Christmas comes but once a year, and if your favorite thing to look forward to each holiday season is giving thoughtful gifts to those who matter most, then you should think about assembling gift baskets this year! Making gift baskets at home can cost a fraction of the cost of buying a pre-assembled gift basket, and best of all, you can personalize everything in the gift baskets yourself, so you know that your giftee is sure to love everything inside! If you're a savvy, patient shopper, then you'll be able to score great discounts on items to fill your baskets with!
Before you start shopping, here are some basic tips for creating the perfect gift basket:
- Write a list out of everything you'd like to include in your basket, then purchase the basket. This will prevent you from purchasing a basket that is too big or too small.
- Place taller items in the back of the basket, and bigger ones in the front, so that everything is really displaced nicely.
- Make sure to remove all price tags from your items - you wouldn't want your giftee knowing that you got a great deal on all the items in their basket!
- Wrap the basket in green, red, or blue cellophane, and curl the ribbon at the top. This will allow you to have a beautiful gift to present, and will ensure that none of your items fall out. It will also help prevent peeking before the holidays!
The Classic
The Classic Gift Basket is perfect for everyone - friends, family, coworkers, teachers - really anyone you may want to give a gift to this holiday season. If you shop smart, you can often score items for this basket on sale, but you'll need to plan ahead, and start shopping early.
Items to include:
- Non-Refrigerated Summer Sausage or Pepperoni Stick
- Non-Refrigerated Blocks of Cheese
- Local Long Island Wine of Your Choice (For giftees over 21 only)
- Wine Crackers or Biscuits
- Chocolate Truffles
- Festive Holiday Candy (Tip: We recommend adding in a Chocolate Santa to make the basket a bit more festive!)
- Your Giftee's Favorite Sweets & Treats
As you're assembling your basket throughout the month of December, you can casually strike up a conversation with your giftee and your favorite snack foods. This should help you get an idea of what to add into their basket!
The Sports Fan
Creating a great gift basket for your favorite Sports Fan is pretty simple - you'll want to combine items with the item of their favorite team with yummy snacks they can enjoy while watching the game.
Items to include:
- An Ornament featuring the logo of their favorite sports team
- A pair of pint glasses or beer mugs (with or without the team logo)
- 2-6 of their favorite beers (For giftees over 21 only)
- Tickets to see one of their favorite local teams play
- Mixed Nuts
- Chex Mix, or similar snacking item
- Non-Refrigerated Summer Sausage or Pepperoni Stick
- Non-Refrigerated Blocks of Cheese
- Your Sports Fan's Favorite Game Day Snacks
If you want to make things more fun, you can always make your own "Certificate" to add into the basket, entitling your giftee to a day at the game of their choice with you, or an all out at home Game Day Celebration complete with snacks & drinks.
The Pamperer
Is there someone in your life that could use a little bit of pampering? If you do, we've got the perfect basket for you! The Pamperer is packed with everything needed for an At Home Spa Day, so your giftee can relax, and enjoy some little luxuries.
- Scented Bubble Bath (Tip: Find out what your giftee's favorite scent is, and purchase all scented items in the same scent!)
- Scented Bath Salts
- Scented Candle
- Colorful Bath Loofah (Tip: Christmas Themed Loofahs are available at major retailers such as Target, Walmart, and CVS!)
- Comfortable Bath Robe or Slippers
- A bottle of your giftee's favorite wine (For giftees over 21 only)
The Movie Goer
Have a movie love on your list? No problem! Whether your giftee loves watching long movies, or they're more into binge watching their favorite Flicks & TV Shows marathon-style on Netflix, the Movie Goer Basket is the perfect gift!
For the basket itself, we recommend using a large plastic or ceramic Popcorn tub - this will really help to tie together the theme of the basket!
- Popcorn Tub (for use as basket)
- 1 Bottle of Stove Top Popcorn
- Flavored Popcorn Salt Set
- Individual Candy Packs (Tip: Get a few of your giftee's favorite candies in the individual "Movie Theater Size" Packs!)
- Individual Bottles of His or Her Favorite Soda
- DVDs (Tip: Pick a couple of movies or TV shows that you & your giftee can enjoy together, and include in the basket!)
- Gift Certificate for 3, 6, or 12 months of Netflix or Hulu
These great gift basket ideas should get you started, but remember - it's always a good idea to get creative, and no matter what, if you've put a lot of thought into your gifts, your giftee is sure to love them!
Have any great Gift Basket Ideas? Let us know in the comments below!
