by Karin Breuer

Created on: October 24, 2008   Last Updated: December 03, 2011

Google "giving gifts of food" and 636,000 titles appear. Giving gifts of food is practiced by people all over the world and all have similar meanings: thanksgiving, hospitality, celebration, family and festival. The themes are kindness, warmth, generosity, appreciation and love.

Magazines are full of recipes and pictures that entice us to make our own gifts for the holiday gift-giving season. Books filled with step by step instructions on how to create and decorate food gifts line bookstore shelves. But where do we start?

Start with the reason for giving a gift. Do you wish to welcome someone to the neighborhood? Is it a housewarming party? Do you need a hostess gift? Is it a gift of love for someone special? Will you take it to the person or does it need to be sent in a parcel?

Second, think about the festivals that might be closely linked to the reason for giving your gift. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and so on can be the foundation for your gift of food. Each festival has foods we associate with the celebration and give us many ideas for gifts.

Third, think about your time. If you groan thinking about making something, perhaps it is better to just shop for some delectable items and spend time putting your personal touch on the arrangement. If you do have the time, go back to the reason for giving the gift and start with the occasion and the portability of the food you are preparing.

The container is as much the gift as the things it contains and will evoke memories of that gift long after it was eaten. A woven basket lined with a cheerful tea-towel and a loaf of your homemade bread makes a wonderful housewarming or welcome gift especially during the fall festivals. A glass jar of cookies or homemade candy is an elegant hostess gift at Hanukkah, Christmas or Halloween. A small tray of jams, baked goods, coffee or tea makes a loving gift to a newly married son or daughter.

Finally, think about the person to whom you are giving the gift. Food, although universal, is also personal. The less you know the person, the simpler the food item should be; keep your special tastes for those you know well. The gift of food is a hand of friendship; but the gift of time preparing the food is a gift of love.

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