In today's very mobile society, families have grown apart in distances but not in closeness. With the modern communication modes of the cell phone and Internet we are more than ever able to stay in close touch with our loved ones and family.
This is very evident in the fact that annually, major holidays are the busiest times for telephone, cell phone and Internet companies. It is not uncommon to have error messages indicating that ?all circuits busy? and that we should try our call later.
It is obvious that these families are trying to stay in touch from a distance because they were not able to be there in person. This fact also raises the fact of gift giving from a distance.
Have you tried shipping a package through the post office or one of those shipping offices? Are you ready to stand in line for 30-minutes or more? Are you one of the seasoned veterans who bring their own chairs? If not, you are in for an unpleasant surprise when you get there.
Why not take this part of sending gifts out of the equation? It is very simple to do. Simply buy your gifts online and ship directly from the warehouse. It takes no longer to arrive and you don't have to buy the gift, wrap it for shipping and stand in line to ship it. Buying Online is Safe and Easy
Yes, there are scam artist on the Internet. However, there are ways to help detect if the site is legitimate.
Look for a SSL certificate. This certificate is a form of proof that the site was verified by the issuer of the certificate. Click the certificate. It should return a response from the issuer that this site met qualifications to obtain the certificate. If you do not get a return, leave and shop somewhere else.
Look for a credit card processor seal. Click this seal to have the issuer return a response that this site has met certain criteria for processing credit cards. Generally, this means that a business bank account and business address has been verified. If you do not get a return, leave and shop somewhere else.
Use PayPal or Google Checkout to pay for the order. Both of these payment processors have guarantees of safety for their customers. If you are a buyer and use these services to buy products from verified retailers, then you have PayPal and Google Checkout buyer protection.
Buying online has become easier and easier. This is evident by the tremendous increase in holiday sales enjoyed by Internet retailers. Shopping carts, (the software used to display items and process orders) have become easier to use and filled with features to make gift buying easier.
Keeping the Gift Personal
Just because you are sending a gift instead of delivering it personally does not have to take the personal side out of it.
Some shopping carts allow you to enter a custom message to go along with your gift. This makes personalizing the gift much easier.
Some retailers have gift wrapping services that allow you to select the type of wrapping you desire.
Let the Gift do the Talking
I can still remember the movie ?Scrooged? with Bill Murray. He is in his office, his secretary has a list of people that he is supposed to send a gift. He is listening to her call out a name and he then selects what gift to send to them. It was a very impersonal thing to do on his part and it was meant to show his disgust for the Christmas season.
If the gift is selected with the person in mind and not like Scrooge then the receiver is going to love it just as much as if you had placed it under the tree yourself. If you can't be there in person, be sure that you gift is. The easiest way to do that is shopping online and letting the retailer worry about standing in line at the post office.
Selecting the Basket: When selecting an empty basket for your food gifts, choose a size that is appropriate for the number of people for whom you are making the gift. For example, you can make a small gourmet basket for an individual or for a couple, or a larger one for a group of people or for an entire family. If you already have a nearly new basket you would like to use, simply give it a quick refresher by swishing it in hot, soapy water, rinsing it with clear water to remove any fragrance from the soap, and allow the basket to thoroughly air dry.
Preparing the Basket: The most attractive gift basket looks overflowing. Before arranging the food items in the basket, place plenty of filler materials in the basket so that the gifts show above the basket. If your basket is on the deep side, place a piece of foam in the bottom first. Shredded brown paper or newspaper as well as purchased colorful shred or straw are all attractive fillers. If you have empty spaces after you have placed all the gift items, place small bunches of the shredded materials in these spaces.
Choosing the Contents: A variety of gourmet meats such as pepperoni, salami, and a small canned ham are regularly used in gourmet food gift baskets. You may also want to include canned seafood products like crabmeat, clams, and sardines. It's a nice touch to add a dry mix for making a dip using the canned seafood. As assortment of cheese wedges, cheese spreads, gourmet crackers, bread sticks along with a small cheese board with a cheese knife or spreader are readily available and easy to place in the gift basket. Green and black olives, spicy mustard, pickled onions, roasted peppers, and appetizers in jars are nice accompaniments to the meats and cheeses. Include something sweet for dessert, such as cookies, chocolate covered mints, or anything with chocolate.
Top off your contents with a selection of beverages: a bottle of wine or non-alcoholic sparkling cider as well as gourmet coffee and herbal tea. If you plan to include a bottle of wine or sparkling cider in your gift basket, choose an empty basket with a sturdy handle so you can anchor the bottle by tying the neck of the bottle to the basket handle using twine or cord.
Decorative Touches:
Add small bunches of fresh red or green grapes at the last minute so they remain fresh.
Scatter colorful Hershey's Kisses amongst the gifts.
Add a fruit, wine, or chocolate scented candle. (Note: Some non-food fragrances might seep into the food.)
If desired, place your finished gourmet gift basket in a cello bag. Close the bag at the top with curly ribbon with plenty of ribbon so it cascades down the front of the gift basket. You can tie silk flowers or a satin bow in with the ribbon.
Both Jerry D. Wilson & Janet Vogel are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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