My favorite holiday gift idea can be adapted to any interest and fit into any budget - the gift basket. For cookers and bakers, this sort of gift is a natural. Here's how I do it:

1. Purchase inexpensive baskets at the Dollar Store or with discount coupons at craft stores.
2. Collect specialty items like organic herbs and spices, flavored vinegars and oils, holiday bread or cookie mixes, baking utensils-you name it.
3. Add some handmade recipe cards with your holiday favorites
4. Line the basket with colored tissue paper or clear, colored plastic wrap
5. Put you items inside the wrapping and tie up with a ribbon.

You can also adapt this for coffee or tea lovers, for instance, or make a gift basket for anyone on your list around their special interest.

Give the Gift of Health and Wellness this year!

This is a wonderful idea I think it will please anyone . It will lower my budget which becomes exhausted since I have a long list to prepare for gifts.

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

Very nice idea! They also sometimes have very nice bowls or platters at the dollar store that you could use in place of the basket. I buy dollar store plates to use for homemade cookie gifts.

That's a great idea about getting platters and bowls at the dollar store too. I'll bet you could find lots of cute items there to add to the basket too like cookie cutters or a kitchen gadget.

That is a good idea. And for the lazy folks there are some cool gift baskets online. I honestly didn�t know what to get my uncles for the holidays until I was on the 1-800Flowers website looking for flowers for my mom. BEER and CHICKEN. Lol! I feel you can do no wrong giving a man a gift basket like that.BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

I'm making a Deluxe Gourmet Breakfast Basket for a non-profit association to auction off.

It will have the association's cookbook, pancake & muffin & scone/biscuit & bread mixes, fruit toppings, jams, pure maple syrup, honey, coffee & teas, all packed in an artisan mixing bowl with a whisk tied to the ribbon.

I love making gift baskets! In fact, I think I'll write an article on earning extra money for the holidays by making & selling gift baskets.