Once upon a time, we all were children experiencing the holidays. Even before the early rays of morning light slipped beneath the window shades, we were venturing out from beneath our cozy blankets to sneak a peek at the special treasures Santa had left for us under the tree.
Ah, the memories of finding that shiny blue Stingray and the Nancy Drew mysteries you’d been dreaming about as you covered yourself in flour and sprinkles baking cutout cookies.
Despite the years, maybe decades, that have passed since those days, we still look forward with childlike passion to those simple and comforting holiday pleasures.
As we turn increasingly to basics, gift-givers should keep in mind the joy that comes from simple things, comforting things, things that remind us of the past and help us feel safe.
“There’s been a vociferous return to tradition,” says Martha Stewart, the matriarch of elegance, imagination and indulgence-not to mention editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living magazine, and creator of the TV show of the same title which airs at noon Saturday on WBBM-Ch. 2.
“We’ve all tried to find comfort in the workplace, but haven’t found it. So we’re turning to home with a passion and to the basics that give us comfort and make us feel good.”
“Definitely, we are seeing a trend toward items that provide comfort at home,” adds Sue Puccini, personal shopper for The Personal Touch at Nordstrom in Oak Brook.
“They’re looking for comfy robes or sweats-the kind of things you wear to curl up with a good book and read and relax. The whole idea (in gift buying) is about relaxing and unwinding at home.”
Whether it’s music for the toddler on your list or flowers by the month for grandma, holiday gifts should depict “quality of life and living,” stresses Stewart.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the best gifts aren’t necessarily the most extravagant. They should bring the spirit of the holidays into your home and the homes of others, says Stewart.
That could mean writing warm messages on notes and cards, wrapping a wreath in earthly scented greenery, hand-stitching a Victorian needlepoint stocking to hang by the hearth and be handed down as an heirloom, booking a massage for the over-stressed exec or baking a basket of goodies for a sweet-tooth lover-anything that expresses to someone that you know their tastes and appreciate their individuality.
Stewart, who this year is draping her Christmas tree with 1,000 homemade chocolate chip cookies (she of course will bake herself) “because they symbolize comfort and simple pleasures,” shares her personal strategies for gift-giving:
– There are no gifts more personal than the ones you’ve made yourself.
– Always make sure the gifts fit the recipient’s lifestyle and interests.
– Be creative. Last year, Stewart filled baskets with garden tools, seeds, pebbles and all kinds of earthy goodies for the dozen garden lovers on her gift list.
– Involve the whole family in the gift-giving preparation process.
– Don’t forget the packaging of gifts is as equally important in symbolizing the comfort and joy of what’s inside.
“Anything that brings back memories and tradition,” says Stewart, “will be greatly appreciated.”
