Boogie Brown and the Baby Notes

The weather is horrible right now, and I’m thinking of how fast the summer is passing. Soon the leaves will be turning and kids will be back in school. The only satisfaction is knowing that business will pick up and we’ll be able to create some fantastic halloween and christmas gift baskets. I’d prefer to live in South Florida and run a gift basket business but that is not the luck I have. In the meantime, I’ll wait for the next sunny day and make sure i enjoy it to the fullest!

I was visiting my aunt the other day when I swear I saw little ghosts and goblins running around the streets.  It’s still July and yet, I’m already seeing the Halloween spookiness that is coming soon.  I’m sure it was my imagination but it felt real. Maybe i’ve been looking too much at gift catalogs for products to include in our holiday halloween gift baskets.  Maybe I need more sleep.  January can’t come soon enough!

Every so often, a company comes along and things of the users it services.  It tries to make sure that all aspects of the gifting process are covered.  Such a company exists, and it took into account tons of features and considerations to make sure that your gift basket shopping experience online is the best one possible.  They issue a press release regarding the launch of their new gift basket shopping cart.  Kudos for the great work that makes life easier for many people!

Who plans for Halloween in July? Retailers, that’s who – especially those of us in the gift industry!(Actually large retailers such as those big box stores have already completed their planning for Halloween months ago). I’m currently reviewing last year’s gift designs and going over the numbers, looking for the strong sellers and identifying the less popular designs. Once I compare this information with our historical data over the past few years I’ll be ready to really focus and get down to business. Have a peek at some corporate halloween gift giving information.

Now that July is upon us, we hear the sounds of children playing in our neighbourhoods all day long rather than just in the evenings. It reminds me of my childhood and what I looked forward to all year long….the summer holidays. I was a pretty good student, and for the most part enjoyed school, however, there was nothing like having it done with for the year and to be able to do whatever we wanted during the day without worry of any unfinished homework or an impending test. This was what we thought was freedom back then, if only for two months. I was surfing the web the other day looking for material on holidays when I found this holiday page on Wikipedia. It has explanations of the word holiday and vacation, from their Etymology to their Religious meanings. The website also talks about employment issues and the types of holidays that there are. The summer holidays were my favourite as a child, but if I remember correctly, they were over before you knew it. Speaking of that, I’m sure in the next few weeks, you’ll start to see back-to-school ads in the local papers. Tell your kids to enjoy it while they can.

There’s a trend nowadays to have a party and give Christmas gifts in the summer.  I think it’s just an excuse to give a gift.  The people who do this still celebrate regular Christmas.  It isn’t a replacement holiday, it’s just an excuse to have another reason to give a gift basket in a month with no holidays.  Sending a baby gift basket is always an option, unless you don’t know of any babies being born.  Father’s Day is over and Halloween or Thanksgiving are too far away.  It’s also an excuse to give a unique gift that might not be possible in the winter months.  A margarita gift basket, or sunshine-themed candy bouquet are completely appropriate in the summer but might seem out of place in the winter.  It’s also easier to give a summer sports themed gift in the warm summer months, like a golf gift.  It’s not necessarily a bad idea, and can really help people to express their affection or appreciation to other people.

We’re only a couple days into summer and the gift basket season has slowed to a crawl.  There are no more holidays left.  Most people will enjoy the summer, soaking in the sun and visiting the pool or beach as often as possible.  It’s never a bad time to send a gift basket though.  People have birthdays in the summer, why should they get left out?  People get married in the summer, should they be ignored?  People have babies in the summer, shouldn’t that be acknowledged?  While enjoying the summer, remember to spread joy and happiness with simple little gift baskets, summer-themed for maximum impact!

It’s days away from Father’s Day and many people still haven’t gotten their dad a gift.  With the number of people living far away from home, it’s understandable how many people take advantage of online gift basket websites.  The convenience of skipping the mall, boxing the gift yourself, finding a local FedEx depot, etc.  It’s enough to make a person FORGET there’s even a ‘holiday’ for dad.  Remember to make sure your gift basket for dad is personal and memorable!

I sent a baby gift basket week to a friend in the hospital.  I quickly learned the difficulty of sending a package to an organization that requires privacy for it’s ‘clients’.  Depending on the nurse, you might not even find out if the recipient is a patient if the nurse believes patient privacy is required in the instance you are phoning.  Another issue could be the receiving department.  Often times, FedEx or another major carrier has to give it to a receiving department who will then pass it on to the appropriate floor.  Sometimes, this dance is strained and toes get stepped on.  Have a peek at our page on baby gift basket etiquette.

While lullaby music is a great addition to any baby gift basket, there is a lot of variety and selection available when sending a baby gift.  Food items can be included, specifically for the parents but themed for a new baby, or the entire gift can be baby clothes.  Sleepers, onesies, twosies, little booties, socks, tiny t-shirts.  Or toys and accessories would also be great additions.  Rattles, teether rings and other items are good choices too.  When adding these items together, it’s always good to theme the gift based on colour or gift choices. You should also be presented with many gift baskets in order to see the variety of choices available.