The Gift Ideas Blog

Richart Valentine’s Day Chocolate collection

Although we just finished the Christmas holiday season, Valentine’s Day is quickly coming up. It’s never too early to start thinking about your Valentine’s Day gifts because the holiday is coming up in less than a month! Already retailers are rushing out merchandise for the lovely holiday.

You needn’t be married or have a significant other in order to give a Valentine’s Day gift. Valentine’s Day could be a great time to show your friends how much you appreciate them. You could also give gifts to your family members to show them you care.

The most popular Valentine’s Day gift, of course, is chocolate and candy. Many chocolatiers and confectioners offer special heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to give to your sweetheart. These range from lower-end chocolates available at your drugstore or supermarket to gourmet heart-shaped truffles from high-end chocolatiers such as Richart. Keep your eyes open, as most chocolate and candy stores will have special Valentine’s Day collections in special red and heart-shaped boxes, both big and small.

Another romantic Valentine’s Day gift is a cute stuffed teddy bear or stuffed animal that might be clutching a little heart. I cute stuffed animal is the way to a significant other’s heart.

Perhaps you could consider a Valentine’s Day gift basket, which can include a variety of items such as candy, stuffed animals, and other holiday paraphernalia. If you don’t want to purchase one, you can always make your own.

Finally, you might consider giving items that are in Valentine’s Day colors, such as red, pink, and white. If you are not giving a traditional Valentine’s Day gift, you could give something that is in red or pink to give it that Valentine’s Day feeling or flavor.

What are your gift ideas for Valentine’s Day? Let us know by e-mailing us!

OK, it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re still looking for that last-minute gift. Your options are limited, but lucky for you, many retailers are open extra hours today to accommodate the last-minute rush.

Your best bet is probably a gift card. Gift cards help make up millions of dollars in sales for retailers, and it’s no wonder. They are easy to buy, and popular with gift givers who aren’t sure what their gift recipient might like. It’s also popular with gift recipients because they get to choose exactly what they want to buy, albeit only in the store from which the gift card was purchased. It’s a win-win situation, though, so what’s not to like about gift cards?

If not, try making your own gifts. A homemade heartfelt card written with sincerity and filled with love and friendship just might speak volumes more than a hundred-dollar gift. Some construction paper and scrapbook decorations and stickers can go a long way in creating a personalized and much-loved Christmas card. Then, hand-deliver the card with some freshly-baked cookies or other baked goods. It’s easy to look up a recipe for holiday baked goods and then deliver them on a nice holiday paper plate and wrapped in Christmas-color cellophane and ribbon.

Other great Christmas gifts include floral arrangements, boxes of candy or chocolates (the Lindt Excellence “Holiday Spice” chocolate bar is particularly delicious and gourmet), and gourmet snack tins filled with such poppable foods as popcorn, pretzels, cheesy poofs, or gummy candies.

Well, good luck with your last-minute Christmas gift shopping! When all is done, you’ll be relieved and happy to settle down and celebrate that “most wonderful time of the year” with all your loved ones.

Christmas presents

Christmas will be here before we know it, and it’s time to get all those last-minute gifts before the big gift-giving holiday. Many online retailers are still offering last-minute shipping deals, and it’s quite possible to find a gift online that will still be sent out by companies to your gift recipient by Christmas Day (rapid guaranteed one-day shipping, for a price, of course). But you’ll have to hurry. Many of these retailers are swamped during this time with similar last-minute gift shoppers, so you’ll want to order today to have them ship out the item by Monday to hopefully arrive on time on Christmas Day.

You might actually have better luck going to a store to find the perfect gift during this time. A recent jaunt over to Kmart and Target yielded delightful gift boxes, all wrapped up and ready to be given. They contain various gifts, from jam and preserves sets to shaving kits to hot cocoa mixes in holiday mugs. All packaged nicely in appropriate boxes, you don’t need much effort to get it ready for presentation. With these stores doing all the work, it shouldn’t be hard finding the perfect gift. They’ll also help you out because many stores offer gift-wrapping as well, so it’s all one-stop shopping, without any hassles once you get home.

Also, try a smaller boutique. They offer unique gift items that are personal and not as mass-marketed. Perhaps try an antique store for a vintage twist. My friend recently found at a vintage store a silver heirloom locket that she planned to give to her mother after putting in her own portrait. Such treasures seem to have more meaning when they are vintage and have an old story to them.

If you are unable to go out to shop for Christmas, perhaps consider a home-made gift. One delightful idea a friend used once was to make a huge batch of gingerbread dough. Then, divide the dough into smaller portions, wrap it up in plastic, and give the gingerbread dough away to friends and family members along with a card containing a recipe for making gingerbread and instructions on how to bake it (temperature, how much time, etc.). Perhaps also include a gingerbread man cookie cutter. That little set is cheap and easy to make yourself, yet it will be well-received by your gift recipient because it is unique and a fun gift to receive because you can have a mini-party baking and then later decorating that gingerbread.

Also, you could try creating your own gift basket. Put some coffee or teas, or jams or wines or fresh fruit into a basket, then affix a delightful and colorful bow to the top. It’s an instant gift basket! If it’s a Christmas gift for children, add some toys and candy, and that’s sure to be a hit with the youngsters. Perhaps you could also use Christmas colors of green, red, gold, and silver in coordinating your gift basket items. Or use a green, red, and gold ribbon to tie up the basket. There aren’t any rules; just pick what your gift recipient might like and wrap it up so it looks beautiful. Easy peasy!

Well, it’s just two shopping days ’til Christmas. Good luck, everyone, in finding that perfect Christmas gift!

Halloween gift basket from Devynns.com

The next big holiday coming up is Halloween, and while it’s not commonly a gift-giving holiday, you definitely have the chance to do something fun on this occasion. Some great Halloween gift ideas include the following:

Halloween costumes: If a loved one is having a hard time picking out a costume, you might consider giving one to them as a gift to help them out. If it’s a younger friend or relative, give an age-appropriate costume, such as a favorite cartoon character or animal. For your adult friends or relatives, you could give something more grown-up or risque. Be sure to get the right size for the Halloween costume gift. You wouldn’t want things to get too tight or too loose, which could pose a problem during nighttime trick-or-treating outings or late-night parties.

Other Halloween accessories, such as fangs, devil horns, angel wings, makeup, and trick-or-treating bags might make fun Halloween gifts as well.

Candy: Of course. Everyone loves those bite-sized candy bars, and supermarkets have a great selection during this time of the year. There’s the traditional Hershey’s chocolate bar, or M&Ms, as well as Starburst or Skittles, and other popular candy bars such as Snickers, Kit Kat bars, Milky Way, Rolo, Almond Joy, Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger, or Almond Joy. You can also dress up your candy, too, by putting them in a nice little basket or ceramic pumpkin decoration, or present it in a nice glass bowl. Halloween is all about sweets and treats, so give the sweet gift of candy during this festive occasion.

Halloween decorations: Fun light-up Jack-o-Lanterns or ghost lamps make great gifts. Also black lights and glow-in-the-dark spooky decorations could be popular as well. Fake tombstones or spiderwebs and giant spiders, or lawn witches can bring seasonal delight to any front yard.

Halloween gift baskets: You can buy Halloween-themed gift baskets that usually include lots of candy, some fun fall toys, and other spooky treats. They might come themed in the Halloween colors of orange and black, and maybe purple and green as well, and they could be based on themes such as pumpkins or Jack-o’-Lanterns, witches, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and other spooky characters.

Pumpkin-carving kits: It’s popular this time of the year to carve pumpkins, so you can help a friend or family member out by giving a pumpkin-carving kit. These usually include several carving knives, various patterns for carving, and tips on how to make the perfect Jack-O’-Lantern.

Try the above Halloween gift ideas, and you’ll be on your way to perfect holiday popularity!

Today we’re going to talk about good gift ideas.

No, not “good” as in the gift recipient will like it a lot. Good gifts as in it does good for the world. For example, consider giving a donation in somebody else’s name. Some charities will offer certificates of donation, and you can present that: “This certifies that John Smith has donated $500 to the American Cancer Society.” It’s a gift that helps a charity and is like sharing the good karma that comes from helping a good cause. There are even agencies that will help you take care of everything. For example, Charity Checks allows your gift recipient to donate to a charity of their choosing, while you get the tax deduction.

Also, consider gifts that are ethical or fair. For example, fair trade items help producers in other countries be paid a fair wage and price for their products. The most famous example are coffee and bananas. Other food products have recently been marketed as fair trade. Do your research and make sure you understand that it’s actually fair trade and the terms of the fair trade agreement before buying just because it says “Fair Trade.”

Give a pound of fair trade coffee as a gift to a coffee drinker. Or, consider fair trade arts and crafts. There are several sites, such as Cebra or Global Crafts, dedicated to selling arts and crafts and clothes from people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to make a living from their handiwork. Look for a company that is ethical and pays the craftmakers a fair wage.

Finally, give a gift that can be helpful to the environment or the world. For example, plants are often a good gift because when planted in a garden, they can continue to offer visual and environmental benefits. Trees, in particular, will grow tall and be a gift that will be remembered every time it is seen. Also, some charities allow you to donate money to preserve an acre of rainforest, or donate money for the restoration of destroyed environmental habitats. Perhaps you could try donating money in the name of your gift recipient, and that would benefit part of the world.

Give a good gift today, bring joy to your gift recipient, and help the world!

A fruit basket gift idea

FTD offers this colorful and delightful Garden’s Paradise Basket, a fruit basket filled to the brim with colorful and flavorful seasonal fruits.

Fruit baskets are a great gift idea, and this gift basket can offer a healthy and sweet present for an important guest or host.

The gift basket includes an assortment of what’s in season. It also comes with a personalized message. It’s great for business contacts as well.

Try this fruit basket and impress your gift recipient!

Here’s a great food gift idea: Smiley cookies from the Popcorn Factory!

These rich, buttery cookies have a charming yellow smiling face in frosting put on top, indicating fun and goodwill. Send this box set of 14 smiling cookies and show your gift recipient that everything is just fine. This smiling gift will bring a smile to your friend or significant other. Each cookie is individually wrapped and the set comes in a charming smiley face box.

L.A. Burdicks, maker of gourmet chocolates in the New England, has a fun gift this Easter season. It’s a patch of grass with chocolate bunnies! And hidden in the grass are small chocolate Easter eggs to be discovered! The eggs are filled with truffle filling and marzipan.

It can make a great table centerpiece until the day comes to eat the fun candies in this Easter treat! Find it at L.A. Burdick.

Give an Arizona themed gift with the Premium Arizona Gift Basket from Sphinx Date Ranch.

This beautiful gift basket includes Sphinx Medjool dates, Arizona honey, mixed nuts, chips and salsa, prickly pear salsa, coffee, tea, stuffed olives, dried fruits, and coconut dreams snacks.

Your gift recipient will enjoy this wonderful assortment of classic Arizona snacks, weighing in at 13 pounds.

Available for $85 at Sphinx Date Ranch.

Contains: Sphinx Medjool dates (of course), Coconut Dreams, Arizona honey, Dried Fruit Assortment, mixed nuts, chips and salsa, Prickly Pear jelly, stuffed olives, coffee and tea.

Here’s a gift idea for the lover of sweets: a set of four assorted Ethel M caramel apples.

This delicious set of caramel apples from Ethel M Chocolates features juicy yet crispy Granny Smith apples coated with warm, buttery caramel and then drizzled with chocolate or coated in nuts. Each luscious caramel apple weighs more than half a pound.

This delicious food gift is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

This Ethel M Caramel Apples Set goes for $28.99 at Delightful Deliveries.