by Eve Viens

Created on: April 29, 2008   Last Updated: April 30, 2008

The Art of gift giving.

That time of year has arrived again, and oh the dread of what do I buy them? Whether a birthday, an anniversary or Hanukkah or Christmas. They have everything! Either they are elderly and would have no interest in the frivolous items that the shops market constantly or they have reached that place in their life where they just have it all or they are too darn fussy for anyone to know what they would like or hate!

This was my dilemma many years ago with a dear friend who had it all. So, I decided to buy my best friend a bamboo trinket box with drawers and fill each drawer with various small fancies of things that she, like a child, would love to UN-wrap and chortle over with glee. I was right, she loved it! I mixed candies with soaps shaped like cherubs and lace doilies and cookies and notepaper etc. etc. Such a pot-pouri but it had the desired effect of being a surprise within a surprise and this made me continue with my different' gift giving each season for not just her, but all my friends and family.

This led to my attempt to personalize gift baskets particularly for family with all the good food that I knew they would appreciate, each having their niche in the culinary spectrum.

Grandma was a must for the Irish teas, and European cookies lead by her hailing from the land of the Shamrock, along with fine bone china tea cup and saucer, surrounded by chocolates and wrapped candles plus of course the Holly and the Ivy and good quality English lavender soaps.

The Health conscious friend who appreciated the array of nuts, dried fruit, wholegrain pastas, cheeses and crackers, plus some body empowering health bars.

Then that one who had to have everything fattening and naughty' and generously covered in chocolate, decadence in a basket! What a way to go she would say, not forgetting the bottle of Merlot placed jauntily at the back for stability and cheekily peering over the feast with a personalized wine glass by it's side.

Yes, I was starting to enjoy this gift giving malarkey, it was actually fun. The more I did it, the more inventive I got and the better the gifts turned out. And as for the bows and ribbons, well, they became more and more frivolous and better turned out as I experimented with shades and types of wired ribbons as opposed to Satins and weaves.

The children's baskets. I was in my element picking colorful items that I knew the little one's would long to un-wrap, mixing books, plates, candies and useful items that even Mum

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