To hate homemade gifts

[Bearbehind]

New thread with the vote enabled this time!

Unless the giver is actually good enough at making what ever it is to sell then I wish they just wouldn’t give homemade stuff, especially food

Fortunately I don’t generally receive them but I have a friend who’s a teacher who’s inundated with them at Christmas

It just seems such a waste as it pretty much all gets binned

All this perfectly good vodka turned into ‘home made’ stuff by having cheap sweets dissolved in it

I don't tend to do it because I lack talent and imagination but I love receiving homemade gifts, especially consumables. I can buy my own shop-bought things, really, so there's a pleasure in being given something I can't just purchase.

They're a gift of time, they're often traditional and most anyone can give them so there's a lack of showy-off financial one-upmanship involved. They're also a good talking point when received from people you don't know very well.

Big fan of the "let's just go out and do something together" gifts too.

Also you should always be grateful just to receive a gift of any sort.

YAB Ungracious!

I do some home made but only for people I know will appreciate it. I do a veg in olive oil thing that goes down well with foodies but I wouldn't give it to some of my friends who wouldn't eat it.

I try to think about the person I am buying for and what they would like.

I did do 4 small jars of chutneys / pickles for a secret santa once which went down surprisingly well.

All this perfectly good vodka turned into ‘home made’ stuff by having cheap sweets dissolved in it

Ugh. I know.

But the gifters think they're so clever and inspired with their awful concoctions. And the receivers have to put on their "oh, how lovely...oh yes we'll definitely drink it...oh we loved last year's" which the gifters are too busy being pleased with themselves to see through. They just think, see, there's proof of my homemaking talent, people love my fabulous vodka.

We don't. Even when we say we do, please be self aware enough to understand we're trying to look gracious and polite because you've made the bloody thing.

DM makes us wild strawberry gin every summer. She loves it and declares how easy it is to make it and how much better it is than anything in the shops. So everyone gets a bottle. It's fucking awful and we pour a bit down the sink each week to look like we're enjoying it when she comes round.

If you ask DM? We all love the stuff. She has to make it every year as she imagines they'd be uproar if we were all deprived of this absolute treat.

She loves the idea that something she's made is so enjoyed. And we'd never upset her to the contrary. So we're all stuck in this cycle of bloody awful homemade gin.

Just a little food gin for thought to the posters who state "well, everyone tells me they love my fabulous homemade wares.". Exactly who do you think will ever tell you, "sorry, it's shit and gets binned"??

Last Christmas my friends and I were skint so decided to buy a huge pack of linen/cotton shopping bags between us. They were pretty cheap and poor quality. We each designed one for each of the others so we all ended up with four shopping bags. Some were amazing and had hand-sewn designs, some had been drawn on with felt tips. But I love them all and whenever I go shopping I grab one and think about that friend and smile - often I smile more with the less well done ones! We just thought that everyone needs shopping bags and we don't really care what they end up looking like. We've even discussed doing it again this year! But if anyone has any similar ideas I'd love to hear them!

There are a lot of amazing crafters on this thread, who seem very defensive of giving their items as gifts. I would be the first to say that if you gifted me some of the crafts featured on the thread I would be thrilled. However, these are not the homemade gifts the OP is referring to.

The OP clearly says Unless the giver is actually good enough at making what ever it is to sell

Ah but Blouse, if you dissolve a few packs of Refreshers into vodka and filter it properly, then mix with lemonade, it tastes like rainbow!

I love a handmade gift, even if it's shitty, because it means my friend/relation put some real time and effort into making something for me. I think that's just lovely. You could go online and buy a box of chocolate in 2minutes with no thought, but even a shit handmade gift will have taken significantly more time and thought than that.

You don't have to keep them, it's the thought that counts. But I love it! Then again, I'm a crafter myself. I make mango chutney and I knit nerdy things. I made my bestie a reversible star wars scarf and beanie recently and I like to think she likes it :p

@Frightenedforthefuture that's a really lovely thing to do. I don't see that as homemade tat though, it's all of you participating in a little project/idea that means something. Very different to DM's gin.

There are a lot of amazing crafters on this thread, who seem very defensive of giving their items as gifts. I would be the first to say that if you gifted me some of the crafts featured on the thread I would be thrilled. However, these are not the homemade gifts the OP is referring to.

Absolutely. Those felted little dogs are superb. That's obvious talent. So individual, specific and thoughtful. And definitely not the kind of thing OP is referring too.

The blankets one poster made, are a good example too. I don't use blankets. Ever. So if I was gifted one, there would be an element of "this has come from what the gifter wants to gift as opposed to what the recipient likes or needs". But. The difference here is that you can see the huge amount of man hours that have gone into creating something like that. And the fact that someone cares enough to dedicate that time to create something for me, would make it very special indeed.

This does not apply to one size fits all, look what I've made, wine glasses dipped in glitter, dissolving skittles in vodka, or chutney which must be fabulous because there's a naice ribbon strung round it. We love that stuff
We must do. Because we smile and say how lovely.

It's fucking awful and we pour a bit down the sink each week to look like we're enjoying it when she comes round. If you ask DM? We all love the stuff. She has to make it every year as she imagines they'd be uproar if we were all deprived of this absolute treat.

I would just tell her the truth, I usually take people at face value so will believe you that you like it.
If you think it'll hurt her feelings say something like 'Dm we've overfaced ourselves on your strawberry gin and don't think we'd be able to drink another drop, save it for someone else'

I make exquisite fine art mosaics and am ocasionally inspired to make one for someone I love. These works of art would be worth hundreds of GBP if sold. So I agree with "homemade" gifts if they are good quality. www.joysturgessmosaics.com

@joystir59, let’s say you made a mosaic for someone but they didn’t like it. As your work sells for £££, would you be annoyed if they sold it and bought something they did like/want?

I love handmade but not so much homemade ( i.e. without any professionalism or real skill). I'm especially not keen on edible homemade gifts as there is no requirement for quality or hygiene

I only make mosaics as gifts for someone when they've expressed an interest in having one, or when I'm confident they will enjoy it because it reflects them/their interests such as this

Or this

The star war knit is inspired! Amazing! Id be more than happy with that!

And so if they sold it I would be a bit surprised, but it would belong to them to do with as they wished, and go into to someone else to be enjoyed, hopefully

Sounds like you’re a good gift-giver @joystir59!

For Christmas my colleagues and 3 neighbours get a jar of chutney or jam I've made. They are not the type of people to put them in the bin.

@newbingepisodes I guarantee none of you would complain at our homemade gin!

What are you basing this on though? I get so much homemade alcohol each year. Of course I say it's lovely but A) it never actual is and B) at least 10 of us have exactly the same so I'm not sure what all what the gifting element is. Plus no one to swap with

I was once given really nicely decorated mugs for my wedding, washed them and the pattern was gone! A nice gift but just drawn in felt tip with no knowledge of what would happen once they were used.

I am against gifts in general! I LOVE handmade button/scrabble frames, I don't like handmade food of any type unless a child made it (by choice their little proud faces are so cute), but pretend I do if I get them (one year I got blocks of icing made into cats for my birthday off an adult... So sickly).

I remember when I was pregnant a friend made me a pregnant woman and man... Yes the man had a huge pregnant belly too. You put photos in the couple's pregnant bellies and she came round upset every week it wasn't out. So I stuck this pregnant couple she made on my wall and everyone who came round commented how unusual it was (aka what is that weird pregnant couple on your wall). I'm surprised she hasn't made me more as I love it so much

Be aware everyone who makes handmade as a hobby and not a job (some of you could definitely make a living off your items), people are polite and just becuase your items are on show doesn't mean anyone likes them!

“ well clearly he is a saint for keeping everything”

Ohmydarling you misunderstood the point of my post. My husband teaches secondary - children’s handmade gifts are not really a thing. He doesn’t keep all presents - he keeps all notes and cards. My concern was you saying always give vouchers to teachers and I was saying that that was necessary at all. Heartfelt notes are best.

Hmmm I appreciate the sentiment and the effort that would go in to a homemade gift but I personally would never give anything homemade. Homemade food items are an absolute no, I can’t even drink in other people’s houses never mind eat their food. 🤮 (yes it’s me being ridiculous but it’s true)

“ There are a lot of amazing crafters on this thread, who seem very defensive of giving their items as gifts. I would be the first to say that if you gifted me some of the crafts featured on the thread I would be thrilled. However, these are not the homemade gifts the OP is referring to.”

Except some are not just responding to the OP - there are other people who have gone further than the OP about handmade things and posters are allowed to respond to them too

I love homemade gifts, whatever the quality. The effort that goes into them is worth more than a 3for2 smelly set from boots.