How to Make Holiday Gift Baskets

The holiday season can be a stressful time of year for many reasons. One of those reasons is finding gifts for everyone. You could just give a gift without a thought of what the person actually likes, but then the person will turn around and give the gift to someone else or just never use the gift, while it sits on a shelf dusty. You could also make gifts from the heart and give them to your loved ones. A least stressful gift is a gift basket chockfull of goodies. Last year I made baskets for all of my family and friends and these baskets were a hit.

You will need to decide what you want to give in the basket. You will need to have enough baskets or bowls that are big enough to hold all of your items. A large salad bowl is what I used, which can be found for $1 at your local Family Dollar or Dollar General. Good ideas for the basket are homemade breads, cookie mixes, muffin mixes, coffees, teas, candies, and anything else that someone might like. You should make each of the baskets unique to that individual's personality. For example, my mom loves coffee. I made her a coffee lover's basket, which included a variety of flavored coffee beans, a coffee grinder, a cute coffee mug, and cookies and treats to compliment the coffees.

For families with children it is a good idea to include cookie mixes, candies, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and something else that fits to that family. You can include Christmas ornaments that are made just for them, such as painting regular ornaments with their names. It is really nice to see the children's faces light up when they find a gift just for them inside the basket. The recipe that I used for my chocolate chip cookie mix is included below.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon of baking soda, ¾ teaspoon of salt, 1 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, ¾ cup of packed brown sugar, and ½ cup of granulated sugar.

Directions: You should combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. You then pour the mixture into a quart canning jar, which you can buy a dozen at your local Wal-Mart. You then need to layer the rest of the ingredients into the jar. You should pack each layer to make sure all of them fit. Put the lid on the jar and then decorate the jar in festive fabrics and paint. You then need to attach a direction card that states: "Preheat oven to 375°. Beat together 1 ½ sticks of butter, 1 egg, and ¾ teaspoon of vanilla in a large bowl. Add the cookie mix and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes and then remove and place on wire racks and cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies."

As you can see this is a fun way to give gifts. It is a thoughtful way to show someone you care. Each gift is personal and unique to what the receiver loves. These gifts are sure to be a hit with your family this holiday season. Get ready to bake, have fun, and please a lot of people in your family!