In defense of homemade

I know a lot of people who don't want to give homemade gifts.  Sometimes it's because they don't have time to figure out what to give and/or to make it.  This I understand.

But I know others who don't like to give homemade gifts because they don't feel like they're giving a "real" gift.  Because a "real" gift involves spending money - more specifically, buying something new from a store.

I get it, because even when I make someone something that took a lot of time and effort, I often still think I should buy the "givee" something so they know for sure I'm not being cheap at their expense.  This isn't so much about my thinking regarding something homemade, but rather how I think the receiver will think about receiving something homemade.

I wonder if some of this has to do with age?  When I was kid, I'm pretty sure if you'd asked me, I would have told you I'd prefer a shiny new gift from the store.

But now, since I can afford myself most things people would give me as gifts, and because I'm busy enough that I truly understand what I'm getting when I receive a homemade gift with hours of time put into it, I find myself experiencing great joy when I'm on the receiving end of something homemade.

Or maybe it's just because I have a lot of stuff - what do I really NEED?

Who knows.  But all that to say, I received some AMAZING homemades this Christmas.  And they all involved food. 😋

Here are a few pics:

On Christmas Eve, my sister-in-law Linda showed up with a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, made from a recipe of her mothers.  A gift full of memories and meaning.

She also surprised us with homemade cupcakes, mints & marshmallows.

SO good!!

(I think they were made by other family members as well.)

My neighbor Teresa showed up on Christmas with a basket of homemade sourdough bread, some artisan cheese & butter, and homemade spiced pecans.

It was magic.

(I forgot to take a photo before we ate almost everything...see below.)

I told Teresa how amazing the pecans were (as well as everything else) and she showed up a few days later with more!

I had made my own attempt at spiced nuts this year, and they were good.  But Teresa's recipe was the best I'd ever had.  She gave me her recipe, which was very simple.  She also taught me something important.  Apparently, one of the keys to amazing spiced pecans is using homemade pecans.

I had never given thought to the quality of the nuts used.  But according to Teresa, it makes a huge difference.  She is from Mississippi, where fresh pecans are abundant.  She swears they are much better (as in fresher, bigger and plumper) than what you'd find in a grocery store, so she only uses pecans mailed to her from her sister in Mississippi.  Interesting.

You can't argue with an amazing final product.  And now I know how to make them too!

These are truly one of the most addictive things I've ever eaten.  I can't say that they're healthy.  But for a holiday splurge?  Perfect!

So if one lesson I learned from the Christmas holiday this year is to never underestimate the quality of a Tractor Supply dvd, perhaps the other is: sometimes the best things in life are homemade.

Not free, because giving gifts involving homemade ingredients (like mail-order pecans) are definitely not free.  I'm not even sure they qualify as cheap.

But they definitely come from the heart.

Whatever the cost, I love homemade!