The Best Types of Gift Baskets that Work

Gift is not only about the product you are purchasing, it’s price tag, or to what brand it belongs to. Rather, it should show how much you love or care about the person for whom you are buying the gift. While wine and beers, chocolates and flowers could seem to be a little boring, as they have been done to death when it comes to giving gifts, you can give them a little twist and opt for unique gift baskets instead, which pack a punch and offer an attractive blend of 2-3 products, neatly tucked in a decorative basket. These baskets are available in different sizes and shapes and the contents, too, vary widely. In fact, you will surely get to choose something personal and meaningful from the huge options that many online stores offer these days. Here are some of the best gift basket ideas that you can consider –

Gourmet gift baskets – If the person for whom you are buying the gift is a foodie or loves to experiment with his/her beverages and drinks, these customized gift baskets would be the ideal option. Consider something like Berry Caramel Apple gift basket, which is made up of apples, rich golden caramel, Belgian chocolate, decorated with colorful confetti, or some snacks gift baskets that hold a delightful arrangement of different types of snacks, filled with cheese, crackers, almonds, cookies, all of which are placed in a beautifully crafted hand-made bamboo basket. Be it chocolates, fresh and organic fruits, or exotic wines, you can get them all and more when you choose gourmet gift baskets. What’s more, you can even add a personalized message to make the entire giving process a unique, personal touch.  

Holiday gift baskets – Gifts are an integral part of holidays. Be it the Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, or any other holiday, you can up the fun and cheer quotient by selecting some holiday gift baskets. Be it some gift baskets to celebrate the autumn season or the upcoming Christmas, you can get a lot to chose from. For instance, while a California Holiday Gift Basket that packs California red wine along with delicious Brie cheese, California smoked almonds, three cheese sourdough crackers etc would be a great way to celebrate the holidays in style, the Golden Sleigh Ride Gift Basket that packs the goodies in a whole sleigh, and includes chocolate-covered cherries, Ghirardelli hot cocoa mix, a Jacquot truffles, shortbread cookies, Cashew Roca, Walkers peppermint bark Ghirardelli bar, and Ghirardelli chocolate squares is surer to usher in Christmas in style. You may even shop for gift baskets for kids that pack items like hand-decorated crispy rice bars in the shape of kids’ favorite holiday characters like the endearing Santa, the cute snowman or the red nosed reindeer, Rudolph. 

Personalized gift baskets – The best way to show your feelings through gifts is to give it a personal touch. You can select items of your recipient’s preference by browsing the extensive repertoire of online gift stores, and get them all packed in a gift basket, adding a personal note along with it to make the entire giving process somewhat customized. While food aficionados would jump with joy if you send gift baskets packed with truffles, chocolates, cheese, crackers, smoked salmon, biscotti and many more such things, those looking for a bit of pampering to beat the blues would thank you if you send a spa essential gift basket that include all the required things for a relaxing bath like relaxing bubble bath gel, aromatherapy candle, soft bath pillow, a wooden body massager, tea light candles, nylon scrubby etc.

Event special gift baskets – There is a wide variety of these types of gift baskets for occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, birth of a baby, purchasing a new home etc. You may even get a wide variety of corporate gifts like the ones that pack an assortment of freshly baked yummy cookies, arranged beautifully in tin box or bamboo baskets. You can also think about a basket full of candies, dried fruits and spreads. Starting from flowers and wines to gourmet delights and more, you can get them all based on what event you want to celebrate. 

So, take your pick from these gift baskets and you would never go wrong when it comes to gift giving.

Gift Giving Tips for the Last Minute Shoppers

You may be meticulous in everything you do but when it comes to buying gifts, especially for someone you love or care for, it could turn out to be a nightmare. The tension gets increased when you forget those special dates until the last moment or sit clueless about what to gift and suddenly remember that the day is here and you haven’t bought any gifts yet. If these situations sound familiar, take heart for you are not alone.

Last minute shopping can be a Herculean task. Depending upon how much time you have left on your hands, here is a brief guide on shopping as well as some smart gift ideas to help you in your endeavor of buying the right gifts: 

Ø  When you have 24 hours left – You may be fretting and fuming as you have just one day to buy your gift. But 24 hours could be more than enough for shopping as you can visit a number of shopping destinations. Better still, you can simply go online and shop from your home’s comfort, choosing to get the gifts delivered right at your recipient’s doorsteps. Before you start your shopping spree, make a list of all those for whom you want to buy the gifts along with the appropriate gifts for each. Think about some general gift ideas so that you can hop from one to another if you don’t find a particular gift. So, be it anything from jewelry, and chocolate gift baskets to flowers, spa baskets and tools for home improvements, make sure to jot down your gift ideas before you start browsing the repertoire of online gift stores.

Ø  If you have only two to six hours left – In a time crunch like this, the best deal would be to head to the nearest shopping mall. In spite of inconveniences like crowds, long line ups, difficulty in spotting the required items, shopping malls offer you a myriad of gift options to choose from. Consider buying a corporate gift basket if you have to say thank you to your boss, or a towering chocolate basket if it’s for your girlfriend who has a penchant for chocolates. However, a handful of online gift shops have a special delivery option, which can come handy during such hours of need. You just have to know whom to place your orders with, and voila! Your gift would be delivered right at the doorsteps of your intended recipient.

Ø  Oops! You just have one hour? – The best way to handle this crucial situation is to head to the departmental stores nearby. Instead of buying a single bottle of liquor, consider some beer and wine baskets that come with delicious cupcakes, salsa, chips, cheese sticks, almonds, crackers etc. If you would like to go for the conventional ideas, flowers would probably be the best deal. You may also opt for a fresh flower basket. To make it a little more special, you can look for some unique assortments like that of Purple and Pink Campanula, Tree Fern, Blue Limonium and Leather leaf or something like those classic Victorian bouquets that include White or Pink Snapdragons, Pink Roses, some Daisy Pompoms, Lavender Cremons decorated with Blue Limonium, Eucalyptus and Bear grass etc, among others.

Ø  If it’s less than one hour – One of the best tricks that works is to haunt the drug store where you will find everything from designer perfumes and make-up kits to some electronics goods or bottle of liquors. You can also use the internet if it’s not possible to go outside to place your orders online. Be it a magazine subscription, a set of DVDs, some rare books or imported wine – you can shop whatever you wish for. However, you should make sure to check the delivery time taken by such online stores because unless it’s a store with a local warehouse, they might not make it to your recipient’s door on time. 

So, take a chill-pill and use these gift ideas to conduct your last minute shopping in style.