When Daniel and I started this homesteading journey long ago, I fell in love with the Christmas hamper basket. We started out on our land building a homestead from scratch, we sure didn’t have a lot of money, but I loved giving gifts. Reading old books got me seriously curious about the old fashioned idea of Hamper baskets. It seemed the perfect answer, I grew my own food, made my own soaps, candles, and herbal teas.
And, to me, homesteading has always been about the food! What a perfect way to showcase your bounty from your homestead, along with seasonal favorites.
What is really interesting is that giving of hampers was often a charitable gesture, until a London department store caught on to the idea of sending hampers as gifts to family and loved ones.
What a delightful tradition. Simple, frugal, and you don’t have to worry about your gift going into a yard sale pile next year 😉 And really, I couldn’t think of a better way to share your own handmade delicacies.
I collect unique hamper and picnic style baskets all year long, I often find my best ones at thrift stores. I also keep on the lookout for vintage mugs, tea cups, and cool jars.
Here are a few ideas to fill your baskets brimming full with all kinds of Christmas goodness!
Start out with a beautiful basket, jars, bags, tissue paper, twine and labels.
Fill your basket full, brimming is best. You want someone to feel blessed, loved and fed.
Here is a list of things you might want to put in your Hamper Basket:
Dried Fruits
Canned Food
Jams and Jellies
Herbal Teas
Baked Goods
Bottled Drinks
Chocolate
Nuts
Honey
Vegetables
Fruit
Smoked or Dried Meats
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa
Cheese
Homemade Butter
Homemade Candies and Confections
You get the idea! Food, lots and lots of food.
I also like to add Mugs, soaps, lip balm, candles, hand towels, heirloom seeds, and anything that adds a cozy charm to the hamper.
-Wikipedia
Sending love, and holiday greetings from our homestead to yours.
– Abby Jo
Leave a Reply