This year I think I will get someone I love a soft and very washable sweater to wear outside. Good garden clothes that can take punishment are a real blessing. If you are like me, you probably do not buy that sort of thing for yourself. Thinking back to my childhood, I remember the quilted jacket my dad wore to shovel snow. It snapped down the front and was dark gray and rather ugly but the wind could not penetrate it. It had its own special hook on the back porch. I wish I had that jacket again. And a pair of overalls! There is nothing like a pair of good overalls.

My daughter recently gave her hubby a shovel for Father’s Day, and we gave him special soap that helps wash away poison ivy. He had just survived a very bad case, and I know it was like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen, but maybe he can make good use of that soap in future days spent removing huge bushes with poison ivy hidden underneath! Beware of strange looks, though, if you give someone a shovel!

Recently, I looked at my holiday gift lists from the last three years. This list is made because it prevents me from giving the same type of thing twice in a row. I tend to do that when I think I have hit upon something good. Following are a few gift ideas given to my family and friends at the holidays. Santa, are you listening?

• Bird Feeders with a bag of sunflower seed. Get a feeder that is not fancy, but sturdy, and won’t itself become lunch for squirrels.
• Organic soup and bread mixes
• A really great pair of gardening gloves – maybe two. One pair for dry work and one for muddy jobs.
• Garden snippers and pruners. Get good ones; spend a little extra. It is worth it.
• Gift certificates to enjoy at the local nursery or plant store.
• A garden journal accompanied by a pencil with a great eraser. Plans and ideas change!
• A good pair of scissors
• A sturdy apron with a trowel in the pocket
• Seed Packets to tuck in Christmas stockings
• A windchime
• A hummingbird feeder with food solution included
• A subscription to a farm and garden magazine
• A book of organic recipes
• Tulip bulbs in a pretty bag
• A watering can
• A real fir wreath for the door or fireplace wall
• A gift basket filled with small garden items like seeds, a small hand-painted pot, or a CD identifying bird calls
• A Farmer’s Almanac for the coming year
• A book on patio gardening. You might want to include a nice big pot and a bag of potting soil.
• Christmas Cactus

Saving the best for last, the nicest gift you (playing the part of Santa) can give to anyone on your list is the gift you make or grow yourself. It means so much to receive a jar of stewed tomatoes or fig preserves made by a friend or family member. My daughter made apple butter for everyone last year and topped each jar with a homespun piece of fabric tied with twine. Each of us can make a gift; it does not matter what our talents happen to be. If you enjoy writing, compile a book of memories of your grandparents’ farm, or of time spent outdoors with your sister when you were both little. Include photos if you have them. If you bake bread, make a handmade certificate promising a loaf of fresh bread every month for six months. If you love to garden, promise a non-gardener friend one of your Saturdays come spring, and then plant flowers together.

It is so much fun just to think about holiday gifts and what we can give to make another person smile. Notice in the above list of ideas for Santa, I did not include a John Deere. But that might be nice, too! Happy Holidays everyone, and let us know what you are planning on giving this year!