The Art of (Re)Gifting

It’s holiday time.  Everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Work parties. School parties. Teacher gifts. Holiday cards. Secret Santas. Eight Days of Hanukkah. New Year’s. No one can deny: gift giving is synonymous with the month of December. And, let’s face it, if you don’t make lists, if you don’t plan ahead, someone is bound to inadvertently get left out. A common side effect to lack of planning?  Re-gifting. Come on.  Don’t you have that drawer somewhere in your home?  You know, that drawer … [Read more...]

Holiday Peppermint Bark

During the holiday season, I've suffered from homemade gift envy. My children’s schools have always had a “no gift” policy for the teachers.  They try to enforce the idea of homemade cards from the kids rather than store-bought items.  While I’d try to adhere to this highly-debated policy, I’d always find myself sneaking in a nominal gift card to Barnes and Nobles or iTunes alongside my kids' artwork. I  just had to reinforce my “thanks.” However, I never really felt satisfied.  I felt generic. I was envious when, year after year, I’d see … [Read more...]