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Sometimes, it seems unfortunate that most of the people who shop for Mother's Day gifts are husbands, fathers and children. Taken together as a whole, they are usually not the greatest shoppers. Luckily, the person that they are shopping for is full of unconditional love and accepts any offering and sees these somewhat paltry gifts through the eyes of love. I mean, who else but a mother would act so honestly joyous as when they receive three (useless) stuffed animals from the kids and a Dustbuster (hint?) from the husband.

That is why it is time to reveal the secret of one of the easiest Mother's Day gifts to either buy ready-made or to put together yourself. Gift baskets are a grouping of small gifts that go together in some sort of a theme and all of the components are artfully arranged in a beautiful container, which is usually a wicker basket. The easiest way to give a Mother's Day gift basket is to go online or find a local store and pick one out, pay for it, and in the case of ordering one online, they will have it delivered directly to the home.

As stated before, gift baskets are one of the easiest gifts to put together. And since it is those same children and dads who will be creating and shopping for this gift, the advice given here will try to make this one of the easiest and most convenient gifts you*ve ever shopped for. Not only will it be easy and fun to create; it very well may be one of the best presents mom has ever received. And what could be an easier way to create this gift than to only have to go to one store? And not just any store, but your local grocery store. How easy is that?

Even the smaller grocery store chains tend to carry more than just food items anymore. They may have a pharmacy area that will carry many beauty products, a housewares aisle, a books and stationery section, and even a small appliance and kitchen gadget aisle. And then of course besides all of these sections of the grocery store you also have all of the food. With all of these choices, you could very easily create an unforgettable Mother's Day gift basket.

Now, you may say that you have never seen any large wicker baskets in your local grocery store. That is true. Most small grocery stores do not carry those sorts of items, but they will probably have other items that could be used as a foundation for your gift basket. There is no rule that says that a Mother's Day gift basket must include an old-fashioned, traditional wicker basket. But, if you would like to make putting your gift together a little easier, shop at one of those super grocery stores. The ones that carry everything from heads of lettuce to patio furniture, clothing, camping gear, electronics, and car batteries. Shopping at one of those types of stores will make the search much easier and in fact, they will probably even carry wicker baskets.

If the children are old enough, get them involved in planning the gift basket and finding items that will be included in the making of the gift. It helps to have a bit of an idea before you go into the store of what type or category of things that you will be looking for. Once you are in the grocery store it can become a kind of the game -- sort of like a scavenger hunt. As you walk up and down the aisles, look at all of the items on the shelves with new eyes. And think to yourself, *Would Mom like these?*

As an example, let's say that you decide to create a Mother's Day gift basket based on beauty products and especially concentrating on relaxation. Items that would fit in this category would be bath oils or moisturizing soaps. Also a loofah brush, a pedicure kit and nail polish would fit nicely in this type of gift basket. Even more items to consider are deep conditioning hair treatments and facial masks. As you can see, the possibilities for this category are almost limitless. Looking around the store you may find a container that could act as the gift's foundation. It may be a foot massage machine, a snack bowl or even a plastic food container.

Another category to shop for in the grocery store is in the books, cards and stationery aisle. Many times this aisle also carries gift bags along with wrapping paper. You could use a gift bag to act as your basket or you could find something else in another section of the store. In this gift baskets you can include interesting books, novels, puzzle magazines and other magazines that would interest her along with a quality ink pen and even a journal.

Another section of the grocery store to shop in is the small housewares aisle. In this aisle you will find kitchen gadgets, small appliances, plastic food storage containers and many other nifty things. First of all, look at all of the kitchen gadgets. The kids may have a better idea of what is already stocked in the kitchen drawers, but there are many gadgets that a mom would love to have. Even the small appliances may have a selection that mom never bought for herself. Maybe an electric knife would make carving the Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas roast beef easier. And because mom could only see using it twice a year, she never splurged and bought it for herself. This sort of thing might be the perfect item to add to the gift basket. Once you*ve picked everything out, arrange at all in a large plastic food storage container or in a flexible aluminum turkey roaster.

And finally, how about a gift basket full of the items that you will find most of in a grocery store, namely food? This would be a perfect time to buy all of those special treats that can never be afforded in the weekly grocery trip. Those gourmet expensive bags of six cookies, that jar of macadamia nuts, those special boxes of chocolate truffles, and a small bag of freshly ground designer coffee. These items and so many more can be the beginning of one of the best Mother's Day presents that mom will have ever received. Send the kids on a hunt to find something appropriate to put all of the items in, add a bow and a beautiful card and you are well on your way to indulging her in the perfect Mother's Day.