Christmas gift baskets have become a new tradition for many people who love a convenient approach to holiday shopping. There are plenty of pre-made baskets available from florists, gift shops and even gift basket companies, both local and national. But you can also create your own.

A well chosen basket can be a great holiday present because the recipient gets so much in the package. I like to give Christmas gift baskets because they are so much fun to pull together. There are many designs and countless arrangements to consider. And, even if you don’t create one yourself, you are certain to find pre-made Christmas gift baskets for everyone on your list.

Are you buying one gift for a group of people? It could be for the folks at work, a client’s place of business or even family members that live far away. Gift baskets are great for this type of giving because there is often something for everyone within the larger gift. You can find many different themes that are perfect for a family of four or you can find Christmas gift baskets for couples, too.

Here are some popular themes for Christmas gift baskets:

Gingerbread
The gingerbread man arrangement is a popular choice for many people who love the old fashioned theme. These baskets often will contain a mix to bake your own, but there are also pre-made, but assemble yourself Gingerbread house baskets, too.

Holiday Food Assortments
This kind of basket is perfect when you’re not sure of your gift receivers taste. As gift basket like this will be filled with such things as gingerbread cookies, flavored popcorn, hot chocolate, fruit cake and more. Some basket designers add special touches like a solider nut cracker or a container shaped like a sleigh. Add some ornaments and you have a fantastic traditional present.

Corporate Christmas
What about the office? Christmas gift baskets can have a corporate theme, too. These holiday containers are filled with various office inspired items including mugs, coffee, gourmet treats as well as handy desk supplies including pens and frames. If you can fit the item in a basket, it can be included in the presentation.

Something For Breakfast
These presents are wonderful for a family who loves share the morning meal together. This type of basket can include pancake or waffle mix, special pancake syrup, assorted gourmet tools for breakfast and the like. You can also find regionally themed breakfast baskets for a Southern, New England or even a Mid-Western traditional breakfast meal.

I believe that all chocoholics the world over would agree that a great way to celebrate the Christmas season is with a chocolate holiday gift. This popular (and addictive) confection has become a holiday tradition that many of us truly love, especially those of us on the receiving end. Here are some ideas for chocolate Christmas presents:

Chocolate Humor
Laughter is the best medicine … especially for the stresses that come with the holiday season. So, when selecting a chocolate gift, maybe choosing one with a sense of humor would make a good choice?

When you’re looking to help out your co-workers, the Christmas Survival Gift Tin is a fun idea. This 3-gallon gift tin, decorated with a survival motif, is filled with chocolate treats for every palate: chocolate popcorn, chocolate-covered pretzels, nonpareils, chocolate caramels, cookies, chocolate wafers, a Lindt bar, hot cocoa, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter chocolate, and chocolate cappuccino.

Another fun choice is the Mistletoe Man Magnet. The idea is to hold this chocolate bar “strategically above head and standby for action. NOTE: Individual results may vary.” This “proven formula” contains premium dark chocolate from New Zealand and is sure to get a smile from the ladies on your list.

Sophisticated Chocolate
Humor is all well and good, but there will be times when a little sophistication is what you want. For this goal, you can go for the wooden box filled with chocolate. Several companies offer the wooden keepsake box along with chocolates:

• Asbach Uralt Brandy Filled Chocolates in Wooden Luxury Box – 400g/14.1oz
• The Tea Room’s 8 Organic Chocolate Bars In Gold Wooden Lacquer Box & Leather Wallet With Money Clip
• Wild Huckleberry Chocolates in a Collectible Wooden Box

Java Chocolates
Two flavors that have been paired wonderfully are coffee and chocolate. So, for the java drinkers on your list an espresso flavored chocolate gift might just hit the spot.

• Ghirardelli Chocolate Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
• Dark Chocolate Covered Gourmet Coffee Beans From Costa Rica
• Chocolate Covered Especially Espresso Coffee Beans 20oz

Non-Edible Chocolate
Of course, if you don’t want to contribute to an expanding waistline with your gift, you can tantalize the minds of your gift recipients with non-food chocolate gifts. There are plenty of books, CDs and and movies that have taken inspiration from chocolate.

Books

• Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner by Peter P. Greweling
• The True History of Chocolate, Second Edition by
  Sophie D. Coe
• I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by
  Marcel Desaulniers

Music

• Coffee, Chocolate & Men by Jen Rathbun
• Putumayo Presents: Music from the Chocolate Lands (Compilation)
• Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory: Music From The Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Picture with Gene Wilder

Movies

• Chocolat (Miramax Collector’s Series)
• Like Water for Chocolate
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]

Here’s something a little different: Western-themed Christmas cards.

You won’t see them around much, they are pretty cool. They show scenes of winter that don’t include snow, which to some is a pretty radical idea. And, of course, they showcase the cowboy motif.

These types of Christmas cards sport

• Cacti,
• Cattle,
• Horse shoes,
• Pueblos,

and sometimes some Southwestern Native American themes. Of course, there are also the cowboys. Maybe they’re sitting around a fire, trying to keep warm while sharing some Christmas joy. Or maybe there will be a solitary cowboy sitting atop his horse on a lonely bluff with a star shining brightly above.

These types of Christmas cards are uniquely American and celebrate the western and southwestern lifestyle.

And they are a little different, since Christmas tends to be Euro-centric with images of snow covered evergreens. But, despite their unusual-ness, they still impart the spirit of Christmas.