by Dawn R. Babcook

Created on: November 20, 2011

There is nothing more challenging than trying to figure out the perfect gift for a friend or neighbor that is desperately in need of help but has too much pride to ask.  There are ways around helping them that will not in any way hurt their feelings or pride.  I have found this out through my own personal experiences in life.  I to have struggled through the holiday times even more some than others and of course my pride gets in the way of asking anyone for any help whatsoever, but 1 day, during the holiday time a good friend and neighbor of mine came to me with a gift that I treasured and appreciated more than any other gift I had ever received.  It was a chicken noodle soup mix in a jar.  What a wonderful idea I thought as I knew that a pot of soup would feed myself and my daughter for a few days on our terribly tight budget.  That was when I decided that I was going to follow in her footsteps with the best and easiest holiday gifts that are guaranteed to not offend or hurt anyones feelings or pride. 

The next holiday season I had purchased some canning jars and a very few ingredients, as I had most of the rest to do cookies, brownies, soups & homemade cocoa mixes.   I began searching the internet for all of the Gifts In A Jar recipes that I could find, but especially the ones in which I knew I would have most if not all of the ingredients.  I began creating numerous soups in jars, cookies & brownie mixes.  I then also made up a great big batch of homemade hot cocoa mix, which I had purchased several christmas coffee mugs from the local Dollar store and stuck the mixes in baggies with a ribbon tied around them with instructions on how to prepare, which is what I had done with the Gifts In A Jar gifts as well.  Along with the cocoa and coffee mug I would stick a christmas candy cane, especially for the children as that was a gift that I knew children would enjoy even more than an adult.  So as you can see there really is no possible way of going wrong when giving someone who is in need a gift of something in a jar as mentioned.  I have actually done it for many friends, family and co-workers and have always received a great response from all.

Learn more about this author, Dawn R. Babcook.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.