You know the ones…the ones that have everything which makes them impossible to shop for! Or maybe you are trying to shop for a minimalist and you are being sensitive to their lifestyle…or maybe you just know someone who needs so much you don’t know where to start! You are out of ideas, Christmas is in a couple of days, and you have no clue where to get started.
Something I’ve noticed is everyone eats at some point. So, here are a couple of ideas for gift baskets that you can put together during your weekly shopping at the grocery store or if you have more time you can make some of the items yourself.
A food basket is always a great gift! Don’t just stick to the prepackaged stuff in the store though. Here are two gift baskets that I’ve made in the past couple of years. They were well received and enjoyed!
General Specialty foods:
Canned stuff: olives, pickles, crushed tomatoes/tomato paste, canned fish, unusual dried fruit like blueberries or cherries!
Spaghetti noodles (gluten-free) or a spaghetti squash
Flavored, self stable non-dairy milk
Gluten-free Crackers
Citrus fruit
Specialty beverages (these can be soft drinks or alcoholic)
Seasonings/Spices: special olive oil, vinegar, salt or other spices
A grocery gift card so they can pick up the essentials that weren’t included
Another fun basket is an ice cream basket:
A couple of fun toppings (chocolate is a must!!)
Some ice cream cones
Possibly some root beer or other soft drink so they can do a float
A gift card so they can buy some ice cream!
All or even just parts of it put in a basket or box can brighten someone’s holidays.
You could even do this for a food pantry. Besides being low on food around the holidays there also tends to be random cans of stuff that no one wants to eat. Consider donating some food allergy friendly items or a gift card so that those who are having a tough holiday have something special to eat.
This is a great way to include your kids in gift giving also. Explain to them what the plan is and have them help in the grocery store. They can also help with the packaging and card to go with it!