Food: Choosing the Perfect Gift Basket to give during the Holidays

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Choosing the Perfect Gift Basket to give during the Holidays
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By Christina VanGinkel

It is that time of year again, and choosing the perfect gift for everyone on your list is at the top of your personal list of things to do. While a gift basket is not for everyone, there are many, myself included, who love to receive an exotic or interesting assortment of food items piled high in a basket or other container more than any other gift we could receive.

A food gift basket is a great way to share a few of your own favorites, or to give someone a gift of items that they might never otherwise have a chance to try. Some of my own favorite snack items were originally given to me in the form of a gift basket. I have also been fortunate enough to receive some unique and interesting teas and coffees through the years that I otherwise would most likely have never thought to sample myself.

Besides the foods and treats inside the baskets and containers, the baskets and various other containers themselves are as much a gift themselves as are the contents inside.

If you are having a difficult time deciding on a gift for someone, be it your in-laws, your boss, even a neighbor who has been overly kind throughout the past year, and you would really like to show your appreciation at this special time of the year, be sure to at least consider a gift basket of food. It is sure to be a favorite no matter who you gift it too.

A couple of companies that carry gift baskets and containers in a wide price range and with a variety of assorted food and other contents that you can find online include the following:

Hickory Farms

While known for their wonderful selection of meats, they offer gift baskets with everything from hams and seafood, to fruits, sweets, snacks, and more. Their Snowflake Collection Tower, available for less than forty dollars, includes summer sausage, cheeses, crackers, sweet hot mustard, pretzels, almonds, and strawberry bon bons. It all comes wrapped up in four festively decorated boxes and a snowflake ornament for the recipient to remember the gift by after all the snacks are gone.

Harry & David

One of my personal favorites, Harry & David is well known for their fin fruits and delectable sweets. They are offering a Deluxe Holiday Tower for gift giving this year that sells for less than fifty dollars. The description on the site states that it includes seven gifts, including Royal Riviera Pears, bright, blushing Crisp Mountain Apples, 60-layer Baklava, Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Deluxe Mixed Nuts, Cheddar Cheese, and Chocolate Truffles from their own confectionery. They also offer the choice of adding a personalized gift card and they make it easy for you if you are sending gifts to more than one recipient by allowing you to customize a recipient list for easy ordering.

Beside these two perennial favorites, there are companies that cater to wine enthusiasts, chocolate lovers, tea and coffee drinkers, even baskets that come laden with complete meals, from main dish to dessert. Check with local restaurants for example, to see if any of your favorites offer complete meal packages delivered basket style for a gift that is sure to be enjoyed by any who receive it. One local Italian restaurant not far from us offers a deluxe gift basket during the holidays that arrives in a picnic basket, complete with red checked tablecloth, a choice of main dishes, fresh salad, garlic toast, and dessert. The basket is topped off with a beverage that includes a choice between bottles of wine or a bottle of a non-alcoholic carbonated fruit drink. Be sure to remember that if such a gift seems ideal, but you would be unsure when the best time to send it would be, you might want to give the gift as a gift card instead, good for a complete meal in a basket at the time that is right for them. (This can be the perfect gift for your overworked wife, mom, mother-in-law, or anyone close to you, who spends too much time in the kitchen during the holidays cooking for everyone else!)

Gift baskets can be the perfect gift to give during the holidays. There are many wonderful choices to pick from, so choose wisely, and all who receive them are sure to be thrilled.

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