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Jessica Ackerman : Creative New Year's Gift Basket Making Ideas

Creative New Year's Gift Basket Making Ideas

By Jessica Ackerman

If you've been invited to a friend's house for New Year's Eve, why not create a fun little basket to give them as a thank-you gift? New Year's Eve baskets can be a lot of fun to make, and can provide your host or hostess with some useful snacks and accessories to make their party even more enjoyable.

Depending on your crafting and cooking skills, you can make most of the items, or simply arrange items that you purchase in an artful and creative way. Either way, you'll have a lot of fun making the basket, and your friend will really enjoy receiving it. Here are some ideas you can use to create your own personalized New Year's Eve gift basket for a friend.

Choose a Theme

Although of course the overall theme is "New Year's Eve," you can fine-tune the overall theme of your basket a bit. For example, if you know your host plans to spend New Year's Day watching football, you could give him a basket of snacks and accessories geared towards the big game. If there are going to be a lot of small children at the New Year's Eve party, try creating a craft and activity basket to help keep them busy. Fill the gift basket with small craft kits for each child, each with the materials to make a noisemaker, a New Year's decoration, or some other fun item.

Or, visit a few of the after-holiday sales to find seasonal coloring books and crayons that will keep the children occupied at the party. If your host or hostess loves fine wine, give them a basket with a pair of wine glasses and a bottle of their favorite wine. To add an even more personalized approach, you can use glass etching cream and stencils to put their names, monograms, or even the year on the glasses. Etching the year onto a pair of champagne glasses can be a great way to commemorate the season. Or, simply etch "Happy New Year" on the glasses, and they will be able to enjoy your gift year after year at the stroke of midnight.

Edible Goodies

Since everyone loves to snack around the holidays, filling a gift basket with edible goodies is a great idea. If your friend is especially fond of one of your special culinary creations, be sure to include it in the basket. Of course, depending on your friend's preferences, you might also want to give them a gift basket that will support their New Year's resolutions.

For example, if your friend has told you that they plan to eat healthier after the holidays, a basket filled with healthy and yet delicious treats could be the perfect gift. You can also use edible treats to help establish an overall theme for your gift basket. For example, fill a basket with a great movie on DVD, complete with plastic popcorn bowls, flavored salt, and packets of popcorn. A basket of plain sugar cookies and an assortment of squeezable tubes of decorator icing could also be a lot of fun for kids at the party, giving them a chance to decorate their cookies before they eat them. •

About the Author

Jessica Ackerman is an exciting and originative designer with vast experience in residential interior design. ...

12/23/10