Dear LPG readers,

Many things get more difficult as we get older.  In general, our knees, backs, hips and joints and so many other parts of us tell the tale of what we have spent a lifetime doing as they begin to ache and pain us, many of us don’t sleep as well as we once did because our bladders have a habit of interrupting our best dreams and lets not ever start on the way that modern technology can pass us by.

Our circle of friends has a way of changing, and another challenging thing is that so many of us older people have all the things that we are going to need, making birthdays and Christmas presents hard to choose. 

You can give the grandchildren money (if you can afford it). Still, while we can all do with more of that whatever our age, it often becomes pointless as a present for our older friends because the financial presents that I receive are usually identical or so similar to the ones that I have given that the satisfaction that I used to get from present giving more or less cancels itself out in the end. 

One thing I do have more of his time, and I have always thought a gift that you have made has special significance. In recent years, I have gone with edible gifts, but I end up being told that my sweets and cakes only add to the enemy that many of my friends find themselves battling when it comes to keeping their weight down. I have to say no one ever tells you that in so many words, but, as a lady of a certain age who owns a waistline that I am trying to keep as small as possible, as I graciously smile when I accept those food gifts, that is the thought that is going on in my head.

Then there are the toiletries that, when given, either leave you feeling that the giver hit rock bottom when choosing your present or can leave you worrying about whether a hint is being made concerning your hygiene. 

However, something you have made with your own fair hands might be the ‘one size fits all ' answer. 

In this day and age, when the luxury of a bath is nearly always swapped for a shower to save the government’s power and our pennies, I have found a way around this. As we get older, it could become a bit more of a challenge, but if you can still get into the bath, a homemade bath time gift might do the trick. My soaks are less frequent these days, but when I do decide on a wallowing session, it is more of a special occasion, and for that, you need the works. 

Time and indulgence come to mind but imagine contributing to your friends’ extravagance with the gift of some homemade bubble bath, bath salts, or a bath bomb that did not come from the shop. 

I have found a few recipes that demand a few of the world’s more obscure ingredients and a bit of mixing, although most of them are available online if nowhere else.  Surely a homemade present that is designed to feed the body from the outside in rather than the other way round might be the perfect solution to many a present-giving dilemma. 

 Your efforts might remind a friend who has become too comfortable with a quick shower that the tub is there for a reason. 

Don’t forget to make one for yourself as well… 

SN, Croydon.

SN has found a few recipes for anyone wanting to have a go and tells us that there are many more online…

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