subject: Put The Wonder Back Into The Season With Christmas Hampers! [print this page] Most of us have been gifted a basket from a discount shop, and inwardly groaned. They contain teeny jams, shortbread and various other condiments we never use. Of course, we appreciate the gesture, just not the gift. It won't be used, and will likely end up in a cupboard, or re-gifted!
The trick with these baskets is to free them of the dated, tired contents and nudge them into the new millennium. Where a dry fruitcake once resided on the left side, a computer mouse, bedazzled with pink rhinestones now shines. Where once a packet of biscuits rattled about, a decoration to hang off your mobile now beams. Folks can tell the difference between a basket that was thrown hurriedly into a trolley and one that was carefully constructed. The silly thing is, that they usually cost the same. One can purchase various items throughout the year when they are on special, and if you dedicate a few evenings in November to constructing them with your family, or employing a specialist service, you can have them prepared come December.
I think of the film, 'Love Actually' and giggle. Remember Rowan Atkinson as the hapless salesperson in the department store? A customer agrees to have a gold locket gift-wrapped, but he wasn't expecting the laborious, painful process that Rowan insists on! Perish the thought of constructing such fanciful decoration. Not only is it impractical, but frustrating for the person trying to dig into the actual basket to discover what's there! Keep it simple, and allow the cellophane to be two layers, sheer enough to give a teasing taste of what's inside.
Watch as your loved ones become children, turning the basket this way and that, trying to sneak a peak at the many layers. No gift bags, which cost a few pounds apiece. No more cumbersome paper, which assuredly rips when you attempt to carry gifts. Simply pick up the basket by its handle or base, and away you go. The family barista would surely love a selection of brews and a drip filter or plunger, and the busy mum might adore bath salts and a voucher for babysitting. To make the salts, mix one cup each of citric acid, bi-carb, Epsom salts and fine sea salt. Sprinkle with lavender oil and package.
If you must include a Christmas cake or pudding-and can be assured the person will actually eat it, or bring it out for guests to enjoy-buy one from the Lions club or other charities. They can usually be spotted at big shopping centres. They sell the ones that are actually moist. So, in closing, think of the individual's lifestyle and tastes and cater accordingly.
Allow yourself enough time, starting early in the year by collecting supplies. This year, instead of hurriedly, chaotically, throwing gifts into your trolley, you will have a stress-free Christmas and your loved ones will bathe in the afterglow of having really been thought of.
by: Tom Jones
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