Holiday Gift Ideas: Gift Baskets that Excite!
The holidays are fast approaching, with the inevitable; "What am
I going to get them?" dilemmas. Are you tired of fumbling around
with tape, ribbons and those tired old cardboard boxes? For your
next gift-giving occasion, why not tap into your creative
wellspring and craft a customized, unique, one of a kind gift
that is both fun to make and highly appreciated. I am talking
about a themed gift basket.
Themed gift baskets take a bit of time and some creativity, but
the thoughtfulness of the gift will not be lost upon the
recipient.
If you should decide to go this gift-giving route, it is very
important that you go all the way and design a gift worthy of
kings or just your picky mother-in-law. What I mean is - don't
just throw one together and call it a day. Commit to it with
enthusiasm and you will enjoy designing it as much as they enjoy
receiving it.
Many people's perception, including mine, of a gift basket was
of a round wicker basket filled with chocolates, coffees and
some funny looking candies with strange names - not anymore.
Wicker is so 1980's. Now anything with a reasonable opening can
be used a basket -- gift bags, crates, watering cans, wooden
boxes, small furniture & baby carriages. If it can hold stuff,
it can be a basket.
So, with this in mind, the first order of business is to
determine the topic of your gift basket. Do this by analyzing
the recipient's tastes and hobbies to come up with a central
theme. Common themes include sports; hobbies like reading,
gardening, fishing or cooking; parenting and pet lovers.
Once a theme is settled upon, keep it consistent. For example my
mother likes reading financial books, so for Christmas, one
year, I bought her a small bookshelf, flipped it on it's side
and filled it with several books, a book light, a magazine
subscription, a custom bookmark and several gourmet snacks. I
then holidayed it with a little ribbon. She loved it.
A gift for a young child could start off with a red wagon filled
with more toys themed for kids "on the go". A football buff
could receive a cooler with his favorite team's team logo on it.
Then stuff it with jerseys, tickets, maybe an autographed
football; really just let your imagination go.
If you're not sure about themed gift baskets, try it with a
friend's gift first, to build up your confidence. After you see
their positive reaction you will really find themed gift basket
giving very appealing.
Maybe you'll get the gift basket bug and decide that the rest of
the world should bear the fruits of your passion by starting
your own gift basket business. Now that would make for a nice
Christmas!