Feb 28 2010
Blend Food, the Internet and a Charge Card for a Giving Recipe
Fighting my way through a crowded store with my arms full of packages is not my first choice of hobbies. My mother adores shopping, but I did not inherit those genes. The part that I detest the most, however, is trying to guess what presents everyone would actually enjoy and appreciate. I used to have this inescapable fear that all of my gift shopping efforts would culminate in a rushed trip back to the store or, worse, out to the garbage can. I could never feel confident about what to get my Grandma or dear Uncle Arthur. Now, I can appreciate the cute shops and the department stores, especially during the holidays, because I can walk through empty handed, unhurried, with all of my shopping finished. I do all my shopping on the Internet, now. Well practically all of it.
Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself. Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions. And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.
Of course, I actually discovered food when I was still an infant, but it didn’t occur to me as a great gift until I had suffered through many rounds of birthdays, baby showers, and countless other events that seem to always pop up. I received a gift basket of little sausages, spreadable cheeses and plain crackers. It was terrible! At the same time, though, I thought what a great gift this could have been. All they had to change in the gift was the quality of the contents!
Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. (It’s a tough job, but I am up to the challenge as long as I carefully pace myself!) I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.
These Internet shops offer everything from gourmet fruit baskets to lobster dinners (well, they won’t be alive when they are actually eaten), from wine gift baskets to cookie bouquets. The array of gift foods is really quite amazing.
For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets. Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting. The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.
So join me in thanking the Internet for allowing me to walk through an aisle of a store, empty handed, with a huge smile. I can do that, now, just to soak up the spirit of the season. I’m a tourist when I’m there instead of a frantic shopper.
Comments Off