It is that time of the year again and what do you get the homesteader/prepper who has everything? I love giving gifts and I try to give gifts that are mainly useful or serve a purpose. Of course, I add some extra nonfunctional items, like houseplants or decorative doodads, for close family and friends and I like to think outside the box. Even if someone is not necessarily a prepper or homesteader you can always give something that can be useful. I am just throwing out some ideas of gifts that I have received and given that were big hits! Times are tough financially for everyone, so I try to give something someone would like but may be reluctant to spend the money on for themselves.
BOOKS and MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
My favorite gifts to give are books. There is something for everyone out there in literature. How to books, hobby books, novels, the sky is the limit. You can never own enough books. A beautiful, new Bible is one of the most thoughtful gifts to give someone. Is your friend/family member getting a new pup or a gardener? Training and gardening books. We purchase a yearly subscription to Backwoods Home Magazine for our friend for Christmas every year. There are several great homesteading magazines out there. A year or two subscription is a very useful gift. If someone has poor vision or otherwise can’t read, then audiobooks are available. A great classic or mystery novel for those rainy days. There is nothing more enjoyable than hitting the couch with a cup of coffee, a blanket, dogs, and a good book. There are so many topics to choose from. Bookplates are nice also. I received some several years ago from mom with animals on them. Year after year you can contribute to someone’s personal library. Books for kids are wonderful. Anything to keep them off their cell phones! I still have many of my childhood books. We were taught to revere books as children — to never tear out pages or make crayon marks in them.
You can purchase books anywhere. Of course, there is the internet and various sites that cater to the bibliophile. Actual real used bookstores are now a rarity but a lot of antique stores have a decent used book selection. I have found some wonderful old gardening or homeopathy books to give as gifts.
Shopping in ANTIQUE SHOPS
While you are in the antique stores looking at books, check around for other useful homesteader/prepper gifts. An antique oil lamp or kerosene lamp, cleaned up with a big bow on it is a lovely gift. Order some extra wicks from Lehman’s and include a bottle of lamp oil. This is a really nice gift anyone can appreciate and useful as well.
Older Mason jars, especially the blue ones look great filled with dried herbs, candy, teabags, etc.
Non-electric tools, garden implements, kitchen utensils, and so forth. This is all useful stuff and most people I know would appreciate it and it is often overlooked as a gift potential. Think outside the box.
THE GARDENER
A big flower pot filled with hand tools, gloves, and seeds. If the seeds are ones you have saved, be sure to include planting instructions. Last year I was given a big plastic box with 30 little plastic boxes in it. Don’t know what the intended purpose of the box was but my friend told me it was a seed organizer. What a wonderful idea! Weather instruments are great gifts also. Thermometers, barometers, home weather stations, there are lots of options to pick from. Bird feeders, a bird bath, include a bag of bird seed. Gardening books and magazines for references and planning. A new garden gnome statue can always find a happy home in my ever-expanding gardens.
HOMEmade and HANDMADE
Hand/homemade gifts are the best! Nothing says love better than home/handmade. A gift bag with several mason jars filled with homemade jam, mincemeat, pickles, or nuts is always a hit. You can fancy up the jars with nice labels, a piece of fabric on the lid or some raffia grass. Mason jars filled with dry ingredients for cookies or soup are always appreciated. Make sure to include the directions and the rest of the ingredients required. Home-baked treats like cookies or bread disappear quickly in our home. Place them in a decorative tin and no wrapping is required. My mom makes a homemade fruitcake that is wonderful. She is the fruitcake queen and I mean that in a nice way! I would walk on broken glass for a piece of that cake. Relatives always look forward to one as a Christmas gift. A lot of time and effort go into homemade gifts.
I truly appreciate anything sewn, knitted, or crocheted as I cannot do anything with fabric, thread, or yarn. My best friend, D, made me a beautiful afghan several years ago for Christmas and I love it. I know the effort that went into making it and truly appreciate it.
Handmade lotions, soaps, and candles are gifts most women love. Not to be left out are our furry friends. Homemade dog biscuits or catnip for them. Animals like holidays too!
CLOTHING GIFTS
Wool socks are one of the best gifts that I can think to give someone. You can never have enough of these. Wrap the socks up in bandanas instead of wrapping paper. We can always use more bandanas. Gloves, mittens, hats, and scarves are always appreciated and useful, especially where I live. Heavy-duty tee-shirts or sweatshirts top the list also. Heavy sweaters, especially wool, bring smiles. Make sure you do your homework and get the correct sizes for loved ones.
FOOD
Wine or liquor always brings a smile, especially homemade liquor. A jar of local, raw honey or genuine maple syrup is something I always wish I had more of on my panrty shelf. One year we gave our friend five pounds of bacon from the local butcher shop. What man doesn’t appreciate bacon! Take a gift bag and layer it. For the first layer I use citrus fruits, then a layer of nuts, followed by a layer of chocolate. There are many variations to this gift. Tailor it to the individual or family. The boxes of citrus from Florida are always appreciated, especially in the north. The gift boxes of fruit, cheese, dried fruit and nuts are wonderful also. We received a large platter of dried fruit and nuts one year from Bob, whom we love dearly. We tore into that quickly! A pound of gourmet coffee and a pair of mugs for the coffee lover. For the tea drinker, just substitute tea instead of coffee. If kids are in the house, add some hot cocoa. Everyone loves to eat!
FOR THE COOK AND KITCHEN
A vintage mixing or bread bowl is beautiful. Add a mason jar with dry ingredients and the instructions or some kitchen towels (you can never have enough of these) or potholders. There are many types of sea salt out there I would love to try but won’t spend the money on myself, but I would love to receive it as a gift. Give homegrown dried herbs labeled in a mason jar, or braids of garlic. A friend gave me real vanilla extract one year. What a great gift that was! Kitchen utensils, like wooden spoons, dough scrapers, and a heavy duty, metal garlic press. Cutlery can be really pricey so do your homework and research on best brands and quality. I personally prefer Henckel’s cutlery, it has stood the test of time and abuse in our kitchen.
Cast iron or enamel (graniteware) cookware is available in many places, with varying prices and degrees of quality. Cookbooks, especially vintage, are always in demand.
BASIC NECESSITIES
Consider: A decent flashlight, with batteries or a solar lantern. A good headlight for those early trips to the hen house in the dark. Solar lights of all shapes and sizes are always needed. Tools are great and always needed also. Where does the tape measure go when it’s needed? Why are all three of ours missing? Women need their own toolboxes. A newlywed or new homesteading female would value their own little tool kit immensely. I know where mine is and stock it with tools I need in our home periodically. The tools include a small hammer, screwdrivers, tape measure, and various picture hooks, screws, and nails. My husband always says to stay out of his tools and they are such a disorganized mess it’s not an issue. I go to my little toolbox and get what I need. Hide your girly toolbox or hubby will make it resemble his workbench. Those of you women married for several years know what I mean. I have given mom a nice little screwdriver and hammer set with pink flowers on thm. Most husbands won’t touch a tool with pink or flowers on it. Our best friend, J, gave my husband a large, heavy mallet with a big red bow on it when we first moved to Maine. That mallet is still being used today, 18 years later. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.
Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and tape measures, all great gifts. You can never have enough of these and I find it best to have a toolbox in the garage and one in the house. Throw in some Duck tape or Gorilla tape and some Gorilla glue, as a stocking stuffer.
I would love a new, lightweight snow shovel for Christmas or a nice, sturdy razor knife with extra blades. The razor knife would go right into my hidden toolbox and I know I have one when I need it.
Several years ago I discovered fleece throw blankets. They have fleece on one side and a velvet like fabric on the other side. Everyone I know loves these throws. My dogs seem like them also and tend to steal them so several throws are needed.
A new calendar is a great gift and there are many options to pick from. Most older folks like my husband and I still use an actual real paper calendar, no electricity or batteries required! Mom likes the 18-month calendar books. She finds it easier to write an appointment down rather than try to put it into a cell phone.
NO MONEY? GIVE THE GIFT OF LABOR
The economy sucks and won’t be getting better anytime soon despite what MSM propaganda says. If you are really unable to purchase or make something, think outside the box again. A Christmas card with a coupon for your labor as a gift. You can offer to shovel/plow snow, stack firewood, babysit, cook, clean, rototilling, weeding…… use your imagination. I would love someone to come stack firewood in the spring!
WRAP IT UP
Gift cards or donations made in someone’s name are always an alternative when ideas run out. Wrap gifts in towels or bandanas, always needed and not wasteful like paper. I add a feather or two from the huge collection I have from my chickens on the gift label or add some seashells or small pieces of driftwood. Fresh greens look and smell nice also. So think outside the box for gift ideas and make sure the giving comes from your heart. May God bless you and your families this holiday season and the upcoming New Year!