The Best Holiday Gift Baskets

Buying Guide for Holiday Gift Baskets

Why buy a holiday gift basket?

Gift shopping can be difficult. Coming up with something new each year is a challenge. However, holiday gift baskets simplify the entire process, enabling you to cater to your loved ones’ tastes while demonstrating that you care about them immensely. There are various holiday gift baskets to choose from, including ones featuring gourmet chocolates, fruits, nuts, and cheeses. Many are thoughtfully packaged with festive wrapping paper and ribbons to lighten the recipient’s spirit along with the goodies.

What should you look for in a holiday gift basket?

• Variety: You want to find a gift basket that offers an assortment of items. Variety makes a gift basket more exciting. There are many different food items in gift baskets, but you’ll often find chocolates, fruits, nuts, cheeses, and spreads in holiday-themed ones; they’re the foods that bring warm memories of fireplaces crackling and holiday music playing in the background.
• Occasion: Your gift basket doesn’t always have to center around holidays. You can also find gift baskets for graduation, birthdays, anniversaries, and Get Well occasions. Consider the nature of the occasion you’re purchasing for and buy accordingly. We’re focusing on the holiday season, but these gift baskets are appropriate for gifting on several occasions.

Are holiday gift baskets for everyone?

Most people should enjoy receiving a basket full of goodies. However, keep in mind the age and interests of the person you’re giving one to. It shows a higher level of thoughtfulness to send the chocolate lover a hot chocolate-themed gift basket and the health-conscious a basket full of nuts and fruits. Also, make sure you know of any food allergies or aversions before sending a gift basket.

Our Picks for the Best Holiday Gift Baskets

Pros: This best-selling gift basket has the sweets you crave during the holidays, including gourmet chocolate, caramel corn, chocolate-covered pretzels, and peanut brittle. The chocolates and caramel corn are handmade, rich in flavor, and overflowing with goodness. This holiday gift basket is also large enough to accommodate an entire family!

Cons: This gift basket is limited to sweet treats, so if you’re searching for more variety, keep looking into the other gift baskets listed. This basket’s food also contains wheat and peanuts, which can cause issues for individuals with these food allergies.

Bottom Line: Ultimately, this gift basket should be an item on your holiday shopping list because it contains the classic sweet and delicious treats that almost everyone enjoys. It makes a great secret Santa gift and goodwill gesture toward the people you admire and respect.

 

Pros: Do you know someone who’s nuts about nuts? This selection of 12 nuts includes traditional favorites like walnuts, almonds, and macadamias, as well as fun types like corn nuts, a bar mix, and honey-glazed almonds. Whomever you gift this basket to will appreciate the stylish wooden tray with 12 perfectly sized sections. They can reuse it for crafts or as a nut tray next holiday.

Cons: It would obviously make a terrible gift for those with nut allergies, so make sure your intended recipient has no nut allergies.

Bottom Line: If you want to go for a classy gift basket that won’t make the recipient overwhelmed with sweets, this wooden tray full of fancy nuts is a fantastic choice.

 

Pros: This tower-shaped gift basket is so beautifully arranged; it would make a lovely centerpiece decoration. It has four uniquely wrapped stacked boxes and a bow filled with gourmet and sweet household favorites. Among the 2 pounds of confectionaries are chocolate chip cookies, dilettante chocolate truffles, and vanilla apple caramels. This gift basket is certified kosher, wrapped by hand, and made in New Jersey.

Cons: Users point out that while the tower seems large, packaging makes up a portion of the size. Some were disappointed that the portions were smaller than they’d hoped.

Bottom Line: This Broadway Basketeers creation works for year-round celebrations yet makes a marvelous winter holiday gift with its tasteful presentation. And it’s suitable for all ages and relations, from kids to grandparents to clients and bosses.

 

Pros: This gift basket contains several healthy fruits like pears, apples, and oranges—all sourced from organic orchards run by a California family-owned business for nearly a century. They’re nicely paired with roasted almonds, natural cheddar cheese, and olive oil sea salt crackers. This gift basket makes a beautiful, refreshing holiday gift.

Cons: This basket doesn’t contain any chocolate, so if you or your loved one considers chocolate a holiday necessity, this might not be the gift basket for you. The arrangement of food items in the pictures posted online might appear different from what you receive.

Bottom Line: With several fresh and delicious fruits to enjoy, this gift basket will help elevate your holiday experience and bring joy to the people you love. It’s healthy yet indulgent.  

 

Pros: You can’t go wrong with this seven-tier Christmas gourmet spread—dark chocolates, crackers and cheese, fresh fruit, and summer sausage—wrapped up in red and green brilliance. This basket is the way to go if you want to make a big impression conveniently. It’s festive on the outside and inside and includes such a variety of sweet and savory foods that almost everyone will find something to enjoy. This gift basket represents all that’s good about Christmas, decked with a bright red bow.

Cons: The treats in this basket are not kosher. Also, it’s pricey.

Bottom Line: Christmas gift baskets like this work like magic if the people you’re close to are far away. Sending a delectable holiday basket is an easy way to say a lot to those you care about.

Final Thoughts

There are various gift baskets to wow your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and clients. Focus on variety, taste, and presentation to help you find the right gift basket for your holiday celebrations. Take a look at our recommendations to get you started.