Gifts of food, whether home made or store bought are always appreciated. You can buy decorative boxes, all sizes and shapes of baskets, or use bottles ranging from empty liquor bottles to the standard Mason jar. Visit your local resale shops or check on-line auction sites for great deals on baskets, bottles and boxes.

For those of you who love to bake, whipping up a couple dozen of five or six different types of cookies and boxing them with a pretty bow make a delicious holiday gift for friends, family or even your child’s teacher. Kick the gift up a notch by adding some homemade candies.

Need a gift for people who love being outdoors, pick up a nice inexpensive picnic basket and add a bottle of wine, some cheeses and crackers with a small cheese cutting board and a couple of pretty wine glasses for a classic gift. They’ll remember you for years to come each time they use it.

Empty liquor bottles that have been cleaned are perfect for making a gift of flavored oils. Drop any combination of things like herbs, garlic, and hot peppers into the bottle; add oil and cap it with a cork or a pourer. A pretty bow around the bottle is all the gift-wrap you need.

Most kitchen stores sell bottles of different shapes and sizes filled with all sorts of things, beans, peppers, herbs, pastas and oil that are strictly decorative for tables or countertops. You can quite easily make your own. A pretty gift bottle filled with colorful food items will add a decorative touch to their tables long after the holidays.