It’s like Purim… in December!

Sending gifts of food to family and friends – how very Jewish!

Today I went on strike, and refused to join the crowds mobbing shopping centres and post offices to buy gifts for their relatives. Unfortunately, I have a whole flock of goyish relatives all excited about their coming holiday, so I can’t opt out altogether.

Usually, I blow a small fortune in Chocolate Charm, but this year I decided to save money and bake instead.

First, gingerbread hearts and shortbread rectangles (yes, they really are that thin – whoops!):

(extra-big baggies-full for the “grannies”)

Then, six (actually seven – we ate the last one for supper) loaves of Pumpkin Oatmeal No-Knead Bread. These are full-sized loaves. Purdy!

Naomi Rivka made a handmade “card” for each box (something Disney-movie related for most of them, unfortunately)… six of them all stacked up. The boxes are extremely goyish – I picked the most neutral designs they had at the dollar store, but most have trees and other seasonal symbols. But they are GREAT boxes – very sturdy, with nice, snug-fitting lids.

I tried to get six of the same boxes, but not a chance – they were all different, and different prices, too. The bottom red ones are for the “grannies”, then blue for Ted’s sister. One up is the most goyish, for the big kids’ grandpa, and above that, two identical boxes (though you can’t tell from my picture) for Ted’s two brothers.

Thus labelled, with homemade “Fragile” and “Perishable – Open immediately” stickers, I sent them all to the post office with Ted for mailing:

I’m not as late as previous years with these token gifties, so even that didn’t cost quite as much as it has in past.

Pretty proud of myself… as long as the stuff makes it reasonably on-time and intact, it’s a job well-done!