Thrifty Christmas: Part 1

One of the best gifts that I enjoy both giving and receiving is food! Specialty food stores (like Harry & David) sell elegant and creative food, especially during this time of year. But the price tag - yikes - is usually really high. So I enjoy going in stores like that and getting ideas of things that I could recreate.

I've found several books to be really helpful in coming up with creative ideas for food gifts. Written by Lonnette Parks, there are several Mason Jar Cookbooks: Cookies, Dessert, and Soup to Nuts. These books are reasonably priced on Amazon (especially if you have been saving up Swagbucks to redeem for Amazon gift cards!) but I have actually gotten these from my local public library. I had to request them from another branch, but they came quickly.

There are also TONS of websites with similar recipes. Check out RecipeLink and DoIt101 for some examples. I cannot vouch for any of the recipes on the websites; I have only used the physical cookbooks.

Mason Jars are so classy looking, especially when tied up with a nice piece of cloth and ribbon. This year I went for a different look by using clear plastic gift bags with Christmas themes.