To Gift Basket or Not to Gift Basket? That is the Question
“All purpose gifts” have an interesting history. Years ago, exchanging a piece of jewelry was more a sign of good will than a commitment to lasting romance. Not so today, of course. It used to be the case that flowers were appropriate for just about any situation, but the very fact that they were used so often has led them also to become a more specific kind of gift. Nowadays, when people think about the “all purpose gift”, they tend to think gift baskets. While gift baskets can often take the form of strictly platonic all purpose affairs like welcoming someone to the office or to the neighborhood, it is possible to create a romantic gift basket. However, even for such an all purpose gift as this, there is a right time and a wrong time to give one. So, how can you tell which is which?
First of all, when choosing gift baskets for women, there are a lot of options available to you. For instance, you might be able to select anything from a low key but potentially romantic selection of scented oils and candles to a more risqué offering of wine and lingerie. As with all gifts for women, the trick is in making sure that your gift matches the occasion, and the personality of the woman in question.
If the woman you’re planning on giving a gift basket to is the more reserved and quiet type, chances are good that she would enjoy one of the more “low key” gift baskets. This is especially true if you’re having such a gift basket delivered to her place of work. While she might appreciate the gesture, she probably doesn’t want a lot of attention being called to her. For a woman of this type, a gift basket filled with luxury items like chocolates or bath oils would be ideal. Choose carefully and she just might ask you to share!
For the more outgoing “party girl” type, however, you can take a more unorthodox approach. There are gift baskets available that combine the usual fare like chocolates along with more “grown up” pleasures like wine and lingerie. A gift like this given in public can seem like a risqué or ribald joke, but it can become a great deal more if given in private, so weigh your options carefully.
You should also consider the occasion. Gift baskets can make great gifts, but they’re not always so great as the “main gift” for a big occasion like a birthday or anniversary when a more personalized gift is expected. Even if you put a lot of thought into the basket, it’s best to keep it as a secondary offering to something more personal at times like that. What a gift basket is better for is as an impromptu “just because” gift that she’s not expecting at all. For instance, you might invite her out on a picnic and have one waiting, or have one delivered to her desk at work on a random day.
The bottom line is, the gift basket can be a great opportunity to let her know you’re thinking of her. You simply have to put some effort into the selection, and be careful to choose something that will appeal to her personally.