Beckies Spot

Here are some more easy gift basket ideas- depending on what you want to spend.  I suggest you also read the previous post if you haven’t already.

Here we go.

For the couple- Say you are buying a gift for a couple- and you want them to know you put some thought into this- but you don’t even have a clue where to start thinking…..try this:
Get a basket and a couple of wine goblets- buy a box of four, even if you only need two- it will save you money, and you have the option to do another basket with the same theme for someone else.  Now you get to pick out your beverage.  I realize that a lot of people don’t drink alcohol, so you may think this gift is inappropriate.  I would simply put a bottle of Sparkling Grape Juice in here.  Clear or Red…whatever best fits the couple.  If you do choose to put alcohol in it (And this reader reminds you to be considerate of the age of the recipients), you can get a bottle of decent champagne or wine fairly cheap (My absolute favorite is Gran Spumante- it’s under 10 bucks a bottle!).  Put the bottle in the middle, a globlet and either side (crumple tissue paper and put it inside the goblets, or fill them with kisses or hugs) and toss in a cd of piano music, or a christmas cd.  You have just given them a romantic night in.

For the whole family- Depending on what you are prepared to spend, you can go very big with this, or you can keep it simple.  If you want to give a gift to an entire family….go to the game aisle at the store.  Walmart and Big Lots have very reasonable games.  It you are keeping it simple, buy a game like Life, Monopoly or Sorry.  Put this in a basket and add a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa (if there are little ones in the family, don’t forget to throw in a snack for them too- fruit or veggie puffs work great!).  Put the basket in the bag and secure a ribbon around the top- and you are done!  If you are going further- depending of the age of the kids- For a family with younger kids, head back to the game aisle and grab games like Cooties, a Barrell of Monkeys and card games like Go Fish! and Old Maid.  These games are not expensive at all and they’ll be a lot of fun.  Find a basket that they fit in, and then head over to a snack aisle and pick up a snack like pretzels or cheese puffs. Arrange everything when you get home and put the basket in the clear bag and tie it with a ribbon.  You are done!  For the family with older kids or teenagers….Back to the game aisle and pick up a variety of card games like Skip-Bo, Phase Ten and Uno.  Find a basket or some funky container to put these in and check out.  On your way home, stop at Pizza Hut or your local pizzeria and pick up a gift certificate or gift card for dinner.  Arrange your card games and throw the gift card in there, put it in the bag, tie it up, and you are done!  If you don’t think the family will enjoy card games, you can get different types of games.  The older kids will do well with games like the CSI DVD game, Scene It, and other games like that.  Think about the family and what they would really enjoy and get the most out of.  (The dinner gift certificate works really well for the older kids because they can play the games and eat- plus it will keep them home for a night…parents will love it!  For the other baskets, buy whatever you want for the snack, but keep in mind to keep it healthy- they are eating enough junk food at Christmas time- aren’t we all?)

For parents- This is for the couple that has young children, or a young child.  No matter how great of a parent you are- everyone needs a night out.  Parents sacrafice a lot for their kids- time alone, time together, things.  Let’s face it, parents spend their money on the kids first- and these days, there isn’t much left over.  This gift basket will be just for them- A candle in the color of their bedroom- if you don’t know, go with a cream colored candle.  A gift card to a nice restaurant- AppleBee’s, Outback, Roadhouse.  When you are used to a McDonald’s Drive Thru, this is a real treat.  You don’t have to put more than 20 bucks into the gift card, they’ll know what to do with it…lol.  You also want to enclose a little homemade coupon for your services to babysit while they go out.  This is a big deal.  If you are close enough to the couple to recognize that they need this type of night out, and close enough to know what color their bedroom walls are, then you can suck it up and babysit for a few hours.  You want to take it a step further, get them movie tickets too.

In the bottom of your baskets, you will want to put some kind of something so that it looks decorative.  You can go as simple as tissue papper(fluff it up!), or you can put some sort of Christmas towel in it, or get some material from your local craft store.  Craft stores have all kinds of material that is known as ‘misfit material.’  This means that itw as cut and then returned, it was the last of the roll or it was cut from the roll for whatever reason.  It’s usually really cheap since they have no use for it.  You can put this in the bottom too.

Remember to be sure your items will fit in your basket and that you basket will fit in the bag (the clear ones that should completely cover the bag with left over at the top to be tied with ribbon.  You can also try sliding the basket into the bag sideways, and tie the ribbon on the side.  A great touch is to make the tag yourself.  Get a pair of ‘funky cut’ scissors (with a jagged or curvy edge) at the dollar store and some colored stock card from the craft aisle.  Cut the card, write some names, and you are done!

Good luck!

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