When I was growing up, my family always gave gifts of food -- fudge, or cookies, or holiday breads --to the neighbors at Christmas time. Mr. T and I have carried that tradition on with our own neighbors. It’s really neat to see how others in our neighborhood now give “neighbor gifts” of their own. We always receive a yummy pie from one neighbor, salsa from another, cookies from others. It’s fun and gives us a nice contact with our neighbors. When I give a cookie tray I often tie on a pretty Christmas tract or card containing the true message of the season.
For years, we always gave our neighbors trays of homemade cookies. In recent years, I’ve changed that up a bit. We may give cookies, or maybe something else, like muffins and hot chocolate mix, or scones or tea breads and a pack of pretty napkins.
I have found it very, very helpful to list down each neighbor we give to and to note what we give to each one each year. I also note if something was a special favorite. Golden Apricot Cake, for example, always draws rave reviews from some recipients. If someone really enjoys a particular cookie or other treat, I will be sure and give them that again sometime.
If you have never given “neighbor gifts” before, why not choose a neighbor or two to visit with a little homemade remembrance this year?
I'm thinking of doing something for our neighbors this year. I'm just not sure. Our neighbors right next door are East Indian - do they like our North American sweets? And our neighbors across the street are Asian - I know they don't eat sweets as "sweet" as North Americans do. So I'm thinking maybe a variety of breads, either quick or yeast, with a few cookies thrown in?
ReplyDeleteI will definitely do something special for our landlord and our downstairs neighbors, with whom we share the house!
Those sound like good ideas for your neighbors of other ethnic backgrounds. Scones or muffins might be nice -- not as sweet as cookies, but rather festive. Sometimes I give scones or breads with an assortment of tea bags or a hot chocolate mix.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, definitely do something special for your landlord and your downstairs neighbors. This is such a nice time for reaching out to your neighbors!