The Holidays Are Upon Us

Are you ready yet?!

I am *just about there*. I'm lucky I was able to get an early start, and that it is pretty easy to buy for everyone I have to. But if you are still stuck on the perfect gift for Christmas or Hanukkah, let me see if I can help.

One of the best gifts I can always tailor to anyone I know is food. Food or beverages. Especially adult beverages. Think about it. Someone is probably a coffee drinker, another a tea drinker, beer drinker, wine drinker. One may love Mexican food, another barbecue. Someone may love sweets, others meats and cheeses.

While there are many pre-made gift sets out there at the grocery stores or malls (I have to confess, I am always drawn to the Hickory Farms stand at the mall!), you can have a lot of fun making your own gift basket. Several styles and sizes of baskets are available at your local craft store, and stores like Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics almost always has coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Once you have a basket (or gift bag in a pinch!), the rest is easy!

I try to support local, independent stores as much as possible, so I try to find as much as I can at non-chain stores. In Pittsburgh we are lucky enough to have a great area of town known as The Strip District. Fresh produce and fresh-baked breads and rolls, cookies, biscotti and popcorn abound. Additionally, there are several ethnic grocery stores in the Strip. Have an International food lover? How about some hot sauces and fresh made tortillas from the Mexican grocery, rice and sauces from the Asian Market, and homemade pasta noodles and olive oil from the Italian grocery?

Coffee and teas can easily be paired with biscotti and several types of teacakes and cookies from any bakery or grocery store. Have a chocolatier or homemade candy store in your neighborhood? Add a couple small bags of treats--nonpareils or salted chocolate caramels (my new favorite!). Don't get intimidated by the per-pound price. Ask for a quarter pound or a half dozen of an item. Look for seasonal items that you can only get this time of year, it really makes it a special treat for your recipient.

Speaking of teas, if you are in need of gifts for a tea lover, check out www.victorianteagarden.com. An array of gifts for the tea lover, from teacups to jewelry to hats (a must-have for a true tea party!), and of course--TEA--these ladies have carefully selected several great items to choose from. My recommendations? Joan's book of tea recipes--chock full of recipes for delicious tea sandwiches, scones and treats--and one of my favorite teas, Harney & Sons Paris tea.

My supervisor at work is a wine lover, so my team and I pitched in to create a great gift bag for her. I purchased one of the new wine totes available at the Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits store (holds 6 bottles), and selected four wines from their Chairman's Selections. I took a worthwhile trip to Crate & Barrel and chose two wine glasses, a wine coaster, and bottle stopper to add to the bag. See how easy it is?!

If you make a basket but feel it's a little "chunky" and need some small items to fill in, check your local craft stores or dollar stores. You can almost always find great things to suit almost any interest, from candles to playing cards to stationery/notecards, recipe cards, the works--usually all available for a dollar!

For the chef in your life, consider gadgets or serving items that aren't necessities (read: items they probably would really like, but hesitate to buy for themselves). Everyone has or needs a potato peeler, but how about something different like a julienne peeler, zester or microplane grater? (Trust me, if they don't have these, they will LOVE them!) Pampered Chef is a great place to find a lot of these great gadgets at a reasonable price, as well as being great quality and long lasting. (At some point, there will be a post just about my Pampered Chef products and what I do or don't like. I recently added many products to my collection and can't say enough good things so far!)

Have a party hostess in your family or friend list? Consider things like cake stands, cupcake stands, and various servers. These are among those items I mentioned that people may hesitate to buy for themselves but secretly pine for. We asked for several types of these servers for our wedding and they are wonderful when we entertain. We have several B. Smith items, all available at Bed Bath & Beyond. My favorites are the 3-tier serving bowls and the 3-tier swivel step server:

Consider pairing any serveware with a cookbook to fit the theme. A cupcake book with a cupcake stand, a book of salsas & dips with the serving bowls, appetizers book with the serving trays. Check your local craft stores, bookstores and discount stores like Five & Below or Tuesday Morning for great deals to help stay within your budget.

Happy shopping and may your days be merry and bright!