Deciding on a gift can make me anxious: what can I purchase for Elliot on his sixtieth birthday? What should I present to my mother for Mothers Day? How can I satisfy my husband with a gift he would use for our twentieth wedding anniversary?

I’ll admit that I’m not very good at buying gifts. When it falls to me to decide on a gift for someone, I am a complete wreck: what should I get Aunt Ann for her last day of work? What would my parents like for their thirty-seventh wedding anniversary? How would I surprise my husband on his birthday? And what can I possibly choose to congratulate my son, the young man who has everything, on the finally finishing his college career?

And even if I do locate the right thing for everyone, how can I easily send it to my Aunt Ruby who recently moved to Atlanta?

Can I surprise my pop with a gift at his volunteer job? And could I send George a terrific birthday surprise without driving to Fort Worth? How can I get a gift to my husband at work on Veterans Day? And could I send my parents a meaningful wedding anniversary gift without driving all the way to Baltimore

Fruit gift baskets turn out to be the magic solution, the answer to my woes and a wonderful way to say that “You are in my thoughts.”

Given the wide choice of gift baskets available, I’ve had no trouble locating a present for anyone on my list. However the truly great part about buying gift baskets on the internet is the reward of not having to become concerned about shipping anything through the mailmyself or even worse—making a long trip! And, if I really want to surprise my husband on our anniversary, I can fill his day with hearts and flowers before he even comes home from work. That can produce a wonderful benefit!

Since discovering gift baskets, choosing the best presents for my friends and family is no longer difficult. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed when selecting gifts, I recommend you give gift baskets a try.

Even my daughter appreciated a gift basket, so I know you’ll find a great gift for anyone on your list!

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Gift baskets are out of date!  Or is it that they’re just boring?  Actually, I hope the correct response is neither.  (Lock it in; that’s my final answer.)  I’m actually a gift food merchant.  Kind of has a special ring to is, doesn’t it?  While I agree that it’s not quite the same as being a test pilot or a neurosurgeon, it’s an honest way to pay for tuition for my grandson.  Or at least it would be a good way to do so if more of you bought my products.

I know what you’re thinking: “I’ll bet he never has a problem deciding what to give during the holidays; he just gives the same boring baskets year after year to everyone.”  How dare you think about me in that way!  I actually have the same problems you have in deciding what gift is best for everyone on my list.

I don’t give only baskets of joy to my loved ones.  Even if I did just give gift baskets to everyone, my choice would be only marginally easier than yours.  My company alone offers scores of fruit baskets, wine gift baskets, gourmet food options and far more.  (I can hear you right now, begging me to tell you where this wonderful store is.  Please be patient.)

Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.

First, I decide on an appropriate category of gift.  If Uncle Milton has his drinking problem under control for the first time in ten years, I should not even consider the wine baskets.  Instead, I’ll opt for a fruit basket with something seasonal.  After years of ignoring the nutritional value of what he consumed, he could use a few extra servings of fruit in solid form.

Aunt Millie, on the other hand, is a great wine sipper.  Frankly, I don’t know if she really enjoys the wine, but she sure enjoys talking about it.  She loves to let everyone know the best vintage years, the kinds of grapes that are used in various blends and, most of all, how much she spent on the wine you just spilled all over her new carpeting ( a square yard).  I’ll give her one of my better wine gift baskets, but I refuse to give her the best stuff.  Sure, I get it wholesale, but I still have to pay for it!  (I’m also not going to pay for the carpet cleaning; not after what that cat of hers did to my new coat.)

Everyone in our family, except me, says that my nephew Alfred finally made his girlfriend an honest woman.  I, on the other hand, never doubted his girlfriend’s honesty, but I have some reasons to suspect Alfred.  In any case, they finally got married.  To tell you the truth, even I agree that it’s about time.  Alfred spent the last eight years trying to decide if she was worth the cost of a diamond ring.  (I suspect that he eventually settled on crystal, which, considering Alfred, would be thought of as generous.)  Alfred always loves to receive cash as a gift.  There’s no way that I’m satisfying that desire.  His wife wouldn’t get a dime of it.  Instead, they’re getting a meal of live lobsters and the trimmings from me.  Actually two, of course.  I figure it’s the only way to get that cheap guy’s new bride out of the kitchen for an evening.  (They honeymooned by visiting me!)

Second, I decide how much I’m willing to spend on these losers.

My grandson is getting the latest video game system.  Let’s face it; he is truly special.

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We all know people that when you pass by the vitamin store in the mall, we’re not surprised to see them browsing the shelves.  They are the health freak; that friend of ours who is always trying out the latest diet or newest exercise fad.  Or, perhaps they’re new to the whole health scene.  For the third year in a row, they’ve made it their new year’s resolution to lose those holiday pounds, but this time they’re actually going to go through with it.  No matter what, we all know someone who is “carb conscious.”  So, when their birthday comes around, it can be challenging to get them a gift that meets their healthy living. In fact, this give you a good starting point in deciding upon a gift.  You can take this information and turn it into a gift that will inspire them.

A unique gift idea, especially for new comers to the fitness world, might be to get them a trial membership to a health club or athletic club.  They’ll be among others with the same goals, and plenty of equipment to help them take on their challenges.  Some of the equipment can be intimidating or tricky looking, and the staff is always willing to demonstrate how to work them.  They might find that getting a personal trainer can keep them going beyond the point where, in past efforts, they may have simply quit.  Getting a friend a membership is a great way to motivate someone to get out of the house and get started on shedding the pounds.  Even if your friend already has a membership to such a club, you can still give them a free month, or even a gift certificate to be used at the club for additional services or products.

If a club membership is too pricey, you might think about getting them something else that will aid them in their quest for fitness.  Visit your local sporting goods shop to find inspiration for other appropriate gifts.  Health stores can give you plenty of gift ideas, too.  You might find a video guide on a popular exercise routine or an inspirational book.  

Just because they want to lose weight doesn’t mean they can’t eat.  Many sports shops will have cook books for the health conscious.  These books are a great idea for those who are fine when it comes to working out, but have trouble controlling their diet.  The sports shop has new ideas at every turn including pedometers and heart rate monitors making your gift hunt much easier.

If you’re looking for a more personal gift, one of the best healthy gift ideas you can get is a fruit basket. Fruit can become an extremely healthy habit.  We’ve been learning it since grade school when we first saw the food pyramid.  Fruit is just plain healthy; it is totally cholesterol-free and provides many of the essential vitamins that we all require.    There are all sorts of fruit baskets from which to choose, one of which will fit your budget as well as delighting your health-conscious friend.  One exception to keep in mind, however, often people who are just beginning a low carb diet are not permitted fruit.

So whether they’re just getting into fitness or have been exercising for years, make sure your gift is supportive of their choice to get healthy or stay healthy.

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Many of us are faced with a time in which some of our close friends and family are enduring tough economic times. We want to help, but we also don’t want to embarass them by extending unwanted charity. Especially in those types of cases, we want to be sure that the gifts we give them for special occasions are put to good use, needed and enjoyed. I have a few suggestions:

A fruit basket is healthy, beautiful, yummy and always enjoyed. If you live near your gift recipient, you can find a lovely basket or other attractive container and fill it with fruit that is in season in your region of the country, obtained at a farmers market, and then fill it out with a few exotic fruits picked up at your neighborhood specialty store. If your loved one is farther away, you can arrange for any of a large range of beautiful fruit gift baskets to be delivered directly to the person’s home. It will help them to reduce their grocery bill that month.

A unique meal is another way to remember a special occasion. One alternative might be to take the friend to a special restaurant. If price is no object to you, be sure to suggest some of the pricier entrees on the menu, so that your guests know that they should not worry about ordering whatever they prefer. For example, you could say something like, “The crab legs are perfect here, but, if you don’t like seafood, try the filet mignon.” If they live too far away for that, you can actually find delicious, gourmet, chef-prepared meals online that arrive frozen and can be heated in almost no time. (I actually keep my freezer stocked with these.) Or you might send a gift certificate to a special place in their town.

A final recommendation is a scrumptious dessert. Now, lets face it, nobody should indluge in too many desserts, but on a birthday, anniversary or holiday, everyone deserves a chance to feel a little pampered. Bake cookies, if that is a skill of yours, and hand deliver or have them delivered. For something a little more special consider giving them a delicious pie or a New York style cheesecake. Whether you make it yourself or have others do the work for you doesn’t matter. It will be appreciated and definitely enjoyed either way.

You’ll notice a common feature in these suggestions. They all involve food. Someone who is going through a difficult time may not want to accept charity, but nobody can reject a genuinely special gift. If it reduces the grocery bill by a bit, so much the better.

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Our new neighbors have finally arrived next door. We’re anxious to meet them. They appear to be about our age and our children look forward to playing with theirs. Close relationships develop quickly on our street so we’re sure that our neighbors will become our friends. Can you think of a better way to greet these new neighbors than with a gourmet fruit bouquet?

Fruit baskets are the ideal memorable gift to give for his occasion. They exude friendliness. There are many variations of containers from which to choose and the selection of different beautiful fruits can be as creative as your imagination allows.

A more sizeable fruit giftbasket could consist of a sturdy box, which can be used for other items later, filled with wrapped choices of ripe fruit. Just think of juicy oranges, sweet nectarines, fragrant strawberries, and tangy grapefruit. The delicious selection of these fruits stimulate any discerning appetite.

A larger fruit giftbasket could be made of a sturdy cardboard box, which can be used for other items later, filled with wrapped choices of ripe seasonal fruit. Just imagine juicy oranges, sweet plums, fragrant raspberries, and tangy grapefruit. The flavorful selection of these fruits whet any discerning appetite.

Using a wicker basket is another way of presenting the fruit. Select a white or natural-colored basket. Healthy fruits of fragrant pineapple and distinctive coconut are surrounded by exotic kiwi. Add citrus selections of oranges, lemons and limes with aromatic bananas carefully positioned among them. This makes a fun, tropical fruit basket choice, which is appetizing, healthy, and eye-pleasing. Top it with a lime-green ribbon tied in a large bow.

Gift baskets can also be personalized, depending on your preference. We happened to see a beautiful, oak wine rack being moved into their new house, so a bottle of wine could easily be added to the selections of fruit. In order to tie in the fruit theme, a citrus peeler or a paring knife could be added, too. Hard tack or chocolate candies, or shortbread cookies, or even nut selections of almonds and walnuts would add an extra special touch to the fruit basket gift.

Fruit gift baskets can be offered in a variety of containers filled with every kind of delicious fruit you can think of. No matter which container you select for the fruit and no matter which fruits you choose to fill the container, it is a lovely, flavorful, and healthy option. What a wonderful “Welcome to the Neighborhood” gift fruit baskets are!

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Fighting my way through a crowded store with my arms full of packages is not my cup of tea. My mother loves to shop, but I did not inherit those genes. The aspect that I despise the most, however, is trying to guess what presents everyone would actually appreciate. I used to have this inescapable fear that all of my shopping efforts usually resulted in a rushed trip back to the store or, worse, out to the garbage can. I could never feel confident about what to get my Grandma or Uncle Arthur. Now, I can enjoy the cute shops and the department stores, especially during the holidays, because I can walk through empty handed, unrushed, with all of my shopping already long finished. I do all my shopping online, now. Well almost all of it.

While online shopping keeps me from being pushed around in a busy department store or standing in line at a little boutique, it doesn’t keep me from the most dreaded part of any gift giving event; choosing the right gift for a birthday, a holiday, a sick friend or whomever. Then about five years ago, I discovered food.

That wasn’t very honestly phrased, because I discovered food when I was still an infant. But I didn’t discover food as a gift idea until recently. You see, at that time I received a gift basket full of hardly edible sausages, processed cheese spreads (mostly chemicals I think) and crackers that were about as crunchy as a rock. However, the poor quality of what passed as food in that gift turned out to be my inspiration. “What,” I thought, “If I had received genuinely good food?” How different that would have been, and how much I would have enjoyed it.

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

The wide selection of quality gift foods available is truly remarkable. It ranges from live lobster dinners to a fruit basket; from cookie bouquets to live lobsters; from wine gift baskets to imported caviar or fine Wisconsin cheeses.

For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets. Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting. The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.

So join me in thanking the web for teaching me how to walk through an aisle of a store, empty handed, with a huge smile. I can do that, now, just to soak up the spirit of the season. I’m a tourist when I’m there instead of a frantic shopper.

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