If your hands hurt and it’s hard to bake, and recipients don’t want sugary treats, including yourself, then it’s time to give it up. I guess you miss that fun of making pretty, yummy things for the holidays. You may feel sad at giving that up. I hope you can find some other way to enjoy the holidays. If you wish to gift, there was a thread here earlier about small gifts that don’t create unwanted “stuff” for the recipient. (I wish I could find it.)

Personally, I was delivered 2 sugar-laden treats as gifts yesterday. Oh my. Well, I appreciate the thought and thanked the gifters, I can’t eat these things for health reasons. I regifted one already and will regift the other next week.

You *could* check with your local volunteer organization to see where home-made treats would be welcome.

I hear you about both the arthritic hands and the health reasons. I hate to encourage already-overweight family and friends to 'indulge'.

I agree about those who have legitimate health issues, but not for those who jump on the bandwagon of the latest health concern and make it hard to cook for bake for.

Life is too short to not eat a Christmas cookie, piece of pie or cake.

A good friend of mine who has since moved out of the neighborhood would always make baklava. One year she said her husband wondered if people really wanted it. They would distribute it to his colleagues as well. I said that might be true for some people, but don't ever think I am one of them! I really miss those treats.

I agree with the arthritic hands which I have dealt with since my 40's which is way too young in my opinion. :(

I don't make nearly the treats as I used to for both the reasons stated by ritaweeda. Neither partner of my two sons eat gluten (one is Celiac and the other is intolerant) and I can't fault them for that. Fortunately both my SIL and my niece still love my shortbread. My own sons don't eat sweets of any sort and never have. They obviously don't have the sweet gene from my side of the family.

I am always battling my weight and don’t make cookies for that reason. I cringe if someone gives me a high calorie item. There’s enough required eating at the holidays as it is, please dont add more.

I’m sorry that you experience that kind of discomfort with your hands Rita. My mother had RM in her hands so bad that it made it hard for her to do any of the hobbies she really enjoyed doing. I used to get so much joy from cooking but now I just cook enough to get buy; I haven’t baked anything in years. While all the whys for the restrictions are completely understandable, it does kind of suck the joy right out of the process doesn’t it?

I also use to love baking cookies and nut rolls for Christmas. I have cut way down on what I bake. I take what is left over after New Years to the club. The old geezers there don't care about their waistlines and gobble them up.

One of my favorite traditions was my girls and I making Christmas cookies and candy together but for health reasons have given it up. A memory picture came up on Facebook last week and I was reminded how much I really missed doing it.

I hear you loud and clear Rita. I was lamenting the difficulty in planning a menu for breakfast with DH's side of the family on 12/26. One vegetarian, one very picky eater, one elderly that only wants "normal" food. I enjoy entertaining small groups, but hate trying to please this group. I get sick of hearing, oh breakfast was great, but its a shame you made (fill in the blank), I couldn't eat that.

Wife has been lamenting of late that the "kids" (meaning grandkids) are now so busy with their own activities that they don't come over and make cookies anymore like they used to. Still teens, one is very involved with her high school activities and the other is doing first year of college so any spare "cookie making time" is limited to some degree. The third and oldest married within the last year so he and new wife have work schedules of their own to keep as well as hobnobbing with young couples their own age.

Although I constantly tell wife that they're growing up and may not find time with their ol geezer grandparents nearly as fun as it used to be, they're still available like always, just not quite as easy to schedule on short notice.

On the other hand, we have a saying around our house here that goes "if you feed them, they will come" meaning of course, that if REAL food is involved, we can count on a visit from the whole family and usually sooner than later.

Time for group participation! People we need special dietary consideration can make sure that they have something to eat by... Bringing something to eat. Plus, it's only polite. Family dinners are not catering services.