Wine and Desert Gifts for Christmas

                                              

       Wine and Dessert are wonderful friends. And they make such a great gift to send to family and friends for Christmas or any time through out the year.                  

At the Bakery (www.everydaygourmetbakery.com) we pair our Fudge Cake and our Vanilla Raspberry cakes with wines from a local winery. It is such a delicious way to say I love you at Christmas.

Other gifts that I enjoy giving are ones from sites online that support animal groups, rainforests and other issues like hunger. One of these is the online store at www.farmsanctuary.com also The Animal Rescue site and their shopping spot http://www.shop2give.us

Oh the Holidays

The Holidays bring with them a lot of things.... One of which is stress! Stressing over the gifts, and  is the house going to be ready for guests this year, "what do I serve at parties" and "What the Heck is all this going to cost me anyway"!

I am not an expert on this but I might have a few ideas that could save you a little stress:

• The first and foremost one is Relax; everything will work out fine and "why does everything have to be so perfect anyway"?? Stressing out only stresses those around you out and can sometimes ruin the holidays for all....
• Next make a list of only the essential people that you have to buy for. Take all of those other people off your list. We are in a recession after all and this is not the time to focus on purchasing gifts for those that are not the most important people in our lives.
• And try not to put more on your credit card than you can pay off in the first month of 2012.
• This might make the last two easier: Focus this year on the meaning of Christmas and not the commercialism, gather a group and volunteer at a homeless shelter or food kitchen. Get kids involved in a food drive or gift drive. Make gifts this year and involve the whole family in making them. 
• When you are buying gifts keep in mind what the recipient might really need. Make your dollars count buy making your gifts usable items that someone will actually use. And I don't mean a tie for daddy covered in comic book characters!
• What about those really hard to buy for people. Well food gifts are just the thing for them. Wrap up a bottle of sweet wine and order them a small chocolate dessert from (www.everydaygourmetbakery.com) and they will be happy campers for sure.
• And if you have the money but don't need the stress of shopping in those busy malls bursting at the seams with craized parents looking for the latest and greatest toy for little Tommy then order all or most of your gifts on-line and have them gift wrapped and shipped directly to everyone on your list....

Hope some of these ideas will be helpful. I try every year to be less stressed at the Hoilday's and one of the best ways I do it is to not fret over the gifts, the sales are better the day after anyway!!!!