in the trolley / online shop and might well have got free as part of a 3 for 2? It's a tough one....
Okay so maybe I won't like what they've made but if it's something like shortbread you can't go far wrong and it stores longer (I won't say lasts longer as it wouldn't!) and in a box of bought chocolates there are always loads I won't eat. I get a big box of chocolates from friends of my parents each year and wish they wouldn't as I have to palm most off on my parents who have already received their own big box and don't really want to work their way through those.
Of course, if you could get Thorntons to make their chocolate butter tablet again I'd take that over home-made anything every time!!

I give homemade baileys and homemade damson gin every year as gifts, they always seem to go down well.

How can putting time and effort into baking a gift for someone really be described as selfish? Even if the recipient decides not to eat it the thought, time and effort is there. Surely that is what counts.

Atleast perhaps because it can be perceived as a little 'look at me I'm so talented'

Speaking as someone who just had to chuck a home bake bdy gift (given today!) because it was mouldy when I opened it, I'd say no.

Also- They were bloody muffins too. It's not even hard to make muffins - I can whip up a batch for 40 in a single morning. Hardly showstopping stuff.

It is a bit "look at me" re homemade items.

It could also be "I couldn't be bothered to shop for everyone so I threw some gingerbread in the oven" type thing as well.

Some see it as stingy, especially home made alcohol and cakes that cost pennies to make.

Depends on your viewpoint. I'd rather have a token small gift that shows somebody knows me well and thought of me than a bottle of something i won't ever drink or something to eat that I can likely pick up cheap in a supermarket with the weekly shop.

It's one of those things that depends on the person, a bit like charity gifts.

If it was something like a Christmas cake or a Christmas pudding I wouldn't really mind. I suppose it's not much different to giving someone a bottle of alcohol for a gift. On the other hand, I know a few people who would probably think it's a bit stingy. I myself don't.

I think it's a lovely idea, but I would avoid anything obviously Christmassy (eg mince pies) as people will have had enough of them. But things that are a bit less usual like gingerbread, panforte etc, well, why not?