The Great Take Five Stocking-Stuffer Guide
Ah, the holiday season is upon us. We’re emerging from the wreckage of Black Friday spending, only to face the behemoth that is Christmas straight in the face. Who’s getting you gifts this year? Will your loose acquaintance suddenly feel generous and get you a shockingly insightful gift, causing a mad scramble to find a snow-globe on your day off? Have no fear, Mr. TAKE FIVE is here to help maximize your gifting efficiency and offer some tips on nice, not wallet-breaking casual holiday gifts and treats to have on hand and lower the stress of the season.
DIY Do’s-and-Don’ts
Now making some DIY gifts is always a tempting idea when the Holidays roll around. I’ll just teach myself how to make soap and I won’t have to make too many trips to Target! But most DIY projects will end up either just as expensive as buying the thing in the first place, and may not turn out exactly how you envisioned if you don’t have the time to refine it. This is a little obvious, but make sure you’re considering skills you already have before committing to an idea. You don’t want to discover you hate carpet-weaving more than anything in the world after buying tons of wool from Michaels. There’s a fine line between a charming homemade coaster or beer koozie, and something that looks like you probably re-gifted your old 3rd-grade art project.
With that said, though, don’t underestimate what you can possibly come up with. You may be so good at something that you overlooked it. Don’t be afraid to try something small and simple, too. Even if you’re doing something as little as putting a new coat of paint on a small picture frame or book-end, that element of customization will help increase the charm, and avoid the pitfalls of cobbling a craft together completely from scratch. Heck, even if your only talent is you have impeccable handwriting, that’s a potential gift. Write a personalized note with beautiful calligraphy, and offer your services to your giftee to compose a beautiful letter for them!
Become an Overnight Baker!
If you’re really stuck in indecision as to what knickknack to get your coworker or picky cousin for secret Santa, just do some sleuthing and find out their food allergies, then make them a treat that’s not going to take up space in their apartment. Depending on what you try to make, baking can be a lot less disastrous than higher learning-curve crafting options. If you really feel like the treats aren’t enough, you can get a cute container for the candies you bang-out with this easy homemade peppermint patties recipe. But really anyone will appreciate the effort you put in to give them some holiday treats, so don’t worry if they come out tasting wonky in the end. If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, gather the needed spices and try out these tasty Gingerbread Cookies. You’ll want to hoard these all after tasting them come out of the oven-fresh, but pretty much anyone will appreciate a small bag of these as a gift.
If you’re making these treats for a gathering or gift, they would also pair beautifully with a six-pack of TAKE FIVE! The light flavor of the peppermint patties would balance perfectly with a tart TAKE FIVE Cranberry-Raspberry Seltzer. With the gingerbread cookies, I would recommend enjoying them with TAKE FIVE’S Mango Seltzer to balance out their subtle spiciness.
Don’t Underestimate the Classics
Look, at the end of the day, you’re probably overthinking whatever it is you’re agonizing over this holiday gifts season, so don’t stress! Grab a chilled can of TAKE FIVE, sit back and enjoy……you’ve earned it!
