Why is food as a gift always a joke?

            For some reason, I feel like I was included in the punch line of a joke, but not in the joke. I was roaming the wonderful world of Facebook today when I came upon a site that was all about bad gifts. The admins of this site and all of their followers made cruel jokes about people who give food as a gift. I don't know about y'all but I LOVE receiving food as a gift. I think to make jokes about any gift your given is wrong. They said things like "Giving someone food is just someones broke, cheap way of giving a gift. That way they don't have to put any money or thought into it" That statement is COMPLETELY false!

   First of all, some recipes take A LOT of ingredients and those ingredients ALL cost money to purchase. Sometimes they are pretty pricey too! I know I have paid almost $10.00 before just for a small bottle of Almond Extract. And never mind if you need a certain kind of chocolate, that can cost more than my cable bill! Anyway, after purchasing those ingredients, it sometimes takes ALL DAY to bake or cook whatever it is your making. If that's not a lot of thought into a gift, I don't know what is. I think slaving away in your kitchen is a lot more thought and effort than running into a gas station to buy a last minute gift card!
       
     Then there is ordering food online to be shipped as a gift. Look on ANY WEBSITE that involves food! It's NOT CHEAP AT ALL! Sending someone a Honey Baked Ham, Omaha Steaks, Edible Arrangement or even a baked item from places can cost HUNDREDS of dollars! So, sometimes sending food can cost MORE than a non edible gift would.

    Then you also have to think about who you are buying for before judging someone for sending food. For example, my parents are blessed and when it comes to shopping for them, it's difficult because they have so much. Instead of purchasing them something they may return or never use, sending them a nice edible arrangement puts a smile on their face, they truly would enjoy a gift like that. Or my husband, he is from Omaha and definitely misses the food from his childhood, so every year at Christmas his mom sends down a big box filled with Omaha Steak Products! WE LOVE IT! And even myself and my daughter...I love pickles and so does my daughter, and every year growing up my parents would wrap a jar of pickles and put them under the tree "from Santa". I will also do the same for my daughter! It's all about the recipient and what they would like.

          It's not our position to judge and Christmas is not about gifts. Be grateful for all of the wonderful gifts we receive, edible or not. Gifts are a privilege and not a right. And just remember, the next time you make a joke about someone sending a certain kind of gift, they could be holding that exact gift behind their back to hand to you! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!