Here’s my opinion coming at ya: I think the best gifts in this day of stuff-overload are those that are easy on the environment, consumable, fairly affordable, thoughtful, and easy to make. (We’d be delighted to have your thoughts on this, so be sure to take a minute to comment.)

With that said, here’s an idea that checks all the boxes. Because it is consumable, it’s easy on the environment. And depending on what you put this in, it’s fairly affordable. Because of the season we’re in, it’s truly thoughtful. And finally, you couldn’t get much easier when it comes to gift-giving.

I’m talking about a delicious sugar cookie mix. I like how giving a cookie MIX rather than a plate of cookies puts the receiver more in control. They decide when they’ll indulge. When the cookie mood hits, all your friend needs to do is pull out the mix, add 3 ingredients, and BAM! Fresh warm cookies.

In a random poll of past recipients of this gift, I hear that folks find a mix is way easier than making regular cookies. All you scoop mix into a bowl and then beat in some room temperature butter, an egg, and some vanilla extract. Then bake as usual. No muss, no fuss.

This cookie is rich and chewy enough that it doesn’t need icing to be appealing. But if you do want to gussy it up, you can include little zippered bags of add-ins along with your mix. Confetti sprinkles, mini-chocolate chips, tiny silver dragees, chopped nuts, Swedish pearl sugar and so on. You’re limited only by your imagination with this gift.

The recipe is a winner, so that part of the gift is covered. The other piece is the mix’s container. Lots of options here. I like to scout thrift stores throughout the year for pretty lidded glass containers. The price is always right. And then there’s Hobby Lobby. They consistently carry great looking glass containers and almost every month these are 50% off. But here’s the thing, a mix always looks great in a canning jar (thank you Misters Mason, Kerr, and Ball). So why not use what you have to enhance the affordability of this gift?

Using my computer, I create labels and copies of the recipe. The label is affixed to the jar and I thread a narrow ribbon through a hole punched in the recipe and tie the ribbon around the neck of my container.

I know I’m not sharing any new news, and you’ve all probably given and received mixes before. So why am I recycling a well-known and perhaps worn-out idea? Because of the times and conditions we’re living in right now.

Most of us are trying to cut back on our spending. Most of us really do have too much stuff. Most of us don’t have that much extra space to house more stuff. Yet we still want to give. Pantry mixes are a good alternative to traditional store-bought things. I’m just offering food for thought (pun intended).

In case any of you like this idea, I’ll close with a favorite sugar cookie mix recipe that we found on www.crazyforcrust.com and have been giving for years. And Merry Christmas and happy gift-giving!

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