What? You still don’t have your Christmas shopping done? Well, that’s a good thing because it just might force you to use the old noggin to finish up your seasonal gift-buying.
Christmas shopping does not have to be a hazard to your blood pressure, mental stability and credit rating. It’s easy to make it yours and make it thoughtful, especially at Whistler.
First, it’s great if you can come up with gift ideas that support concepts you believe in. One Christmas all the presents I gave came from women who owned their own businesses. Another year they were all from local artists; another it was gifts from international initiatives like Ten Thousand Villages that support people in developing countries.
But given this is a food column, here are a few local, food-based ideas that will no doubt delight their recipients, and let you give the most magical gift of all — gifts that are much appreciated and, other than maybe an expanding waistline, pretty much sustainable.
In our busy world, one of the most generous things you can give someone is the gift of your own time, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Sure, you can make up a little hand-made certificate proclaiming your offer of free baby-sitting or driveway cleaning.
But if baking or cooking is something you do well and joyfully, then bake or cook up a storm for presents. Maybe it’s the brownies a pal drools over every time you serve them (bake them in a new pan and leave it with him as part of the gift). Or maybe your friends love granola, so whip up a batch and “bottle” it in litre-size canning jars for giving.
If you’re feeling really generous (or pressed for time right now), offer them a “gift certificate” they can redeem for a dozen homemade cookies once a month in the coming year.
A friend once commented that she felt chintzy offering such humble gifts, I guess because they don’t have a big dollar figure attached. But have you priced a gourmet bag of granola lately? Besides, from my experience, if you consider the recipient carefully, a home-baked gift can be more personal and delightful than 90 per cent of the consumer gift ideas out there.
Then there’s the perennial favourite of taking a lucky friend or loved one for lunch or dinner or, depending on how deep your pockets are, an entire night out on the town. But instead of jamming it into the Christmas season, maybe think post-festivities when we’re all twiddling our thumbs for something to do on those endless winter nights.
One thing in this town, there’s no shortage of fine dining establishments to enjoy. If your favourite spot doesn’t offer gift certificates, create your own as funky or elegant as you like.
Also consider getting out of the box — lunchbox, that is. If you have working pals or partners on your Santa list, what about offering them a lunch or two on you in the New Year to break up those long work days. Think Millar Creek Café or the ever-popular Wild Wood Café at Function Junction, or favourites like the Southside Diner or Behind the Grind for a funky, relaxed option.
And then there’s the eternally elegant idea of a catered event. You don’t have to lift a finger and — bonus — you might even get to be one of the guests. At Whistler Cooks, you can buy a gift certificate for a range of giving, from family-style catering centred around their delicious casseroles and entrees to a posh cocktail party or an in-home, chef-prepared wine dinner.
Or what better offering than food, art and thou? How about a lovely pottery bowl from Pemberton’s Meg Gallup or Whistler’s Vincent Massey holding a bottle or two of locally-made sauces or dressings that will pick up any meal?
Whistler Cooks has a whole line of their own fresh sauces available at their Alpha Lake Road site and local grocers, or stop by Ciao-Thyme Bistro for a bottle of their orange-basil vinaigrette. It’s perfect on any salad, especially one made with fruit (sliced mandarin oranges, anyone?) and tossed with a bit of goat cheese. Then there’s their orange-ginger sauce, perfect for finishing off a veggie stir-fry served over rice, or try it with salmon.
A selection of those good-as-homemade goodies from Gone Bakery would look amazing in one of Cheryl Massey’s handmade baskets. And, in-basket or out, you couldn’t go wrong with a gift assemblage of two of Whistler’s newest locally-based products, Whistler Pocket Chocolate and Whistler Roasting Company coffees. They’re both available at all our friendly grocery stores, and other local shops.
The catchily-named and -packaged Pocket Chocolate bars come in four different varieties with all-organic ingredients: milk chocolate, hazelnut, almond and delicious dark chocolate guaranteed to have no bitter aftertaste. The labels, by local artist Cary Campbell Lopes, capture funky bears in Whistler-type moments, so they make great presents or stocking stuffers for family or friends wherever they are.
Got a coffee buff or 12 on your Santa list — or, more accurately, who doesn’t? Check out the four unique blends of coffee roasted right on Alta Lake Road by the Whistler Roasting Company. They even have a Swiss water-processed decaf blend, which means no nasty chemicals for your caffeine-sensitive friends.
Again, they’re thinking “green”, only using beans that are organic or otherwise sustainable. As much as the coffee, your grateful friends will enjoy the very cool brushed aluminum containers that, when they aren’t filled with coffee, can hold anything from pencils to rose petals.
If you’re still scratching your head for gift ideas, how about going farther afield, as it were. It doesn’t get much easier that dialing up Bruce Miller at Across the Creek Organics in Pemberton. He’ll be glad to work with you to arrange delivery of one or more of their Harvest Boxes of their wonderful organic produce to recipients of your choice during the coming season — a gift that keeps on giving.
Down the road, North Arm Farm offers gift certificates that lucky recipients can use for produce all year long, starting with asparagus in the spring. Or who wouldn’t relish some of their mincemeat tarts, shortbread or gingerbread or a taste of summer captured in a jar of one of North Arm’s own sauces, pickles, jams or relish? Make sure you pick up a few of their fabulous butter tarts so you can treat yourself on the way home, given what a smart shopper you are.
Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who just
received a beautiful tin of honeybush tea for Christmas.
