The gift-giving season is upon us once again, and now you need to add “buy or make presents” to your growing end-of-year activity list. If you haven’t yet thought about what you might give your friends and loved ones, our gift guide is sure to get you headed in the right direction. And if you want to drop some hints of your own, just circle a few of your favorite things and leave the magazine in a strategic location.

 

This year, Grit’s Great Big Gift Guide includes ideas to liven up your own parties with a touch of tradition, and some new product ideas to create new traditions. Some of our choices are handmade and/or homegrown – sure to become heartfelt treasures you might never have discovered on your own. Other ideas range from the practical to the tasty to the entirely whimsical. And for the folks who have everything, we’ve even included a couple gifts of charity.

 

Gift-giving expectations and budgetary realities easily can overwhelm the happiness and joy associated with the holiday season. So whether you’re searching for something for that special someone, or a simple hostess gift that just says “thanks,” remember that the best presents are those given from the heart. Let us help make your gift giving count this year. 

 

Freelance writer Patsy Bell Hobson hangs her Christmas stockings on the mantle in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

 

Simple Cheese

 

Making your own cheese is easy with Leeners You-Make-Kit brand Deluxe Cheese kit ($89.95) complete with press for making hard cheeses. The kit comes with most everything needed to make cream cheese, feta, mozzarella, cottage, cheddar, jack, Gouda and more. Leeners is committed to the home cheese-maker, and its kit includes easy-to-follow recipes and tips on how to get it done with raw and pasteurized milk while using commonly available kitchen equipment.
Where to buy: www.Leeners.com
Phone: 800-543-3697 (toll-free)

 

Hard-Working Green

 

John Deere’s Gator XUV serves as a practical utility vehicle weekdays and a recreation vehicle on weekends. The XUV ($10,999 and up) is a heavy hauling four-wheel drive workhorse with a safe, comfortable ride. It’s rugged enough for remote hunting and fishing expeditions, yet practical with a 1,000-pound cargo box capacity. The XUV flies over rough terrain at a maximum 30 mph; a child-safe keylocking speed limiter kit can reduce the top speed to 20 mph.
Where to Buy: For more information or to locate a dealer near you, visit the Web site at www.JohnDeere.com/vehicles.