Gift baskets are a popular gift option, especially during the holiday season. The key idea behind a gift basket is that you are giving someone several smaller gifts instead of one larger one. These small items are arranged in a container and the entire package is attractively wrapped in cellophane.
Gift baskets are almost always themed. There is the traditional fruit basket. Bath products are always popular, mainly scented soaps and lotions. Baskets can be tailored to the recipients' interests — books, paper and pens for a writer or new lipstick and nail polish colors for the make-up enthusiast. Gift baskets can be either highly personalized or generic enough that anyone would enjoy receiving them.
A gift basket doesn't even have to be a basket; any container will do. This can be a chance to really highlight the theme. A gift basket for a gardening enthusiast could consist of seed packets, a nice pair of work gloves and a new gardening tool inside a terra cotta pot or a watering can. For a movie fan, wrap a few DVDs and some microwave popcorn in a fun serving bowl. The best gift baskets are stored inside something that can be used long after the contents are gone.
The First American Gift Baskets
When the Mayflower landed on the shores of America, the European settlers were greeted with the first gift baskets. Dried fish and meats, corn, beans and other vegetables were presented to the settlers, by the American Indians, to welcome their arrival. In the 1700 and 1800's, individuals created baskets full of fruits, foods and candies for Christmas, Easter and other holidays. Today's gift baskets are crafted to the individual recipients tastes for holidays, special occasions or "just because" gift giving. Fruits, foods and candies now share space in gift baskets with "useable" items for the baby, the bath, the kitchen or for play. The baskets or boxes themselves are designed to be creatively used as well by the recipient once they've enjoyed the contents of the gift basket.
