Birthday gift baskets are a special and personalized gift to give to a special person. However, gift baskets are perfect for all occasions. They can be sent for holidays, special occasions, or even as an apology. Gift baskets can be a way to say thank you to certain people, like a great secretary or a helpful mentor.
In the traditional sense, a gift basket is filled with small gifts for the recipient. This can range from snacks and food products to reminders and other useful items such as teacups. Packaging, budget and imagination are the only limits to what can be included in gift baskets.
Items included in gift baskets are unlimited. These items typically include food, such as jellies, snacks, teas, crackers, and wine, possibly with wine glasses. Candy, crackers, and cheeses are found in many gift baskets. People can also add loofahs, soaps, candles, baby items, flowers, or books.
Most gift baskets include some sort of garnish that makes it seem extra special. This can be silk flowers or fruits or tinsel. These decorations will brighten up the gift and make it more attractive to the recipient. Gift baskets are a joy to give and receive.
Gift baskets have a long heritage that spans years and cultures. There is a great religious background. The oldest account of a gift arriving in a basket is the basket of young plants that the pagan goddess Eostre carried to use as a sacred offering. Some scholars dispute Eostre’s place in the Easter story, but this is the source of the idea for what came to be the modern Easter gift basket.
In the Old Testament, there is a story of the mother of Moses placing the boy Moses in a wicker basket. She hid the basket among the reeds by the river so that the daughter of the Egyptian royal family would find it. Eventually, the queen took Moses into her custody and protection.
The concept of gift baskets began in France. Baskets filled with sweets were introduced to England in the 11th century. William the Conqueror brought the first gift baskets to England. The word hamper is derived from the French word hanapier which means case for glasses.
Baskets were used to transport food and wine on long voyages over land and sea in this era a thousand years ago. Wicker was the main material used to create food containers in this period because it was lighter than conventional wood but just as durable.
The Victorian era made the gift hamper a popular gift choice. It became a tradition to send baskets at Christmas. Employers in Victorian times used baskets to gift their staff with a basket of goodies at Christmas.
These gifts ensured they had a wonderful Christmas with plenty of festive food and drink to enjoy. This is evidenced in A Christmas Carol with Scrooge at the end of the novel.
The development of railroads in the 19th century made it easy to send perishable goods in baskets to friends and family across the country. But a London department store caught the idea of sending baskets as gifts to loved ones.
Originally these baskets were only shipped at Christmas. But soon people realized that they could send baskets as an appropriate gift throughout the year, especially for birthdays. Now people don’t have to wait for Christmas to send baskets. They can be gifts all year round. There is a wider selection of items to include in sneakers than ever before.