Holiday Gift Christmas Baskets

Christmas-Themed Holiday Gift Baskets

Giving a Christmas-themed holiday gift basket on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is thoughtful, as the recipient can eat goodies now and use the décor for next year. But really, a holiday gift basket filled with Christmas treats should be given several weeks early so that the person can enjoy it throughout the holiday season.

A holiday gift Christmas basket is perfect for the following gift-giving occasions and persons:

• Employee gift exchange
• Neighbors
• Bosses
• Families with young children
• Teachers
• Service people
• Friends or family who are ill

Christmas baskets are perfect gifts for people whom you do not know very well, but want to honor or show appreciation to during the holidays. They work well at parties held before the holiday where items are of a “grab-bag” type nature.

Filling Your Holiday Gift Christmas Baskets

A number of items can go into a Christmas gift basket. You can choose to make it thematic, like all items with red, green, blue, or silver in them, or feature snowmen and Santa. Religious-themed gift baskets are nice touches for pastors, clergymen, and women.

Another way to theme your basket is by type of item you place into it. You could make it a Christmas tree-trimming basket, filled with garland and ornaments, or a kitchen basket, with sprinkles, colored icings, recipes, and cookie cutters.

Other items to fill your homemade Christmas gift basket include:

• Homemade treats
• Homemade soup mixes
• Ornaments
• Holiday stickers
• Christmas coloring books and crayons
• Outdoor decorations
• Christmas refrigerator magnets
• Mantel decorations

Just about anything you can think of, make, or buy related to Christmas will work in a holiday gift basket. Your basket can be any size, too. A small one will easily hold a couple of mugs with hot cocoa, and a bigger one is convenient for several windsocks and a doorhanger inside. The basket itself is also a gift that can be reused for any number of things.

Do not limit yourself to just woven baskets. A holiday popcorn tin would make a great basket, and the lid will keep snow and wind from the treats inside. Buckets, pails, and oversized mugs can hold small Christmas gifts, too.

Wrap your basket with red, green, or blue cellophane and accent it by using gold or silver curling ribbon. Be sure to mark the basket with the recipient’s name and your name.

Buying Christmas Baskets

The Christmas holiday season can be extremely busy. Not everyone has the time to make gift baskets themselves. Instead, you may want to purchase your gift basket. Local floral shops and bakeries sometimes offer this service, as do many specialty stores created just for this business.

Gift baskets purchased on the Internet can be shipped, without you going to the expense and hassle of packing and sending yourself. Consider the following online companies for Christmas gift baskets:

• The Gift Basket Pros—With Christmas gift baskets ranging from under $20 to upwards of $250, you are sure to find the right basket for your budget. Most baskets have a food-related theme to them. The North Pole basket is priced right and perfect for the holidays.
• GoumetGiftBaskets.com—Starting at $37, these gift baskets are excellent for corporate gift giving. The Sledding Memories basket has a nostalgic feel, perfect for far-away grandparents and relatives.
• Heavenly Gift Baskets—Choose from a number of moderately-priced baskets. Frosty’s Goodie Sleigh offers a sleigh instead of traditional basket to hold all the treats inside.
• Designer Gifts—Several holiday gift baskets from Designer Gifts are priced for multiple orders, so those who are buying for several people can do one-stop shopping at a low cost. The Have a Beary First Christmas basket is a fun, thoughtful gift for the family with a new addition.

For a more personal touch, visit Design It Yourself Gift Baskets. You can choose the theme, basket, and stuffers, and the company will put it together and ship it out. Predesigned baskets are also available.

Christmas baskets are a wonderful present to give when you want to be creative or personalize the gift. Give them at your next gift exchange or send one to your friends and family who are too far from home to celebrate with you. No matter who the recipient is, she/he will surely appreciate a little holiday cheer.