Uniquee Items to Include in a Thanksgiving Gift Basket
More than any other holiday that Americans celebrate, the very essence of Thanksgiving is the food. It is all about gathering together with people and enjoying food, and in some cases, that may even mean getting to enjoy food that one has grown or hunted themselves. For people who may be invited to someone else's home, or for those who may be shut-in or otherwise isolated, a thoughtful gift for the holiday is a Thanksgiving gift basket.Here is a look at some of the possible things that one might put into a Thanksgiving gift basket.*Scented Candles -Candles are always a lovely gift. You can find candles in wonderful harvest fragrances that range from pumpkin pie spice to cranberry, to wine scented candles, to apple pie, to nut flavors and much more. They will be available as votives, as tea light candles, as pillar candles and in containers. You may even be lucky enough to find a really pretty container that is perfectly suited to the Thanksgiving holiday.*Flavored coffees and teas -Flavored coffees and teas are the perfect thing to warm one on a crisp fall day. For those who may not drink coffee, consider something like spiced apple cider. You can put a bottle of some really nice organic apple cider in the basket, too.
- Homemade mixes in a jar -
Consider putting together a mix for pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread and putting them in a canning jar along with instructions. For a decorative touch, consider adding sticks of cinnamon.You might even include a cornbread or sage stuffing mix, along with the instructions for preparing that.
- Decorative cinnamon scented broom -
A cinnamon scented broom can be a fun decorative element. If you can glue a magnet on it, it would be the perfect decorative element to put on a refrigerator, giving the kitchen a lovely cinnamon smell when no one is cooking.*Maple flavored products -Fall is somewhat synonymous with trees, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to give a gift of maple products. You can buy everything from Pure Maple Syrup to maple candies that are shaped like maple leaves, turkeys or other shapes. You can also purchase maple butter or whipped maple cream, all of which are delicious and can be spread on bread or rolls or served with French toast, pancakes or waffles. Some people like to pour Maple syrup or spread maple cream or butter on corn bread.*An aged country ham -If you have a friend who may be hurting financially, a wonderful gift is a beautiful old country ham. The ham will feed them for quite some time, and the bones can be used to make great soup. If the ham is too large for them to eat at one time, they can freeze part of it. For someone who may be living in a nursing home or alone, consider giving them a smaller ham that will not have to be cooked.
- Smoked salmon -
There's nothing quite like Wild Pacific Salmon, and for the average person, the cost often makes it impossible to purchase it in any other way than in a can. Packages of Wild Pacific Salmon (especially Sockeye) are vacuum packed and will survive non-refrigeration for a brief period. This will make a truly delicious appetizer for someone's Thanksgiving.
- Jerky -
Jerky can be a really healthy snack, especially when you buy something like Buffalo Jerky or Venison Jerky. It is not only a healthy treat, but very much in keeping with the spirit of that first Thanksgiving. It will be a great hit for all those folks who love to watch Football on Thanksgiving Day.
- Unique cheeses -Cheese is another delicious and delightful gift. An aged cheddar that is wrapped in wax will last for quite a while without going bad. Moreover, if an apple pie is being served for the holiday, a hunk of cheddar cheese is the perfect accompaniment. Along with the cheese idea, you can put home made cheese straws in the basket. You might want to put some crackers in the basket, too.*Infused Olive Oils or Vinegars -If you are a gardener, consider infusing some vinegar or olive oil with some of the herbs you have grown. You can infuse olive oil or vinegar with everything from thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, basil or French tarragon. You can infuse the olive oil with garlic. For people who are lovers of spicy food, consider drying some hot red peppers and throwing the peppers in your vinegar or oil. You can buy attractive bottles to pour the oil or vinegar in. Tie a decorative ribbon on the bottles and attach a card that explains what is in it. As an alternative, you can tape a label onto the bottle.*Hand made pot holders or linens -A lovely gift that anyone will appreciate is some hand made festive holiday themed pot holders or hot pads. If you can make an apron that matches the hot pads and pot holders, that's even better. Consider making a little pouch to put rolls in. This will keep the rolls warmer than they would be if they were exposed to the air. Some dish towels with a Thanksgiving theme are another nice idea.*An assortment of spices -Thanksgiving is all about spices. You can't make pumpkin pie without the important spice. Spices like ginger, nutmeg, all spice, cloves (whole cloves can be pushed into the fat of a ham,) and cinnamon are all spices that will be useful for the festive meal.*For other members of the family -If there are kids involved, consider putting a great holiday video in the basket. Maybe you know of a wonderful book about the story of Thanksgiving. That would be another great thing for kids to have over the holiday. If many kids will be at the gathering, a popular board game would be a great gift that can keep all of the kids entertained.You can get flavored Jelly Beans that will have all of the typical flavors that people associate with Thanksgiving: pumpkin, cranberry, buttered popcorn and many others.Obviously, a gift basket is composed of whatever the person who is making it decides to put in it. Since the whole idea of Thanksgiving is so enmeshed in food, it makes sense that a gift basket would be filled with special thanksgiving food treats. As long as you are putting food goodies in the basket, don't forget the chocolate turkeys! Most kids really love chocolate turkeys.
