Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Archive for the ‘Christmas Holiday’ Category

Do you love sending out beautiful Christmas letters each year? Maybe you enclose them in your Christmas cookies or Christmas popcorn tins. Many people add them to their Christmas cards every year. Does your list get longer and longer and it seems you can’t find anything new to write inside? If you’re struggling to find something meaningful to write inside your Christmas card, why not borrow some words from days of old? Many quotes centering on Christmas can easily be found online.

Here are a few to get you started:

From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another

The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other.

Emily Matthews

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.

Mary Ellen Chase

Good news from heaven the angels bring,

Glad tidings to the earth they sing:

To us this day a child is given,

To crown us with the joy of heaven.

Martin Luther

Love came down at Christmas;

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Stars and angels gave the sign.

Christina Rossetti

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Heap on the wood!

The wind is chill;

But let it whistle as it will,

We'll keep our Christmas merry still.

Sir Walter Scott

Christmas hath a darkness;

Brighter than the blazing noon;

Christmas hath a chillness

Warmer than the heat of June,

Christmas hath a beauty

Lovelier than the world can show:

For Christmas bringeth Jesus,

Brought for us so low

Christina Rosetti

If it’s a Christmas letter you are looking to write, you can make it personal and festive with just a few simple tips. Write it once and print it from your printer to include inside or in place of a Christmas card and you’ll save yourself lots of time.

• Select a festive paper that you can use in your printer. Be sure it has enough room for your words and that your words will be legible against the background. There are so many fun papers that have holiday themes. You can find them at office supply stores.
• Write generically enough so that your letter can be sent to everyone on your list. A great way to start is, “This year at the Robertson’s…” Then you can fill in details of what your family did this year.
• Add lots of pictures. You can do this right in Word on your computer. Just select “Insert Photo” and you can upload photos that are already on your computer into your letter. Don’t forget, people who haven’t seen your children in a while will love to see how they’ve grown.
• Try to make it personal so it really gives a feel of what the family did all year. Did you get a new pet? Volunteer at a shelter? Run a road race? Include it all.
• Finish up with good wishes for the recipients. Something like, “We think of you often throughout the year and consider you among our greatest blessings. We wish you a year filled with joy, happiness and peace. Love, The Robinsons”
• After you print out copies of your letter, place them in a business envelope or tuck them inside your Christmas cards and mail.

Related Articles:

1. Discount Christmas Photo Cards
2. Christmas Cookie Exchange Tips
3. Family Christmas Traditions

Corporations often go to great lengths to convey the message to customers and clients that they are not nameless, faceless entities; that there are real people behind the logos and brands. This message should also extend to those who have everyday dealings with the corporation: employees, suppliers, vendors, associates, and clients can also benefit from a more personal approach. This is what makes corporate gift giving such an extraordinary opportunity. When you give the best gifts, your appreciation of the people who make your business a success are becoming more involved and engaged. Who better to trust with your corporate gifts than maple ridge farms?

Maple Ridge Farms is one of the best gift food companies in the world; founded in 1979, they have built an incredible reputation for quality and excellence. They guarantee “that every gift is one that you will be proud to give (and would be happy to receive).” Maple Ridge specializes in corporate and business gifts, so not only are their products exceptional, they handle the details – ordering, processing, and shipping – very quickly and efficiently. This allows you to choose your gift and let Maple Ridge take care of the rest with confidence.

Because Maple Ridge Farms deals exclusively in corporate and business gifts, there is a wide variety of products that will be appropriate for every occasion, from a promotion to a holiday. Some of their most popular items include:

Gift Towers. Gourmet gift towers make excellent centerpieces for office parties or gifts for employees, associates, and customers. The Ultimate Office Party Tower, for instance, features 23 wonderful gourmet treats, including: Ghirardelli Squares, honey roasted cashews, Starbucks Coffee, seasoned pretzels, English butter toffee, gourmet chocolate mints, dark chocolate almonds, five-alarm spicy peanuts, cashews au chocolate, praline pecans, chocolate covered raisins, milk chocolate almonds, chocolate mint melt-aways, peppermint bark, extra fancy jumbo cashews, pecan turtles, keylime snaps, chocolate truffles, cranberry delight, Bremmer wafers, private stock pepper cheese, beef summer sausage, and almost pecan honey corn.

These premium gifts have something for everyone to enjoy.

Gourmet Gift Baskets. These are classic gifts, and like the gourmet towers, they come with a wide variety of wonderful treats. The Deluxe Epicurean Feast, for instance, contains treats from Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Squares and popcorn on the cob to Cabernet Sauvignon cheese and Alaskan smoked salmon. These come in different containers, such as reusable tubs and woven baskets. You can choose savory treats, like the salmon and cheese, or sweet treats, like gourmet brownies and cookies.

Cheese and Sausage Gifts. These are perfect for individuals or as part of an office party. Again, a wide variety is available. The Smorgasbord, for instance, features half pound blocks of medium and mild cheddar, butcher-wrapped five ounce sticks of beef summer sausage, cashews, gourmet mints, and Bremner wafers.

Baked Goods Gifts. These are also perfect for individuals or as part of an office arrangement. The Home-Style Cookie and Brownie Basket offers a wonderful array of mouth-watering treats, such as chocolate chunk, white chocolate macadamia, apple cinnamon, snickerdoodles, double chocolate, white chocolate raspberry, chocolate pecan, and chocolate butterscotch coconut brownies. Even those without a sweet tooth can’t resist this tempting package.

Maple Ridge Farms also provides desk gifts, such as coasters and photo frames, and smoked gifts, such as spiral cut hams or applewood smoked turkeys. Any time of year, any occasion, and any recipient calls for a gift from Maple Ridge Farms. You can order their products through Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets.

Having a live Christmas tree can be a really festive part of the holiday season. There’s just something about knowing you’ve got a live tree inside that makes it so much more special than having an artificial tree. You may never have had a live tree before and are wondering just how to go about choosing a good one. Here are some tips to get you on your way to the loveliest tree ever.

If you’re cutting down your own tree, be prepared that it’s not as easy as it looks. Don’t go for the most monstrous tree on the farm. Choose a relatively small tree with a thin trunk. You won’t want to spend hours out there hacking away with a saw at an enormous tree. Go smaller, get done faster, and go home with enough energy to actually decorate the tree.

Choose a tree that has lots of branches. If it’s sparse, you’ll end up with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. When those few needles fall off you’ll have just bare branches left to decorate. Go for one with full boughs that look lush. Make sure there’s not a bald side. Check all around the tree to make sure all sides are presentable. Don’t buy a tree that has brown needles. This means it’s been sitting cut too long without any water and will surely be brittle and dropping needles.

Go for a tree with healthy looking branches and plenty of them. Go for a tree that has a ball base wrapped in burlap. This sort of tree is meant to be planted after the Christmas season. That way you’re not throwing out a perfectly good tree and are instead adding to the beauty of the landscape. If you can’t find a balled tree, go for a cut tree but plan on recycling it. Most cities now have a Christmas tree collection day when you can put your live tree on the curb and it will be picked up and recycled into mulch. At least that way it’s not going into a landfill.

Plan for a way to get your tree home. The top of your car is the fail safe choice. Just be sure to bring rope as often the tree farm won’t supply it. Once it’s home, get it into a bucket of water or a tree stand that has a well in the base for water. The sooner you get it watered, the fresher it will stay.

Water your tree every day. Some people don’t even know you have to water a live cut tree. They figure it’s going to die anyway, but you really do have to water it if you don’t want the needles to fall off in batches. It doesn’t make for a good looking tree and the needles can be a pain to clean up.

If you have certain pets, like mischievous cats or a rambunctious puppy, you’ll want to make sure your tree is well secured. You can anchor it with the tree base but you might even want to rope it to a wall if it’s very large. Keep in mind that some animals will eat pine needles and that’s not the best thing for them. Keep your tree gated off from animals and babies so that everyone stays safe.

Now it's time to bake the Holiday cookies and wait for the presents to be put under your beautiful Christmas tree.

It’s a Christmas tradition to hang decorated stockings on the mantle and wait for Santa to come and fill them with holiday candy and gifts. Some families save their stockings and use the same ones every year. Some like to purchase new ones and create new decorating schemes every holiday season. There’s a simple way to change out your décor without having to purchase new stockings. You can easily make them with a few simple supplies.

Gather some felt, fabric markers, white school glue, glitter, scissors and any iron on decorations or letters you’d like to use.

Using a template you will make out of a brown paper bag or craft paper, you will cut out your stocking. Trace around a store-bought stocking to make the outline, or do it freehand. You’ll want your stocking to be a bit oversized so you can get lots of presents into it.

Cut out two pieces of felt--one for the front and one for the back of the stocking. Using the glue, make a line all along the edges of the back piece of the stocking. Remember to leave the top glue-free so you can stuff your presents inside. Stick the front side of the stocking to the back side. This can either be done with white school glue or with a hot glue gun. The hot glue will adhere faster, but there’s no reason you can’t get great results with the white glue.

This part is fun for kids to help with. Decorate the front of the stocking by writing someone’s name up top with fabric markers. If you have the kind that puff up into 3D when they dry, that’s great. Now, add any iron on appliques or decorations you’d like. You can find Christmas iron-ons at a craft store. Simply peel off the backing and use a hot iron to adhere them to the stocking. Make a loop out of extra felt. Glue it into the top of the stocking so you can hang it on a nail or stocking hook.

If you’d like, you can run a line of glue anywhere on the stocking to make a design. Then sprinkle glitter on it and shake off the excess. When it dries it will look great.

Get creative with what you use. Use small reindeer or Santa figurines or ornaments. Just glue them on. Hot glue works best if you are gluing anything heavy, as it will set right away. You can also glue on gems and jewels from the craft store.

There is also another way to make a Christmas stocking. You can find a great needlepoint or cross stitch kit either online by typing in “Christmas stocking kit” or at a favorite knitting or craft shop. These kits come with everything you need, including easy directions, for stitching up a lovely Christmas stocking. Start early on these, especially if you’re a first-time needlepointer. They do take a fair amount of time to complete but they are worth it.

Try your hand at miniature stockings you can give to friends or hang on the tree as well. You can let the kids help design stockings out of fleece, canvas, cotton or any other fabric you have on hand. And don’t forget to make one for the family cat and dog!

Who doesn’t love opening up their Christmas stocking on Christmas morning? It’s so much fun to reach inside and pull out small treasures. There is something so delightful about miniature gifts that just add to the holiday festivities.

Here’s a list of 10 stocking stuffer ideas you can use if you get stumped for ideas this year.

1. Candy Coal: Know someone who’s been naughty this year? Give them a few lumps of coal of the candy variety. You can usually find it in stores at holiday time and you can certainly order it online from candy stores.
2. Mini Shampoos and Conditioners: Raid the travel aisle in the discount store for miniature versions of hair care products. They’re fun to get and make great companions for those who travel a lot.
3. Handheld Games: Every toy store has a few handheld games that cost no more than a few dollars. Find games like pinball and soccer that come in small versions that don’t require batteries. In fact, while you’re out at the store, visit the dollar store and score some fun kiddie games that will keep everyone laughing and occupied on Christmas Day.
4. Sweet treats: Everyone loves a good candy cane. Now they come in every flavor and color imaginable, so you don’t have to limit yourself to white and red peppermint. You can also include a few gourmet candies like Lindt or Godiva.
5. Socks: For some reason, socks bring a smile to people’s faces when they see them in their stocking. Go for wacky colorful ones like the type with 10 individual toe compartments for a real giggle fest.
6. Mittens: Kids lose their mittens just about as fast as the Three Little Kittens did. Give them a few extra pairs of the universal, stretchy kind that only cost a dollar so you won’t be as heartbroken when they disappear.
7. Pens and School Supplies: Round about halfway through the school year, in December, kids find they have worn down their crayons, lost their pens and broken the erasers off all their presents. Why not restock their pencil boxes with new supplies?
8. Snacks: Take-along snacks like individual pouches of goldfish crackers, cheese and crackers, pretzels or cookies make a nice addition to the stocking. Kids can then slip them into their lunch bags when they return to school.
9. Tickets: If you want to really wow someone, give them tickets to a show or event they’ve been wanting to see. They’ll never guess that they’re hiding inside their stocking. You can either buy the tickets or give them a coupon you make that says they can buy tickets to the show on the date they want to attend.
10. Gift Certificates: They are the perfect size for slipping into a stocking. The gift certificate has a great smile factor as it allows the recipient to buy what they really want. Go for a music store or mp3 site like iTunes.com, or a favorite mall store. Gift certificates to coffee shops are also welcome as those drinks tend to add up when you go there every day. Other great gift certificates are to restaurants and theaters. Older recipients really enjoy getting a gift that allows them to take a special outing.