Gift Basket Themes

Gifting is one thing that not only makes the recipient happy, but gives equal, or probably more, pleasure and happiness to the person giving it. Moreover, if it is a gift basket you are considering to give someone, the happiness will be boundless, and the recipient will surely like some or the other gift in it.

• Silent Auction Baskets:
  Silent auctions are ones in which bidding does not take place in the usual way, i.e., there is nobody who stands and announces the highest bidding amount and counts. Instead, what happens here is that the bidding amount is written down on a piece of paper. 

Gift baskets for silent auction can depend on what kind of people are expected to come. Other themes for silent auction would include emergency survival kits, camping kits, kitchen utility tools, woodworking tools, etc. Arranging a visit to the local attraction too can be a good ideas.

• For Kids:
  Though children love chocolates as gifts, gift basket themes for kids would essentially include trips or passes to amusement parks, picnic trips with the same age group, puzzles, etc. Organizing for a fancy dress or Halloween theme party also is a good theme for kids. 

For example, in a school when parents are invited, the gift basket could include screening of a film in the premises or giving good set of books and educational DVDs that would help their children, health check-up, or club passes, etc.

Soft toys, or DIY (Do It Yourself) dolls house, drawing, coloring, crafting or sketching kits, story books, novels for children, animal books, or short stories with meaningful and moral teachings, etc. can also be given.

• For Christmas:
  Christmas tree decorative pieces, like colorful easter eggs, or little gift items meant for every one in your friend's family in hand-made gift boxes, or a collage that reminds of sweet old memories of the year before make for good Christmas themes. 

Bottles of champagne, along with some snacks to eat or some kind of bread, would be ideal for a Christmas gift basket and also to celebrate the festival. Cookies and chocolates make for good homemade gifts that you can put. You could also put in some scented candles in the basket, making it ready-to-use for the occasion.

Apart from these, you can be innovative and gift some magazine subscription to your family member or friends, donate some old clothes which are in good condition, homemade quilts to old age homes or remand homes, etc. Or get forms for say, eye donation, and get everyone pledge their eyes on the holy occasion.

If budget is not a constraint, Christmas themes can also have special ideas, like gifting a fishing rod, golf club, an aquarium, or even a pet!

• For Corporates:
  In events like fundraising, the organizers can give customized promotional gift baskets to the invitees. 

By customizing, I mean one common gift basket meant for men, women, kids, and young adults, which would include common utility items. But again, promotional gifts baskets are not hard to decorate, as the thing or issue which is being promoted itself can give many ideas for the same.

• Gourmet Gift Baskets:
  These can be one of the good themes, because it will be shared by the entire family of the employees rather than them alone. So they create a good will and sense of 'own-ness.' in the family with the company.

Though fruit baskets are a common choice for corporate gift basket, you can try gifting potted plants or latest electronic gadget in the market, say a cell phone!

Decorating the Gift Basket

Presentation of any item, be it a gift or anything else, is the key to giving a lasting impression, and same is the case with gift baskets. Even if you come up with unique ideas, but present it in a not-so-impressive way, your effort will not work in the desired way. This holds especially true with gift baskets for women.

Using cellophane papers of a single color that matches your 'basket' color is one factor that you could keep in mind while buying the same. Then, cover the entire basket, barring the handle, with the paper to make it look like one perfect gift. The only finishing touch would be to tie a curly ribbon around the basket. 

You could put flowers, thermocol balls, or small strips of paper festoons in varied colors can add a nice look to the basket, and make it padded up so that your gift items don't move and jingle.
So these were the ideas for gift basket themes that I could think of, with some tips on how to decorate a gift basket. So get going and spread happiness by gifting!