Holiday gifting...

all edible, all home-made.

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December is here, Christmas and New Year’s is approaching, and I assume everyone have finalised their plans for celebration. This year, my plan is not to have a plan. Over the last five years I have been giving parties at home with a crowd. Even last year when our new flat in Thessaloniki was still very much a construction site, I threw a big bash there, a full-blown construction site party with friends from Istanbul and Izmir coming, and we had an amazing three days. Now this year, we’re in Thessaloniki, at home, and there’s no party, no plan—just going with the flow. We’ll see what will happen.

But New Year’s isn’t just about parties. It’s about finding an excuse to remember and celebrate your loved ones. Personally, I can’t say I’m a fan of New Year’s gifts. A gift bought randomly from a shop and lacking any significance does not mean much to me. Yet when I prepare something with my own hands and share it with my loved ones, even if it’s something small, it feels like a better way to show that I’m thinking of them. Yes, what I make might be consumed and gone, but isn’t the New Year like that, too? It comes, we live it, and it passes by. The important thing is to keep the warmth of sharing alive.

This year, my preparations are in line with that thought: sweet chili pepper jam, green tangerine marmalade, and savoury granola. They’re already in jars, but now it’s time to add a festive touch to them. If you’d like to try making them too, here are the recipes. It’s a wonderful way to wish yourself and your loved ones a year full of flavour.