Christmas is fast approaching, with the inevitable; "What gift am I going to get them ?" dilemmas. Are you tired of fumbling around with tape, ribbons and those tired old cardboard boxes? How about for your next gift-giving occasion, why not tap your creativity and craft a customized, unique, one of a kind gift that is fun to make and will be highly appreciated. I am talking about a themed gift basket.

Specialized gift baskets take a bit of time and some creativity, but the thoughtfulness of the basket will not be lost upon the recipient.

If you commit to the gift with lots of enthusiasm, you will enjoy designing it as much as they will enjoy receiving it.

Now anything with a reasonable opening can be used a basket -- gift bags, crates, watering cans, wooden boxes, small furniture & baby carriages. If it can hold stuff, it can be a basket.

So, with this in mind, the first order of business is to determine the topic of your gift basket. Do this by determining the recipient's tastes and hobbies to come up with a central theme. Common themes include hobbies, sports, reading, gardening & cooking. Anything with pets is nice. Once a theme is settled upon, do keep it consistent.

A gift for a young child could start off with a toy stoage crate filled with toys themed for kids. A baseballl buff could receive a cooler with his favorite team's team logo on it. Then stuff it with jerseys, tickets, maybe an autographed baseball or glove; just let your imagination go.

If you're not too sure about themed gift baskets, try it on your friends first, to build up your confidence. After you see their nice reaction you will find themed gift basket giving very appealing.