This is the year I'm finally breaking down and taking my teenage daughters shopping on Black Friday. Major concession, even if we're only going to Fred Meyer in the Tri-Cities. My husband suggested adding the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick, but let's start with baby steps.
On your mark, get set--shop! (Photo by Alexandru Tugui on Unsplash
If you're like me and your least favorite part of Christmas is the pressure of buying gifts, let me offer some possibly helpful suggestions. First off, two of my favorite food-related books read in 2017:
Hmm...come to think of it, giving this book could cause offense, depending on the health of the person you give it to, or it could temporarily turn your recipient into a sugar-fearing drill sergeant. Maybe this could be the gift you give yourself.
But this one is good for all purposes:
Never Out of Season combines history and food and a little science for a fascinating look at the global food supply. And it isn't entirely gloom and doom, either. But if the person you give it to also likes gardening, they'll have a blast poring over this catalog I found in Whole Foods:
Wholesome family not included, I'm guessing
It was loads of fun just to page through this glossy, full-color catalog, bursting with all those varieties of fruits and vegetables and even flowers you don't find in the stores anymore (but which you often do see at the Bellevue Farmers Market). It looks like you can also order the catalog direct, here.
If your loved ones like to cook, one of my best purchases in 2017 was a croissant-making class that I took with my younger daughter at Whisk on Main Street. Not only did we come away with new skills and tasty samples, but we were able to reproduce them at home, and she said it was her favorite gift. Whisk offers many different classes, including some for younger kids, and I'm already eyeing the offerings for this Christmas.
Ours looked like these, only not as good. (Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash
I'll do a post on home-cooked Christmas gifts later, but wouldn't it be fun to receive a complete meal that can be put in the freezer? Or a homemade gift coupon inviting the recipient(s) for dinner and a movie/board game/heartfelt conversation at your house on a possible date?
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and, really, don't bother reading this post until after you've pushed away from the feast table, happy and satisfied.
