It has become a tradition, like it or not!

For the last 3 years I have made vanilla for Christmas gifts. I don't really know if people like or appreciate it (with a couple exceptions) but I make it anyway.

There are instructions all over the web, if you are interested. I start in Jan/Feb and split a lot of vanilla beans and let them soak in vodka for the year. You really only need 3 months, but the flavor and smell is waaaaay better the longer it sits. I order boston round bottles with screw top lids and make sure they are clean.

Then I use cheesecloth and strain the beans and pods (this year I had to do it twice because Safeway had flimsy cheesecloth- hear that Safeway! Flimsy!)
When it is bean free, I fill the bottles, wipe them all down, and put on labels that say "Vanilla, homemade by the Stouffers."
If you are nice enough to get a bottle, please don't tell me you don't know what to do with it, or can you drink it? It is pure vanilla, as in what you bake with!!! One neighbor likes to pour hers in coffee and confessed she used the bottle up in a week! At least it is used, I guess.