Thanksgiving is a time of the year where we remember to appreciate all our blessings. The people in our lives, our good health and fortune are things we sometimes take for granted and it's a good reminder to stop have gratitude for those things. Although traditionally it is not a gift giving holiday, there are probably people in your life that you want to show your appreciation to with a gift. Creating a gift basket is the perfect combination of wanting to give something useful and personal.

Use your imagination for the container! You can buy a turkey roasting pan to use as the "basket". Or a wicker basket spray painted gold. Use orange, beige or gold tissue paper as a liner. You can also use a pretty napkin to line the bottom.

Some ideas for the goodies can be:

meat and cheese
crackers
gourmet snacks
coffee or tea blends
jelly or jam
tepee treats (see below)
nut and seed assortment
dried fruit
chocolate
honey
small plant
seeds for planting
Thanksgiving collectable
wine

Tepee treats:

eight sugar cones

two cups of confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup of softened unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cake-decorating icing

decorative candies

1. Use an electric mixed set at low speed and mix confectioners sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable. Stir in a bit of milk, if needed.

2. Use the icing to lightly frost eight ice cream sugar cones, then place them in the freezer for a few minutes until the icing hardens.

3. Now use tubes of cake-decorating icing to draw patterns and images and glue on decorative candies.