Good Homemade gifts
Did you get invited last minute to a holiday party? Did you forget you’re supposed to go to a Yankee Swap (aka White Elephant) this weekend? Realize you forget to get something for your Secret Santa? If you need a good holiday gift last minute and don’t want to just get a generic gift card then why not whip together a homemade gift basket! Here are four things you should include:
A good bottle of wine (or liquor):
You don’t need to spend $100 on a bottle of wine, but don’t settle for the $3.99 jug! Try to get your friend something they like (red versus white, sweet versus dry, etc.) and not just your favorite thing; it’s a very simple way to show that you put a little effort into your gift basket. For instance, if they love margaritas a smaller bottle of good tequila is going to mean a lot more to them than a fancy bottle of wine. Tie a festive bow around the neck of the bottle and voila!
Gourmet snacks.
There is nothing wrong with chowing down on some Doritos on game day, but up your gift giving game and opt for gourmet snacks for your holiday basket. Trust me, it looks a lot better than a bag of Fritos. Even something as simple as the potato chip can be elevated by a unique flavor (white truffle, gorgonzola, rosemary), pretzels can be coated in Belgian chocolate, nuts come in way more flavors than “salty, ” and there are plenty of amazing cheese out there! A few select gourmet snacks really rounds out your gift basket. Just make sure you’re only giving things that you receiver can eat! It would stink to get 3 bags of nuts when you have a nut allergy.
Small games.
It’s kind of hard to put a whole board game in a gift basket, so pick up a simple deck of cards or other small game like Banagrams for your homemade gift basket. Small games are always great for road trips, when you’re stuck in the airport, or just hanging out with friends, but no one ever things to buy one for themselves! If you swap gifts early enough in the night you can break in that game at your holiday party.
Lotions and candles.
Especially in the winter months, a good bottle of hand lotion is incredibly useful! If you know the person prefers a particular scent (sweet, fruity, spicy, clean, etc.) than get a small bottle of their favorite fragrance. When in doubt, scent-free is still always a good idea. And a nice smelling candle (go for festive fragrances!) is nice to have burning at a holiday party. If your gift basket is for a guy friend don’t despair! They make candles that smell like leather and cut grass and other “manly” scents. A good bottle of after shave lotion works too.
If you don’t have any gift baskets just lying around (you’d be surprised once you check your closets!) you can easily grab one at the dollar store or at a store like Big Lots. If you buy a basket that is too big for the items you purchased, simply lay a dishtowel in the bottle to take away some of the volume. Stick a bow on everything and you’re all set!
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