A great gift basket can almost be like 10 gifts in one. You keep digging in and finding new treasures, tastes and tools hidden inside, many of which will remain part of the giftee’s kitchen, workspace, or office for years to come. While a lot of gift baskets are food themed and therefore great for the foodie in your life, there are some that go above and beyond to ensure they’re more than just a few crackers and cheese slices buried under 20 pounds of shredded paper. And some even go way beyond food to appeal to the gadget-obsessed handyman in your life.
So forget about gift cards or novelty cookbooks and give a gift that will be guaranteed to be used, and reused, to its absolute fullest.
Here are 10 gift baskets sure to make an impression this holiday season:
The Best for the Cocktail Enthusiast: Old Barrel Bar Supplies Cocktail Smoker Kit
What You Get: Packaged in a smart, sophisticated wooden box, this gift “basket” is designed to take your mixology to the next level. The box contains a torch, a smoker (with extra screens), 6 whiskey stones, 2 coasters, a garnish tong, 45 cans of wood chips, a jigger, 2 whiskey glasses, recipes, and storage/cleaning accessories. It’s essentially everything you need to stock a high-end cocktail bar.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: This isn’t just an “unwrap and consume” kind of gift, this is for someone with a real interest in crafting unique, flavorful drinks (and learning how to use new tools in the process). The smoker can be used on meats, cheeses, and even coffee to extend the flavor experience. If you know someone who wants to take their whiskey appreciation to the next level, this is really the best gift you can find.
Price: $45.99 on Amazon.com
The Best for the Sweet Tooth: Cheryl’s Cookies “Hug in Every Bite” Gift Basket
What You Get: A hefty basket overflowing with quite simply some of the best cookies and treats you can possibly imagine. Sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, buttercream-frosted cookies, chocolate-covered pretzels, brownies and more. It’s deliciously focused on providing the ultimate sweet indulgence.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: Let’s be honest, we all dig through standard gift baskets looking for the sweets. Maybe you get some shortbread cookies or chocolate-covered almonds if you’re lucky. Why be coy about it? If you know someone who has an unabashed sweet tooth, this is the way to go. Just dive in with a selection of amazing cookies and sweets that’s bountiful enough to share (but no one will judge you if you don’t).
Price: $49.99 at Cheryls.com
Best Gift Basket for a Family: Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Batter Bowl Gift
What You Get: This gift arrives wrapped in clear cellophane and is tied with a colorful ribbon. You get Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, Wild Maine Blueberry Syrup, Farmhouse Pancake & Waffle Mix, Blueberry Printed Melamine Batter Bowl and Medium Blue Spatula. The batter bowl is lightweight and has a convenient pour spout and handle, making it easy for even kids to use in the kitchen.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: When is a delicious blueberry pancake breakfast boring? This set is sure to bring smiles to the whole family, the jam tastes like the filling of a homemade blueberry pie and the syrup is just awesome. What makes this gift basket especially unique is the addition of an adorable blueberry batter bowl and blue spatula. So not only can you enjoy a few breakfasts, but when the food is gone, they’ll remember the gift every time they use the breakfast accessories.
Price: $54.95 at Stonewallkitchen.com
Best for the At-Home Spa Experience: Sand & Sea Self-Care Gift Box
What You Get: This gift box arrives in a specially printed Sand & Sea box packed with natural unbleached paper shredding. You get Lavender Body Oil, French Clay Mask, Lavender Bath Salt, Vegan Lip Balm, Artisan Cold Process Soap, Soy Way Ocean Dream Candle, Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub, Exfoliant Glove and a Make a Wish Bracelet.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: There is nothing processed or mass produced about this spa package. Each product is natural, handmade in the United States and vegan. You can feel good about supporting a small business and rest assured that the quality and quantity of products included feels generous. This gift box makes for a really nice at-home spa experience, and it smells great.
Price: $69 at Amazon.com
Best for the Yogi: 1818 Farms A Yogi Lover’s Gift Box
What You Get: This gift box comes in a natural-colored wooden crate tied with a ribbon and paper shredding packing. You get Yoga Mat Spray, Essential Oil Roll-On, Castile Soap, Jacob’s Musical Car Charm and a faceted stone necklace. You can customize the box by selecting the scent of your essential oil roll-on and castile soap. You can also choose the stone of your necklace, each stone is correlated to a theme.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: It’s not boring when you find products that are simple, natural, useful and support a commitment to natural farming. This Alabama-based, female-owned company just gets what a yogi wants. Yogis (like ahem, myself) spend a lot of time on the mat, and this gift features a fantastic natural yoga mat spray that won’t damage their yoga mat. The essential oil roll-on is great to use during practice and the handmade soap will keep their hands clean afterwards. Added smiles come from the clever wind chime to hang in your car (no road rage for yogis) and the pretty stone necklace.
Price: $56 at 1818farms.com
Best for the Japanophile: Gift Bokksu Snack Box
What You Get: Each box includes a curated, themed collection of 20 to 24 Japanese snacks, candies and teas and a culture guide magazine that educates about all the included products. You can give just one box, or a few without committing to auto-renew payments.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: We love this unique gift that showcases products made and directly shipped from Japan by family-run businesses. The magazine (which explains each product’s origin) adds to the overall cultural experience.
Price: $45.99 for three months of boxes
Best for the Coffee Lover: Bean Box Gourmet Coffee Sampler
What You Get: A selection of single-origin coffees and crafted blends from renowned roasters from around the country such as Portland, Oregon’s Coava, Seattle’s Stamp Act, Henderson, New York’s Dragonfly and Rancho Cucamonga, California’s Klatch. Each set contains four, 1.8-ounce bags of curated varieties. The selections come as whole beans, and each bag is good for one pot from a 10-cup coffee maker.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: One of the things about traditional gift baskets is that there’s usually always a few things here or there that get tossed aside or “saved” until they’re eventually thrown out months later. Why waste time on filler when you know what the person you’re gifting to truly loves? No coffee lover worth their grinder will say no to a flight of roasts from some of the best small-batch roasters in the country. It may not have a lot of bells and whistles attached, but it’s a gift bag they will appreciate (especially in the morning).
Price: $19.99 on Amazon.com
Best for Party People: Wicked Good Cupcakes Wine & Cupcakes Gift Box
What You Get: A six-pack of Wicked Good cupcakes, each one uniquely packaged in a “cupcake jar,” a bottle of Ilo Moscato California sparkling wine and a bottle of Ilo California Rosé. The six-pack features three red velvet cupcakes and three chocolate ganache cupcakes, both selected to pair well with the two wine varietals.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: It’s cupcakes and wine. This is a party in a box, and the presentation is like nothing you’ve seen before. Spooning a red velvet cupcake out of a small jar while sipping a delicate, sweet wine is an experience everyone should have at least once. But all kidding aside, this is an unexpected gift box two-some guaranteed to be met by smiles and enjoyed thoroughly.
Price: $99.99 at WickedGoodCupcakes.com
Best for Sharing: GourmetGiftBaskets.com Game Night Gift Basket
What You Get: Well, more of a gift “bucket,” but we don’t think anyone will complain. This “Game Night”-themed gift set comes with a deck of “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza” game cards, and surrounds it with a bounty of snacks, from Jones sodas to Haribo gummy bears to M&M’s, guaranteed to keep the game going well into the wee hours.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: It’s rare to find a gift basket that inspires communal activity (apart from just eating), and even more rare to find one that will appeal to all ages. This can be a family game night or even a family movie night. Either way, it’s a collection overflowing with popular favorites and unique new offerings that will no doubt be an instant hit. Attaching an activity to a gift basket is a great way to ensure it gets used to the fullest, rather than slowly picked over or stored away.
Price: $129.99 at GourmetGiftBaskets.com
Best for the Homesick New Yorker: Katz’s Birthday Box
What You Get: Everything anyone could possibly want from New York City’s iconic Katz’s Deli, delivered right to them. A pound of pastrami, corned beef, full-sour and half-sour pickles, mustard, Russian dressing, sauerkraut, rye bread and four mini black-and-white cookies. All it’s missing is a recording of taxi honking and subway train rumbles.
Why We Think This Gift Basket Isn’t Boring: Even if you’ve never been to Manhattan, Katz’s is iconic (remember When Harry Met Sally?). So if you want to give someone a taste of it or if you’re looking to make an ex-New Yorker feel at home again, this is an unexpected delight. Everything you need to make a famous Katz’s pastrami on rye or corned beef Reuben is included, and no New York lunch (virtual or otherwise) is complete without a black-and-white cookie. You’ll definitely have what they’re having.
Price: $140 at KatzsDelicatessen.com
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