gifts that money can't buy!
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Gift economy
14 min read
The article centers on non-monetary gifts and reciprocal giving between friends and family, which directly relates to the anthropological concept of gift economies and how they function differently from market exchanges
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Smithfield Foods
13 min read
The article specifically mentions Smithfield Spiral Cut Ham as a sponsor and recommendation, and readers would benefit from understanding the history and scale of this major American food company
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Sourdough
14 min read
The article suggests gifting sourdough starter and lessons, and the science and history behind sourdough fermentation is a rich topic most casual bakers don't fully understand
Next week is our annual GIFT GUIDE WEEK, and I feel really proud of the guides we’ll be sharing! We’ve pulled together a unique collection of gift ideas that feel fun and fresh — and that we hope will help reduce the mental load and time it takes you to holiday shop for all your people this year. We’ll be sending three gift guides a day for four days, plus a small business spotlight gift guide on Friday!
But before we dive headfirst into the land of holiday consumerism, we wanted to kick off gifting season with a bunch of low- and no-cost ideas that make excellent gifts for the people you love. These would be so, so special to give or receive — just as meaningful (even more so, to many people!) as any shiny new item.
But first, a quick idea for an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd in the coming months:
A big ole ham is my absolute favorite way to take the stress out of holiday entertaining — I grew up on Smithfield Spiral Cut Ham and I love serving them as the main course for get togethers all fall and winter. Heat up the ham, add the included glaze, and serve however you’d like: as a main meat entrée with sides, or my favorite: with rolls for making little ham sandwiches. Put out some rolls, mustards, and some white Cheddar or havarti, and you’re done! Filling and festive. Ham is also a great sub option for Thanksgiving if turkey isn’t your thing — it’s much faster to prep and cook (and is simply more delicious IMO!). The best part about serving ham is all the leftovers: I suggest ham and cheese grilled cheeses with tomato soup for lunch or dinner the next day. Thank you to Smithfield for sponsoring today’s So Into That.
Our favorite no- to low-cost gift ideas as we head into the holiday season
Cook ‘em some soup! Christmas cookies are wonderful and delicious, but they don’t actually reduce the recipient’s mental load. Homemade soup does! A quart of soup and a loaf of good bread will show your love and take cooking a meal off their plate. My mom does this every Christmas for her friends — she usually makes a veggie curry.
Share a sourdough starter: If you’re a bread baker and know that a friend or
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