Gift Baskets vs Conventional Gifts

Like most people we all get stuck for gift ideas.  It seems it does not matter how well you know somebody, when it comes to choosing a gift for them our minds go a total blank.  And if not then you may be choosing gifts that the receiver would rather choose for themselves.  When it comes to conventional gifts most people opt for clothing, jewellery, fragranced items or collectibles.  It does not matter which one of these that you opt for, they can all bring problems of their own, and most of this is down to personal taste.

Clothing:  If you buy clothing as a gift, you have to be absolutely certain of the receivers taste and size. Get the size too small, and the receiver of the gift will not be able to wear it and get it too large (well that is another matter)  It could be deemed as insulting with the receiver wondering if you think they are larger than they actually are.  Then there is the matter of taste.  Whether you like the article of clothing or not, and whether you think the receiver would look great in it, is totally besides the point.  If it is not to the receivers taste then they probably will never wear it anyway.

Jewellery:  Again this is an gift item that the gift receiver may want to choose for themselves.  There is such a diverse range of jewellery products on the market today, some pieces are extremely beautiful, but if they are not to the gift receivers taste, then it will probably never be worn.  Besides which if somebody already has a large collection of jewellery, they may not welcome more jewellery pieces.

Fragrance:  Like all other things fragranced item such as perfume is a matter of taste, but in some cases it is so much more than that.  Because perfumes react with the chemicals in your body, a perfume that smells great on somebody else, may react differently to your chemicals and therefore not suit you.  I have found this with a number of perfumes.  They smell great in the bottle and on somebody else, but when I have used it all I get is some sickly sweet fragrance that I detest and therefore would not buy for myself.  Then there are perfumes that are fantastic when I use them and not so great on somebody else.  So unless you know which perfume somebody normally uses, this is one to stay away from.

Collectibles:  Again collectibles and keepsake items are down to a matter of taste.  Besides which most people that collect items do so out of their love of finding items which go well with their collections.  I remember when I used to collect owls, everybody I knew decided it would be a good idea to get me an owl as a gift (nice and easy right).  No.  Just because I was collecting owls did not mean that I liked every owl I saw, besides which I soon ran out of space for my owl collection.  Needless to say I soon got rid of them all and stopped collecting.  When choosing a collectible or keepsake item, ensure that it is to the persons taste and that they have room for another collectible.

So how does all of this differ to gift baskets, after all are they not also to each persons taste.  Yes they are, but with gift baskets you are able to decide which would be the best theme for the person you are buying for.  For example if you are buying for somebody that has just moved home and you want to send them a welcome gift you could choose your theme around any part of the house.  Let's say you want to buy something for their kitchen.  Instead of buying larger items or clocks you could send a gift basket that contains little items that would be useful in their kitchen,  For example a gift basket filled with baking products could comprise of the mixing bowl which would be used as the base or "basket" filled with an apron, a spatula, a whisk, cake or cookie mixes and cake decorations.  When all of this is put together with a lovely bow to finish it off, then you have a beautiful gift to give whereby the entire gift all made up of smaller items will be used by the receiver of the gift.

Now I know that is certain cases taste still plays a big part in gift baskets, but when it comes to choosing a chocolate or sweet gift basket, there are not many who would say they do not enjoy that particular chocolate or sweet, and therefore the chocolate or sweet gift basket is sure to be enjoyed.  The only thing you really need to be aware of are any allergies to nuts etc, as most chocolates contain at least traces of nuts.  The same could apply for spa gift baskets I hear you say, after all they contain fragranced products.  However there is a difference between fragranced bath products and perfume.  As we have said perfume reacts with your body's chemicals where as for the most part this is not the case with bath products.

Gift baskets contain lots of little gifts, items that you would not normally consider buying as a gift as in the above example.  You would not normally consider buying a mixing bowl, or spatula or whisk or cake mixes as a gift, however in a gift basket they work fantastically well together and you know that although you would not gift these items individually, the likelihood is when sent in the form of a beautiful gift basket, these items will make a superb gift for a new home, and be received with joy and excitement at the thought that went into their gift.

We have said this before and will say it again, unlike most other gifts, gift baskets are a joy to both give and receive and part of the magic is the opening and discovering items that cannot be seen within.  Sometimes being as much of a surprise to the giver as the receiver.

So when  you are next looking for a gift and are stumped for ideas, give a gift basket some serious thought, and remember that even if a gift basket company does not have exactly what you require made up, most are very happy to work closely with you to create a gift basket that will be perfect for the receiver of your gift.

For great gift basket ideas as well as some fabulous novelty chocolate gift ideas please visit our website at World of Hampers

Gift Giving Gaffes You Can Easily Avoid

Gift giving can be quite an art and boils down to more than just choosing your gift.  Choosing the perfect gift is of course one of the most important factors, but how many of these mistakes have you made, and how could you have avoided them?

Your good intentions gift could be resented if you opt to purchase a months membership to Weight Watchers or the gym for an overweight person.  Unless they have specifically said that they would like to join, they could end up resenting your gift as a result.  Avoid buying good intentions gifts. Unless you are really close, even if they have expressed an interest in joining a gym or losing weight, they may not appreciate your thoughts on this.

Although purchasing an art or collectible gift for a collector may seem like a good idea, unless you are absolutely sure of their tastes this could be dodgy.  Besides which people that collect certain items do so out of the enjoyment they get of choosing those items themselves.  I went through a stage where I loved owls and elephants and most people thought that adding to my collection would be a great gift idea.  With all of their good intentions I ended up with a huge collection that I did not want and some were quite honestly ghastly, but rather than offend, I ended up adding them to my collection.  In the end I got rid of my collections, all bar a few select pieces, and now never tell anybody that I collect certains items.

Gadgets seem to be the gift of choice when you are not sure what to get.  Most of these are just that gadgets, they will probably never be used once the initial novelty wears off and end up in the bottom of the drawer somewhere or even in the bin.

Regifting seems to be quite popular amongst some, however unless you know what you are doing this can be an absolute minefield.  You need to have an exceptional memory if you are going to regift.  It is not just a case of remembering who gave you the gift initially but who saw you open it.  I am sure if you regift to somebody that saw you open the gift initially, they are going to feel a little put out and feel that you could not have been bothered to put some thought into their gift and opted to pass your unwanted gift to them instead.

There are a lot who purchase gifts throughout the year, and try and match the gift to the person as the season rolls in.  Although the concept is good, you may end up with loads of gifts that do not match the personality or tastes of the receiver.  These end up being thoughtless gift, such as giving a box of chocolates to a diabetic, or a rock and roll CD to somebody who likes opera.  If you are going to buy your gifts this way, try and match the gift to the recipient at the point of purchase rather than as the season rolls in.

If all else fails opt for a gift basket.  Not only do these make great fun gifts for any occasion, they can be tailored to suit and individuals taste.  Please visit World of Hampers for ideas on great gifts for any occasion.