The Holidays Are Here!

Well, we are within 2 weeks from Christmas with Hannukah just ending and it seems like the days are beginning to move faster and faster.
Have you completed all of your Holiday shopping yet? If so, then you deserve a pat on the back. I am not even close. Something I did notice this year (about myself anyway) is that I have, so far, done all of my shopping online. I used to love going to the malls to find those perfect gifts but dealing with the crowds, and the parking (ugh! the parking!) is just frustrating for me! With all of the websites offering free shipping these days, why not just stay at home- bundled up in some worn in sweatpants and a warm mug of hot chocolate? Makes perfect sense to me! I think my friend The Mad Gringo over at www.madgringo.com would agree with me. His motto is "Go Slow", and by shopping online this Christmas I believe I am practicing what he preaches.
Novel Gift Baskets is also offering FREE SHIPPING this Holiday season! Good until Friday, December 14th at 12:00PM. Use the discount code FREESHIP at checkout and watch your shipping costs disappear!! It's a good feeling, really...you should try it!

From all of us here at Novel Gift Baskets, we wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season. Enjoy your time with family, make lots of memories- and send a gift basket! :)

Sincerely,
Kelly Sisler
Co-Owner Novel Gift Baskets.com

Fall is in the air!

Whew- it was so chilly here in San Diego today! I know many of you will scoff when I say it was 62 here today, but that is pretty cold when you factor in the cold, humid air! I was definitely feeling very "wintery" today and was pretty excited to actually need a sweatshirt when I left my house!
As Thanksgiving approaches I would like to take a minute to introduce our basket designer and the brains behind some of our Holiday gift baskets! Her name is Julie O'Connell, and she is my Mom! Julie has been a huge fan of gift baskets for quite a while and started putting them together around the Holidays as gifts to our neighbors! Her baskets are my personal favorites, and as we continue to grow you will hopefully see more of her creations!
Which leads me to.....WE NEED YOUR HELP! Have you been looking all over for a specific theme in a gift basket? Do you work for a corporation who could use a gift basket that you just can't seem to find anywhere? We are looking for new ideas- not that we don't have plenty, but we want to know what you want! What are you looking for? Send us your gift basket ideas at kelly@novelgiftbaskets.com or just respond to this blog in a comment, and let us know- what do you want?!
As always- thanks for reading and visit us soon!

Your friends at Novelgiftbaskets.com

San Diego Wildfires

I want to take a moment to let everyone in Southern California know that my thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I myself live in Southern California and was just last night allowed back into my home.
The fires are wicked and dangerous and can move and jump and demolish at a pace unknown to most. Thank you so much to all of the firemen, police officers, EMS, Sheriff's and National Guardsmen that are out there working tirelessly to defend our homes and our neighborhoods. Your efforts are not going unnoticed!
If you read this blog and know someone in California who has dealt with the fires, you can use the discount code T97C at checkout if you'd like to send them a "Thinking of you" gift basket, or perhaps a "Cheer Up" snack basket. This discount code will save you $10.00 on your order.
While so many people have lost their homes and obviously cannot receive mail, there are some people who only sustained damage and have been allowed back into their areas- perhaps they could use a little pick me up?!
That's all for now- just wanted everyone to know that we are thinking of you and pray that everything looks up after today.

Take Care-
Kelly Sisler
Co-Owner
www.novelgiftbaskets.com

"Basket Season" has begun!

Well, it is October 15th and "Basket Season" has officially begun! Did you know that tomorrow (10/16) is Boss's day? Order your basket today and choose overnight delivery for an on time gift that will really impress!
After Boss's Day we have....Halloween!! What a perfect Holiday for a gift basket. To me, Halloween embraces what gift baskets are all about. Candy, cheer, unique mystery and of course- that cheery feeling the recipient gets in the pit of their stomach when they open the door and find a special box just for them! We have more Halloween baskets this year then we've had in a while and if you haven't already, I highly suggest you stop by to check them out!
Click Here --->

After Halloween comes (obviously) Thanksgiving- the perfect "snack basket" Holiday. Because really, what is better about being able to sit around with family and friends while snacking on some delicious baked goods while watching your favorite movie? Nothing compares!

And then, of course, we have Christmas and Hanukkah. We sell Kosher baskets and Hanukkah baskets as well as tons of NEW Christmas baskets. I once heard someone say, "Gift Baskets are the best because they are full of things you would never purchase on your own." I think this is very insightful because if you think about it, it's true! How many people do you know go to the store and buy bars of Ghiradelli chocolate, or sweet toasted marshmallows? They are both delicious, high quality sweets- and rarely are they purchased on a normal outing to the grocery store!!

So do something special for those who are too far to be with on these special Holidays. Send them a unique, quality, gift basket- from of course!!

Hope to see you soon!
Your friends at Novel Gift Baskets

Fall is upon is....

Hello fellow gift basket lovers-
Sorry for the delay in blog postings, it's easy for it to get away from me. Seems like the days are flying by lately.
The newly designed site is up and going and as we continue to transition we work out little bugs and kinks. Thanks for you patience and understanding throughout this huge process.
We always get excited for this time of year as it is what I like to call "Gift Basket Season." Halloween to Christmas is the most popular time for sending that special someone, your collegue, your friends, or even your boss a gift basket full of goodies. Gift baskets are so universal they make an easy, and complete, gift. As we get closer and closer to Thanksgiving I will add new Fall/Harvest baskets that you are sure to love! Baked goodies, Pumpkins, Scarecrows and falling leaves- does it get any better?
My focus this year is to incorporate more Hannukah baskets into our Holiday selection. We always have the most beautiful Christmas baskets and our Hannukah baskets are just as eye-catching but I will hopefully have more of a selection this year.
So keep checking back and please feel free to e-mail me at kelly@novelgiftbaskets.com with any feedback on the site, our baskets, our prices, our customer service....anything!
Have a wonderful week and use the link that follows to go check out our Halloween baskets!!

Kelly

A new way to think about it...

Although we might think of gift baskets as a modern way to give gifts, gift baskets have actually a rather long legacy. Spanning years and cultures, there are several fascinating stories of gift baskets that have been given throughout history.

Likely one of the earliest accounts of a gift coming in a basket is the basket of young plants that the pagan goddess Eostre carried in a basket, to be used as a sacred offering. Although some scholars argue the place of Eostre in Easter history, nevertheless this is the likely source of the idea of what came to be the modern-day Easter gift basket.

Another early gift basket story that had sacred connotations is the Old Testament story of Moses' mother placing the infant Moses into a wicker basket. She then hid the basket in the reeds on the river's edge so that the daughter of the Egyptian royal family would find him and eventually take Moses into her custody and protection.

Baskets have been used not only for gift basket purposes but also for utilitarian reasons for centuries. They were used to carry eggs into the house from the chicken coop, or baskets called trugs were needed to harvest vegetables from the kitchen garden and get them into the home to prepare for meals. Baskets were used as a kind of large saddle bag on horses, donkeys and mules to carry supplies, and even people on occasion.

Most baskets, including your next gift basket, even today are made by hand. Even with the advent of the Industrial Age, basket making is almost impossible to do using machinery, and instead requires the same hand-crafting that has been used throughout time. Some cultures have turned basket making into an art form. Today you will find many Native American groups who craft special baskets that are used to gather wild huckleberries in the late spring and early summer. Many Native American tribes are famous for their basket-making artistry.

The care taken with making anything by hand lends a level of special attention to detail that makes gift baskets so lovely to give and receive. Every item that goes into personalized gift baskets can be selected to meet the specific desires of the recipient. As well, the basket can be finished with the favorite colors of your special someone in terms of wrap, ribbon and bows used.

Gifts in baskets can also be focused around a particular theme, such as a baby gift basket or holiday gift baskets. You can include gift items particular to any event you wish to celebrate, including anniversaries and weddings. Even corporations bestow these baskets to employees or clients, so that they will be remembered in a positive way.

We are ALL NEW!

My, My, My- It is finally here! We have a brand new, completely re-designed website. I don't mean a few new baskets, we have new colors and a new design, a new layout, an easier ordering form and of course....tons of new baskets! Our goal is to begin to establish oursleves amongst the leaders in the online gift basket industry, and it is my belief that this website is the first step!
One of the coolest new features is the "Gift Reminder" program we've established. You fill out the date, title, and event that you need a gift reminder for and we will e-mail you when the time rolls around! It is a wondeful new service and you can enter as many gift reminders as you may need! Birthday's, Anniversary's, Graduation, etc. Make sure to check it out!
We hope you find our new site much more shoppable and convenient as that is always our goal. We are working hard to develop unique, creative, quality baskets so continue to check in with us as we grow!
Thank you for your loyalty, and please feel free to e-mail any comments or suggestions to me at Kelly@novelgiftbaskets.com

Sincerely,
Kelly Sisler and the Novel Gift Basket Team

June has arrived!

Well, here it is the first week of June! I am really proud of our Father's Day basket selection this year and I look forward to making lots of Dad's and Grandpa's smile!
Novel is hard at work re-building our entire website right now which has been very fun but also very tedious. Who knew there were so many decisions to make?! The new site should be launched sometime this summer so don't be surprised if you start to notice different changes within the coming months!
Do you happen to know someone getting married this summer? June, July and August are statistically the most popular wedding months of the year and gift baskets are an easy and beautiful way to say Congratulations! Even if you are attending the wedding, why not have the basket shipped to your house so that you can bring it with you? A gift basket incorporates so many different fun items, the Bride & Groom will enjoy going through it and using (or eating) every item! Check out our "Wedding Gift Baskets" link on the home page for a few pages of ideas!
Thanks for reading and enjoy the sun- don't forget your sunscreen!

-Your friends at Novel Gift Baskets

New baskets for a new season!

We are swiftly entering Springtime although it doesn't feel like that in certain parts of the US! Cold weather on the east coast, snow in Colorado and even chilly temperatures for this time of year in San Diego have some people saying...Brrr!
However, we are moving right along into the flowery month of May and with May comes...you know- Mother's Day!! If you receive our newsletter then you already know about the new baskets (if you don't receive our newsletter then what are you waiting for? Go to our homepage and sign up today!) but have you been to the site to see how cute they are? I am so impressed with our selection- we are really growing in a positive direction.
On that note, do you have any positive/negative or indifferent feedback for us? Have you had a wonderful experience with Novel Gift Baskets? Did you receive one of our baskets as a gift? Please feel free to leave us comments on how we can improve, or what type of basket you would like to see! We love positive comments too!
Well, have a wonderful week and stay tuned- thanks!!

Your friends at Novel Gift Baskets

New For Summer!

Hello fellow basket lovers!
Novel Gift Baskets is about to release their new baskets for Summer! How exciting is that? We have joined forces with some of the hottest designers and their product lines in order to bring you the best of the best! Our new baskets are fun, exciting, and unique- perfect for lots of fun summer events! Keep your eyes on our home page for the new designs!
Mothers Day is just a few weeks away, can you believe it? Why not plan ahead and order the basket you want today!? We can delay shipping for a few weeks and send it when appropriate, ensuring a Mothers Day delivery!! We will be adding new Mothers Day baskets over the next week or so, so find the one you want, buy it and head for the checkout- it's that easy! You're done!
Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you on the site!!



Your friends at Novel Gift Baskets

Another Day Goes By!

Man, the weather is beautiful today here in sunny San Diego! I am watching the clouds roll by while adding some new product to our website and realizing how lucky I am!
Have you checked out our updated site yet? We have lots of fun new baskets and not only that, we've already started preparing for our new Summer line!! We will host a series of really fun new products, all bundled up into adorable "theme" baskets!
Those will be posted on the home page soon so keep checking back with us!
In the meantime, if you are looking for that perfect Easter basket to send to a loved one, a friend, or maybe even yourself- you have to see out new Easter baskets for 2007!! The best part is, if you use the discount code EARLYBUNNY before you checkout (purchases must be made BEFORE March 25th) then you will receive an additional 20% off!! So don't wait, order early and save 20% today!!
Well, I'm off to find new products and fun ideas! See you soon!!

Novel Gift Baskets

New Easter Baskets!

Hello again!
We have just added a new selection of the most adorable Easter baskets for 2007! Full of candy, pastels and bunnies- these baskets are sure to please everyone on Easter! You can find a few of my favorites right on our homepage, or you can use the "Easter Baskets" link on the left side of the homepage. Either way you go about it, you do want to miss them!
Buy now and ask to have your basket shipped on a specific day, so it arrives just in time for Easter!!

Have a wonderful day and we'll see you soon!!

Novel Gift Baskets

New Baby Baskets!

Hello all of you gift basket lovers! BIG NEWS! Novel Gift Baskets added 5 new baby gift baskets last week! Two of our most popular ones so far have been the rubber ducky bathtime basket, and the ribbet froggy basket! Go to our home page at www.novelgiftbaskets.com to check them out!
Also, keep your eye out for that sneaky little leprechaun! St. Patty's day is around the corner and what better way to say "Slaunte!" (Irish for "cheers") then by sending an adorable, upscale, St. Patricks Day Gift Basket? Chek out our newest arrivals, right on our home page!
And last but not least, Easter is on the way- believe it or not the bunny is coming! We have some really unique Easter baskets this year and as we get closer and closer to Easter they will appear on our home page so keep your eyes peeled! If you can't wait that long or you want to get a head start on your shopping you can always use our links on the left side of the homepage to find exactly what your looking for!
Thanks for reading and we'll talk to you soon!!