A Tribute to Gift Baskets Gone By...

Gift basket season has come to a close. As I sit here eating the last bittsweet caramel cookie from my cookie basket, I'd like to share my 2006 basket experience with you all by presenting a comparison to last year's wares.

From: English to French translators (work)
2005 - a small box (approx 12-15) horridly sweet maple centre/orchard fruits chocolates from a Nova Scotia confectioner. No one could stand them. Even die hards like me.
2006 - a larger tin (approx 25-30) of same horridly sweet maple centre chocolates.
Saving Grace: they are twice dipped in really good quality chocolate so if you just bite off all the coating and leave the centres - you're okay when in a fix.

From: French to English translators (work)
2005: AMAZING best ever gift basket with various Canadian-(yeah!) made products (toffee, chocolates, knitted mittens, hand creams, lip balms and this darling little sachet of lavender flowers you use in the dryer instead of a Bounce sheet).
2006: Big-ass tray of baklava. People, tell me why? No one likes baklava. When we had Simon, a lot of the middle eastern guys that work with Richard gave us 8 layer pastry boxes FULL of the stuff. We ate it for weeks. 3/4 of it is still in my freezer today. Ick.
Saving Grace: Was regifted by my colleague as a hostess gift at her father-in-law's birthday dinner last week. Ca-ching!

From: The printers (work)
2005: 3-tiered giant box of Laura Secord chocolates. Pointsetta and gift card for the Fashion Centres (we give them a lot business).
2006: Smaller box of Godiva chocolates, pointsetta, gift card for Fashion Centres.
Oh yeah.

From: The landlords (work)
2005: Nothing. New building lease this year.
2006: 2 pointsettas and a ziplock bag of hard candies. Yes I'm being serious.
Saving Grace: Pointsettas looked good in the office for the two days we got to enjoy them (no one took them home).

From: Board of Directors (work)
2005: Gorgeous x-mas floral and candle FTD-style centre piece.
2006: Nothing. Thanks. For Nothing.

From: My boss
2005: Nothing.
2006: Cute little flip-top basket filled with 6 different kinds of gourmet cookies. The aforementioned bittersweet caramel one was divine. No one liked it because it was coated in dark chocolate (my choco-friends are of the milk variety). The candycane cookies were covered in chocolate bar-thickness coating. This one wins the prize this year as kick ass basket.

From: Tenants upstairs (personal)
2005: Large tray of homebaked goodies (assortment of elaborate squares and the smallest star-shaped shortbreads you've ever seen. Individually iced in three different colours).
2006: Likely the same type of fare. Unopened in fridge for 4 days.
Saving Grace: I tell everyone I made them myself.


I hope you all had a Merry one. My love and kisses and blessings to you all.