Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Posts Tagged ‘thanksgiving gifts’

Have you ever noticed how those lovely family holidays tend to make us crazy? We let stress carry away any joy we get from being with our loved ones, and if children are among your guests, you will find anxiety amplified. The good news, though, is that you can have a stress-free (or certainly less stress) Thanksgiving meal by taking a few easy steps before you even put the turkey in the oven.

Planning, planning, planning. Being prepared reduces anxiety levels enormously; it is when we are frazzled, harried, hurried, or torn in eight directions at once that stress overtakes us. To keep this from happening, sit down well in advance of Thanksgiving and plan your guest list and menu. If you tend to become easily stressed (and who doesn't around the holidays?), you may want to think about paring down your guest list.

If this isn't a possibility, it's time to delegate and plan your dishes accordingly. Instead of laboriously making portobello mushrooms stuffed with pine nuts and goat cheese, make a big pot of creamy garlic mashed potatoes. Guests will still love them, and you can make a large quantity easily. You don't have to write your menu from a gourmet, haute cuisine restaurant; simple favorites will do just fine. Better yet, have guests bring side dishes. You can be in charge of the turkey or ham, and your guests can bring the side dishes, appetizers, and desserts. Delegate; your local guests will be more than happy to bring food. And if you have to, buy a pumpkin pie instead of making one. It'll be fine.

Enlist family or a close friend to help you clean the day before your Thanksgiving feast. Children can pick up toys, straighten out rooms, and maybe even man the vacuum. This will leave you free to cook and perhaps even enjoy your guests on Thanksgiving. This is a great time to delegate as well: just because your great-grandmother single handedly cooked Thanksgiving differ for 25 people while making crafts and warming apple cider for everyone doesn't mean you have to. Get your spouse, children, and friends to help you prepare foods and get your house ready for guests. If they're eating with you, they can very well help out! And they will probably be very happy to do so. And if not, you can bribe them with pre-Thanksgiving treats.

Preparing the meal is not stressful when you're at home with the leisure to do it yourself. But when guests start arriving and your aunt starts looking over your shoulder and giving you tips about your gravy, this is when it starts to get a little too warm in the kitchen. To avoid some of this stress, give your aunt – and anyone else who is dishing out advice – jobs. People can peel, chop, grate, slice, or wash to help you out. Every chef needs prep cooks, so don't be afraid to delegate tasks.

If there are guests who you know will be more hindrance than help in the kitchen, create other jobs for them. Maybe someone can help the kids make crafts or read them books to keep them out of the kitchen. Maybe you can set up some board games or put on the game in the living room. Maybe you could send people out to gather leaves and acorns for a centerpiece or let them paint gourds. They'll feel helpful and they will not be underfoot. Let others know that they should relax, have a drink, read, watch television, or visit with other guests without feeling obligated to do anything. If all else fails, set a tray of holiday chocolates in another room and run for the kitchen.

If you have children at your gathering, give them a break. They pick up on the excited or stressed atmosphere and act accordingly. If they cannot sit through an entire adult meal, set a kids' table. Let them get up before the adults and go watch a movie or set up a game in the living room for them. Don't be too rigid about rules today – letting it slide will help alleviate a lot of stress, and life can go back to normal tomorrow.

Most of all, give yourself a break. Remind yourself that you are thankful for all of these people in your home and for the food which you are preparing. One step at a time; you will get there, people will eat, and Thanksgiving will be a success.

Should an environmental organization accept money from a greenhouse producing, oil burning factory? Should a drug and alcohol clinic accept money from drug and alcohol manufacturers? Many nonprofit and for-profit corporations have gift acceptance policies to prevent inappropriate gifting for a variety of reasons. A corporate gift acceptance policy can ensure that everyone involved complies with guidelines and standards set by the board of directors or other governing body. Here are some tips for writing your corporate gift acceptance policy so everyone remains clear and you can accomplish your goals in an ethical way.

Gift acceptance policies most often refer to nonprofits that depend on donations and fundraising for the capital they need to operate. The Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) policy, for instance, states that they will not “accept contributions from corporations/industries and their respective corporate foundations whose core activities may be in direct conflict with the goals of the medical humanitarian work of MSF, or in any limit MSF’s ability to provide humanitarian assistance.” This policy makes it impossible, then, for MSF to accept a gift from a big pharmaceutical company, for example, who charges outrageous, usurious prices on AIDS medications for use in third world countries. This “core activity” conflicts with MSF’s goals and values.

Many organizations have very broad acceptance policies, like that of the MSF. What constitutes an activity that is in direct conflict with the organization’s goals can be murky. For instance, big tobacco is a major contributor to a variety of organizations that help people quit the habit. Their products would seem to be in direct conflict with these organizations! But purposely broad language allows the nonprofit to be flexible enough to accept this type of donation.

You can find sample gift acceptance policies online and tailor them to your specific needs. In general, though, your policy should contain:

• Your organization’s mission and purpose. It is very important to have your overarching goal always foremost in mind. What are you trying to accomplish? Will these donations and gifts make that goal possible?

• Purpose of having the policy and guidelines regarding fits. Why do you have this policy in the first place? You want to guide donors, but you also want to guide employees and those who accept the volunteer gifts. You also want the policy to serve as a means of protecting the organization from responsibility, liability, IRS sanctions, or negative publicity.

• Indication that legal counsel may be called upon. In your policy, make it clear that you will seek the advice of counsel if you are not sure of the appropriateness of a particular gift or donor.

• Your position on restricted gifts. These are donations that the donor wants earmarked for a specific purpose. Your policy can discuss whether you choose to accept restricted gifts, if you only accept them in certain circumstances, or if any gift that benefits the organization as a whole and is in keeping with its mission will be accepted.

• Types of gifts accepted. Cash is always nice, but many organizations also accept real estate, stocks, and other donations. Do you want to accept charitable annuities, lead trusts, remainder trusts? Do you want to accept residences, jewelry, artwork, cars, or bequests? Ask yourself if your organization can handle the type of donation offered. For example, you may not want to accept a home because you do not have the resources with which to convert it into cash or usable space for your needs.

Another reason to be cautious about tangible gifts, such as real estate, is that you are then liable for any hazards or damages. If, for instance, that house that was donated to you turns out to be sitting on hazardous waste, your organization is responsible for the cleanup – and you cannot sell it without disclosing it is toxic. Use caution if accepting non-cash gifts.

• Reporting requirements. In your policy, inform donors if you will be sending them 8382 Forms for tax purposes if they contribute over $500.

It is impossible to write every contingency into your gift acceptance policy; you can’t think of every single situation in which someone might donate something, but you can set up a committee to review donations and determine if specific donors fit within the established guidelines and work with your organization’s mission and purpose.

Writing a corporate gift acceptance policy can save you from making bad decisions that, on the surface, seem like generous gifts.

You can learn more about corporate gift giving from this article Business Gift-Giving Etiquette.

Fresh fruit is more than a great snack, more than just the base for countless delicious recipes. Bright, beautiful, and bursting with promise, fruit also makes a wonderful gift for even the pickiest, hard-to-shop-for people on your list. Giving fruit helps you deliver the gift of freshness and summer, no matter what time of year it is – and that is always welcome. Here are some tips for giving the gift of fruit.

What’s in season?

No fruit is in season all the time, but there is a fruit for every season. Luckily, the fruits that we tend to send as gifts most often come into season in the northern hemisphere’s winter. So, in the middle of a cold January snowstorm, you can enjoy a taste of the tropics. You can find a list of fruits and their seasons at Fruit and Veggies More Matters. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the season you want to look at.

Not only does choosing fruit in season ensure that your recipient gets the freshest, most delicious items, it helps cut the costs. Seasonal fruit is less expensive than forced, hothouse-grown fruits.

Do you want to buy a fruit gift or make your own?

Either can be a great option. Purchasing a premade gift has a few advantages though: they do this for a living! They know when and how to arrange and ship the fruit so it doesn’t arrive spoiled or bruised. They can use specially insulated shipping containers to make sure that freshness is preserved and your recipient gets a beautiful fall gift arrangement. Another option is to choose a fruit delivery service that auto-delivers each month. You can save money, and your fruit will always be fresh and delicious.

What type of arrangement do you want?

Fruit baskets are wonderful, traditional gifts, but you can also branch out and try other options. Edible fresh fruit bouquets, for instance, make stunning birthday gifts and great centerpieces. This would be perfect for a party or for virtually any occasion, from a baby shower to a retirement party. Baskets, platters, boxes, picnic baskets, and bouquets bearing fruit all make terrific gifts.

Do you want anything other than fruit?

Fruit is definitely the star, but many arrangements include other items, such as cheeses, crackers, cookies, tea, wine, chocolates, dried fruits, and nuts. You can build a fruit basket featuring any number of complementary items. This allows you to customize your gift to meet the tastes of the recipient.

What’s your price range?

How much do you want to spend on your gift? Consider both the cost of the fruit gift as well as the cost of shipping. If you can hand-deliver the gift, you may want to assemble your own basket and save money; if you have to send it across the state or across the country, choosing premade can actually be a bit easier on your budget.

You can choose a deluxe, all-inclusive fruit basket with chocolates, nuts, and other goodies, but the cost is driven up by these other gourmet items. You can expect to pay between $120 and $200 for a large gift basket. You can always stay small, though; and this may even be better for some recipients. You don’t want all that fruit to go to waste because they can’t eat it all in time! You can find smaller, though equally beautiful, arrangements for between $35 and $50.

Fruit is a wonderful gift any time of year, but it is particularly welcome when we all need a reminder of warm, sunny locales. In the cold month of February, a valentine gift basket makes the perfect pick me up. You are sure to be appreciated when you give the gift of summer!

Thanksgiving is a holiday entirely devoted to indulgences.  We get to indulge in the presence of our family and friends (overindulgence is certainly possible), in rich, delicious foods, in the colors of fall, and in spicy, warm scents.  Decorating for the holiday can offer a lot of joy – if you don’t let stress overtake you.  Here are some tips so you can create welcoming atmosphere that will whet your guests’ appetites and increase everyone’s enjoyment of Thanksgiving.

• Let wonderful fragrances do the work for you.  Autumn and Thanksgiving are perfect times to bring in warm, rich scents.  In addition to scented candles, you can make your own air fresheners.  Here is an easy one:  peel an orange – you want the peel, not the orange.  Sprinkle some cinnamon and ground cloves onto the orange peels and place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover the peels.  Turn the stove on low, and the heated mixture will smell incredible.  It will be a light, subtle scent, which is perfect because it doesn’t overpower.  Baking smells – cinnamon, apple, spices, roasting turkey, should all be considered part of your décor.
• Incorporate pumpkins and gourds into your décor.  Even something as simple as a woven basket filled with various sized gourds is seasonal and festive.  You can also use mini pumpkins to make great candle holders.  To do this, cut the stems off of the mini pumpkins and make a hole to accommodate taper candles.

Decorate the pumpkin with colorful raffia or ribbon tied around the base or arrange flowers, leaves, fruits, or berries around the base.  Keep the pumpkin on a plate for safety.  The soft glow of candles is always a great addition to any room.

• Make a squash vase.  Choose a nice butternut squash, which will stand up straight and which provides a nice sized container.  Cut the top off and scrape out the seeds and pulp inside as much as you can.  Don’t scrape too much from the sides though.  Fill this with water or a piece of floral foam and arrange flowers.  Good choices include roses, mums, and carnations.  You can make similar vases with artichokes or use asparagus spears intermixed with black-eyed Susans in a clear vase for a fresh, unique centerpiece.
• Make a natural table runner with beautiful fall leaves.  If you don’t have maple trees from which to gather them, you can order them from craft stores.  On the leaves, place red and green apples, gourds, flowers, mini pumpkins.  You can also use the leaves as place cards for your guests.
• Use warm colors for your napkins, tablecloths, chair covers, and more.  You don’t have to go overboard with red and orange; don’t forget to add some contrast, including muted or mossy green, dark purple, and white for contrast.
• Depend on the classics.  Cornucopias, dried corn, squashes and gourds, dried cranberries and currants, strawflowers, and leaves make excellent decorations, and there are infinite ways that we can use them in elegant, festive arrangements.
• Use your kids.  If they make crafts at school, display them proudly.  Take an afternoon and make some fun decorations, place settings, and cards with your children.  It will be a perfect addition to any celebration.

If you don’t have time to decorate for Thanksgiving, pick up some gourds and pumpkins, pop an apple pie (premade is fine) in the oven for that homey smell, pick up some flowers and some green apples to make a centerpiece, and then relax and enjoy.  Your guests will do the same.  For a special touch, you can also order a festive Thanksgiving gift basket that can be used as the table centerpiece, host gift and pre-dinner appetizer!

New For 2009!  We've taken classic Oreo cookies and dipped them in milk, dark and white Belgian chocolate to create a one-of-a-kind treat for Thanksgiving.  A golden round box holds 16 of our chocolate dipped Oreos that are sprinkled with colorful autumn leaf confetti in oranges, yellows and reds. Then we add various hand-made royal icing decorations such as pilgrims, turkeys, and cobs of corn.  Each cookie is nestled in the round gift box to create our Thanksgiving Oreo Cookie Wheel.

We offer a wide range of Thanksgiving Gifts & Baskets that offer a perfect way to thank the host/hostess for entertaining you and your family during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Our gifts start at just $15 so be sure to check them out!