Grandma's can be hard to buy for. Mine sure was. We bought tons of 'stuff' for her over the years. She in later years said just give me something I don't have to feed, walk, dust or worry about keeping safe. And I don't like perfume or clothing that needs dry cleaned. We found she didn't like shirts that went over her head or slippers. We started to give her cookies and dried fruit and candy (which she loved to share with the little kids) We gave her calenders and photos and anything home made she loved. I found out later she just loved the jams I made and only brought them out with guests so she could say her granddaughter made it. She loved an old lumpy pillow my cousin made her when she was ten. And another cousin made her a horrible drawing that she framed and hung over her bed. My sister made her some bread once and again she froze it and served it to guests for a year. My son made her a cutting board one year, she never used it as a cutting board, she didn't want to muss it up, but showed everyone the wonderfull board when ever she had company. At time time of her death we all found the homemade stuff in her home but the other expensive stuff was missing or stuffed in a box. Except the bottle of really yukky bubble bath one of my cousins gave her as a child. She knew he worked a week of mowing lawns etc. to earn it. Maybe the framed art work isn't such a bad idea if could be taken to copy plase and shrunk down to make fidge magents or a keychain or something. I love the idea of a photo on a sweat shirt or tote bag. Maybe fill the bag with her favorite coffee or cookies or ????

I know exactly what you mean. I have maple butcher block countertops with black cherry edging. I held an open house around Christmas and really worried about the same sort of thing, especially as I had just finished the kitchen and the party was really to show it off! However, guests would not be cooking. I had soups keeping hot on the induction stove. I put huge wooden boards with cheese and crackers on the countertops. I put the wine and other drinks in the dining room, which didn't stop them drinking in the kitchen. I "policed" the area frequently, mostly to dry any spilled liquids if necessary. After they all left, I loaded the dishwasher, piled what was left into the sink, and put everything else away. Then, I oiled the countertops with mineral oil. Next day, the countertops were as good as new, except for a few tiny splatters where some black olives had dropped, but these have since faded into the wood. As you say, it's a working kitchen, not a museum. It's still "my baby", and I'm proudly looking after it, but it passed the test :)

Sometimetimes I wonder, about this crowd!(?) ole joyfuelled ... wondering whether I dare print it ... and take it to church: maybe to the Old Farts' Club

I agree with you, auntjen. We've actually moved past casual to sloppiness, in a lot of cases. Grown men dressing like gnarly teenage boys. Grown women dressing like tarts. And I'm no Church-lady prude either. I recently saw a photograph, onYahoo, of Adam Sandler (ugh anyway!) and I think it was Kevin James. The pic was of these two middle-aged men flanking the 23 year old (or whatever - young) Selena Gomez. She was in a strapless gown with a slit up the leg, and they were dressed like two slobs…t-shirt hanging out over sloppy shorts with untied sneakers…I was disgusted. And that was actually what the article was about. First the grossness of two middle-aged men leaning in to be photographed with this young woman - as if - and the double standard of how men can dress like boobs for such events while women have to have the skin-showing, dressy designer gown. I was so hoping Americans would get a clue from Catherine Middleton and her husband - class, grace, elegance. But no.