Create a gift basket with a song in your heart

By Donna Rousseau

Feature Writer / Photographer

Gift baskets are an opportunity for personality and creativity to sparkle like the season. Forget the gifts of wine, cheese, chocolates, and fruit. Even those without the do-it-yourself flair can have fun creating a gift with fresh theme basket ideas that almost design themselves.

Think of a favorite holiday song or story to get the creative juices flowing. For “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” purchase 11 small gifts taking special care to wrap each individually, designating each with a tag labeled for its “Day of Christmas.” The 12th day of Christmas, Christmas Day, is the premiere gift of the basket.

Or gifts can mirror items from the song. Obviously you wouldn’t give “three French hens” (or maybe you would if you enjoy free range eggs). You could, however, put your own creative spin on the gift.

Three French hens can become three silver bangle bracelets, each engraved with a word in French. “La paix” (peace), “joie” (joy), and “le Bonheur” (happiness) are three gift-worthy blessings and thanks to Google, you can find French translations for any word of choice.

Things Remembered in the Auburn Mall does engraving of items; bring your item for engraving to them for an estimate.

Easier, “nine ladies dancing” might be represented by tickets to the ballet or registration for a dance class.

For an even easier 12 days of Christmas idea, choose a theme, cooking for example. If you’re gifting the chef in your life, purchase 12 gifts making gifts one through 11 premium ingredients and tools: good olive oil, exotic spices, vanilla, bamboo spoons, and a great apron.

Day 12 could be a gift certificate for a gourmet meal prepared in the giftee’s home by a hired area chef. Dan Caron, director of The Green Ladle, Lewiston High School’s program for aspiring young chefs, said he has senior chefs and alumni who can be hired for the cost of the groceries and $50 an hour.

If you have a dancer on your list, channel the spirit of the famous holiday “Nutcracker” ballet. Pick up the classic story at your local bookstore – Books-A-Million is in the Auburn Mall – and use it as your basket’s anchor.

The story is chock full of ideas for this basket, the first being the nutcracker soldier that the main character, Clara, receives as a gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer.

A traditional decorating favorite, nutcrackers can be found in nearly every store during the holidays. TJ Maxx in Auburn and Home Goods in South Portland always feature a wide range of sizes, designs and colors of nutcrackers, but the soldier is the character for this theme.

A variety of nuts and old-fashioned candies from Bob’s Peanut & Candy Company on Lincoln Street in Lewiston are a must for the Nutcracker basket. Bob’s staff will assist in selecting the “just right” treats to compliment your theme.

They offer three different peanuts, cashews, almond, pistachios, as well as mixed nuts, Needhams, caramel cremes, ribbon candy and chocolate-covered cherries to name only a few. Grant’s Bakery in Lewiston also offers roasted nuts and the quintessential gingerbread men for old-fashion flavor.

To the sweets, add a CD of the classical Nutcracker ballet music, a music box with a ballerina and a charm bracelet with a ballet slipper charm and voila – a show-stopping gift.

According to Dan Cyr, of Day’s Jewelers in Auburn, the Chamalia jewelry line features a ballet slipper bead for a bracelet or necklace and their Rembrandt line of traditional charms features a nutcracker that can be threaded on to a Chamalia piece as well.

Finally, a Christmas “classics” theme can be as unique as your own traditions. Start with a framed photograph of a favorite family Christmas memory. Nestle in some books for the long winter’s nap. Add some holiday DVDs combining cartoon classics “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story.

Give a nod to more modern selections too – think “Elf” and not so recent but funny “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

Add a red stocking personalized with the giftee’s name in glitter. Stuff it with candy canes, socks, an orange, chocolates, a favorite Christmas CD, and a journal or photo album for capturing new holiday memories. The idea is to let your memories and traditions make this theme basket truly your own.

Put your imagination, humor, and personality to the test this Christmas season. Like the Christmas star, let these ideas guide you and your gifts will make for a warm and memorable holiday this year.

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