Great Gift Basket Ideas for the Holidays

Are you looking for a unique and personal gift for someone who has everything? Here are five fantastic gift baskets ideas that you can put together yourself and not break the bank!

1. Movie lover's gift basket: Purchase a large, brightly-colored bowl and throw in a couple of soft drinks, packs of microwave popcorn, and candy. In the bowl you'll also want to include a gift card from you local Blockbuster or even a one month gift subscription to Netflix for under $10! You can layer it all over a soft fleece blanket within the bowl. This is a gift the whole family can enjoy together!

2. Pampering gift basket: You can get a nice wicker basket at you local hobby store for a low price; you can generally even find a 40% off coupon, too! Attach a nice ribbon to the top. In the basket, you can include such goodies as a candle, lotion, nail polish, gossip magazine, homemade neck wrap, homemade CD with relaxing music, and homemade bath salts. Salts can be made easily with a mixture of epsom salt and a soothing fragrance like lavender.

3. Arts & crafts gift basket: This is a great one for the nieces and nephews! Purchase a small rolling cart with 2 or three drawers. Fill these drawers with crayons, markers, paints. You can also put in construction paper, stamps, stickers, and craft scissors. Some fun goodies they'll love would be popsicle sticks, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, scraps of ribbon or fabric, beads, glitter, and sequins. Make sure the kids are old enough to know not to put these little pieces in their mouths!

4. Homemade goodie gift basket: Everyone loves baked goods, especially during the holiday season! In a bread baking pan, include a simple homemade cookbook with tried and true family recipes. This is something they will cherish long after the holidays are over. Include a bottle of homemade vanilla: in a 750 ml bottle of cheap vodka place 6 whole vanilla beans. The process of making good vanilla will take 4-6 months. Place the bottle in a cool, dark place such as a cabinet or pantry. You will need to flip the bottle every week or so to distribute the flavor. One 750 ml bottle will make 3-4 small gift bottle of homemade vanilla. You can lay a small bottle in the baking pan with the mini-cookbook along with a decorative kitchen towel.

5. Grilling gift basket: Aren't men the hardest to shop for?! Put together a few new grilling tools and some homemade spice rubs. An easy recipe for a rub would be a mix of 1 1/4 cups white sugar, 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper, and 1/4 cup paprika. You can also include a bottle of homemade barbecue sauce, too!

Get started early and shop around for some great deals to fill your goodie baskets! Your family and friends will appreciate the time and thought put into their individual baskets. These will be gifts they can actually use!