The Perfect Thank You Gift

 

Gift baskets can be the perfect gift for many people for many different occasions. The custom Gift Basket can be customized to match the person’s lifestyle who will be receiving the gift. A gift basket is different in that it is actually several different gifts.They can be small or large, inexpensive or very expensive, contain a few items to many items and each item can be matched to the person or occasion. The occasion can be a birthday, retirement, anniversary, house warming, baby shower, holiday event or just a personal or business Thank You.

Gift baskets can be found at local businesses, online or can be put together by you. Yes gift baskets are close to the perfect gift because there is so much flexibility in the design, the gifts inside and the cost.

A theme for a gift basket can be centered on just about anything, which will then drive the gift items within the basked. Here are a few areas that can be considered when purchasing or creating a homemade gift basket.

  Foods - cheese, candy, popcorn, baked items or gourmet coffee/tea/popcorn.

  Snacks - pistachios, preserves, crackers and chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

  Beverages – wine, liqueurs or bar supplies.

  Sports – any equipment or clothing associated with the specific sport.

  Hobbies – hundreds of possible hobbies and thousands of items to choose from.

  Newborns – diapers and all the other items a new mother and baby will need.

  Cooking – pots, pans, utensils and spices.

  Business – paper-weights, pin/pencil sets, books or anything to personalize a desk.

  Travel – try any travel store for hundreds of ideas.

  Bath – oil beads, bath tablets, bubble bath, fancy soaps, and skin care products.

  Gardening – gardening equipment, flowers, seeds and gloves.

If you decide to create your gift basket, this can be an opportunity to save 50% to 80% of the cost but also to be artistic. The basket can be a traditional basket from the local Hobby Lobby or Michaels craft stores. The basket can also be most any container that fits in with the theme; a golf bag for a golfer, a colorful box, a gift bag, or a trash can for a house-warming gift.

One very easy gift basket is one filled with fresh fruit. These are very colorful and the fruit can be purchased at a local farmers market or supermarket store.

When creating a gift basket, you can use colored tissue paper but think about using cloth dinner napkins for the basket liner. Also use 2” or 3” wide ribbon to help make beautiful bow, lots of curling ribbon for a lasting impression. Dollar bills can also be rolled up and put in-between some of the gift items to make the basket more unique.

If you decide to purchase a gift basket; many local florists, candy or bath shops will put together a gift basket for you. A less personal way would be to use one of the many internet sites that specialize in gift baskets . Most of these sites will also have ways to create a semi-custom a gift basket based upon several options of adding different items.One advantage of these internet shops is that they will have access to many gourmet food items that may not be available in your local area. A gourmet gift baskest will always be appreciated.

One caution; for items that do not stand the heat, be careful shipping gift baskets where the hot summer days can damage the items. This is especially true of chocolate, fudge, and toffee.

How about a homemade gourmet gift basket?