Shitty homemade Christmas Gifts

[justilou1]

I’m really loving the homemade Christmas gifts thread, and am watching it for inspiration. Can we start one for ideas for things to avoid - ie glitter-encrusted his&hers champagne flutes.

I feel slightly queasy at the thought of a cake made in a baked bean tin.
I don’t understand the randomness of the baked bean tin.

What next homemade soup in an old slipper?

Does anyone remember those awful friendship cake mixtures that used to be passed around? In my case passed straight down the sink.

I know this is a humorous thread but it's also a sad thread because many of these are from people locked into the gift buying culture who are either trying to make Christmas more financially manageable or just less commercial and soulless. I'm sure there are many people who'd happily stop gift-giving for adults or restrict them to no more than a fiver in value, in which case, does it matter that much if you get the odd horrendous (to you) homemade gift? Why don't more people have these conversations?

I wouldn't mind some of these, especially kilner jars filled with cake/cookie ingredients. But I am a person who always reacts positively to food gifts at any time of the year. I like to eat and they tend to be cheapish, so no great financial burden on the buyer. So those who know me and buy me gifts know they'll never go wrong with simple food gifts.

Sort of liking the idea of baked bean tin cake, but only for something to do on a wet Saturday afternoon, and to eat myself.

I always used to make homemade truffles for favoured people until I discovered on MN that homemade is shite. I now make them and eat them all myself. And I drink all my sloe gin I make too. Your loss folks.

Incidently chocolates made with the mashed up sloes from the sloe gin are rather fab.

^I feel slightly queasy at the thought of a cake made in a baked bean tin.
I don’t understand the randomness of the baked bean tin^

It's for the shape isn't it. It's no different to making a meat loaf/bread/ bundt cake in the same bakingtin. So long as you wash it surely.

Cantastic

Also love Christmas cake

I think a lot of the issue is quality related so the beautifully made and or delicious gifts are fine its just the crap versions that no one wants.

For the pp who showed lovely baked bean cakes - these would be appreciated (if you like Christmas cake) but a rubbish version wouldn't.

Ditto the rock hard jam, and cheap hot chocolate mixes

know this is a humorous thread but it's also a sad thread because many of these are from people locked into the gift buying culture who are either trying to make Christmas more financially manageable or just less commercial and soulless.

I agree.

I don’t understand the randomness of the baked bean tin

At least it’s beans. We had to bring in a tin to Brownies to do this in the 90s and I didn’t tell my mum what it was for so she just emptied a tuna tin two minutes before we left the house, rinsed it out and gave it to me to take. The cake did not taste good

Not random at all WhipIt. They are made of the right material, they are the right size for small cakes and they are easily and cheaply available for people who don't have proper cake tins in their cupboards.

Anything that isn't edible, and anything edible made by someone who has dubious hygiene and a dirty kitchen.

I make amazing jam from home grown fruit. But I wouldn’t give it as a gift, I eat it all myself

Just don't do presents to other adults (apart from your parents etc), if you must, choose something edible.

Having never heard of them before and inspired by iggys lovely cakes, I'm definitely going to try this year.

know this is a humorous thread but it's also a sad thread because many of these are from people locked into the gift buying culture who are either trying to make Christmas more financially manageable or just less commercial and soulless

There is a thread for people sharing really good homemade ideas which is overall positive. This thread is about the shit ones. There are homemade gifts I would love as I’ve said.

I love to craft but I’m useless so I would never inflict my creations on anyone.

I do however spend months saving for and choosing presents for my (massive) family, based on conversations we’ve had in the year, stuff I know they like etc. It is a way I show them how much I know them and love them and I don’t think it’s commercial or soulless.

Those mini-Christmas cakes look terrific - I will look into doing them myself. Don’t think I’ll manage the high decorating standards, but I’m an excellent baker.

Does anyone remember those awful friendship cake mixtures that used to be passed around? were these those ones which you had to ‘feed’ for days? I made one of those and shared with someone who now has her own cake making business and has been on GBBO extra slice. She can share all the homemade food she wants with me as her cakes are wonderful.

'Financially manageable' is a bit misleading I always find though, all the ingredients and ways to decorate it add up!

And I don’t believe that homemade things are the only way to get out of the buying cycle - less but quality is perfectly achievable too if you know the person you’re buying for!

Homemade soup in an old slipper

Actually crying with laughter at this

Some people do love preparing for Christmas namechange but when people are dreading it because of the financial burden and the preparations involved, it is time to change things IMO.

Badly executed homemade anything isn't likely to go down well unless it's from a child but otherwise I don't think we can reach any sort of consensus about which homemade gifts will be appreciated and which won't. Perhaps if people say why they don't want X,Y or Z, others may work out what they should avoid making for their loved ones.

Hyacinth bulbs in tiny little pots that grow all stunted and look awful. This is apart from the fact hyacinths smell like dried pee when the flowers are going over.

A homemade Xmas pudding which when opened in January was covered in mould🤮
《yes you SIL》

Anything home baked eg cookies etc

@Magpiefeather your gifts aren't shit though.

A handmade puppet set is particularly cool.

Perhaps if people say why they don't want X,Y or Z, others may work out what they should avoid making for their loved ones

Good idea. I’ve had a look in the cupboard to see what I have unopened from Christmasses past. Note some of these are most likely a health hazard now, and yes I should clear out my cupboards more.

• chestnut purée (I don’t know what to do with this)
• 5 types of chutney with stuff I wouldn’t choose in (I have 4 types of chutney I LOVE and I just don’t enjoy others, especially ones featuring courgettes)
• honey which is like concrete (and it did start like this, it’s not just because it’s been in the back of the cupboard forever)

I’ve also binned a lot of very grainy chocolate truffles and soggy gingerbread. Sadly also a lot of knitwear has gone to charity which I feel horrible about but doesn’t fit, is itchy or is super bright which just isn’t me.

I have beautiful pictures up that people have given me and cards that are so amazing that I’ve kept and framed, and I have very gratefully received and consumed sloe gin, ginger biscuits, peppermint creams (I think these bring back childhood memories) and brownies. But my sister doesn’t drink or like ginger so when she has received the same stuff- which always seems to be case- she’s been disappointed.