All of us face the imposing task of picking a thoughtful and impressive thank you gift for friends and relatives. The challenge is always picking the right gift to express our thanks and still make it personal enough to have meaning. There are a wide variety of options when it comes to thank you gifts including gift baskets, gift cards, and other more focused gift ideas. It all comes down to choosing the right one.

The first thing to do when selecting a thank you gift is to consider the person you are thanking. Think long and hard about their likes and especially dislikes. Does he/she enjoy perfume, or hate it. Does he/she read a particular magazine that you might be able to get her a subscription for Do you enjoy dinners out together. Then maybe a gift card from a favorite restaurant will do the trick. The key here is to make it personal. This says to the person you are giving the thank you gift to, I appreciate what you did for me and thought about how best to thank you.

Another possible thank you gift that might be perfect is a specialized thank you gift basket. Over the years these thank you gift baskets have evolved from the old popcorn and pretzels baskets into very stylish and specific theme orientated gifts. Is this gift for an avid golfer, or a rabid fan of a sports team Or maybe they enjoy a particular TV show, or musical group. There are gift baskets to cater to all of these hobbies nowadays and in a wide range of price points. Most of these can be customized to accommodate special dietary needs like no chocolate or peanuts.

Some of the most heartfelt thank you gifts you can give are handmade tokens of appreciation. Sometimes they are as simple as favorite baked goods like cookies or an apple pie. Or if youre a skilled hobbyist, maybe a knit scarf or handmade item. It can be very touching to the person getting the gift, knowing that you had spent time thinking about what they liked to eat or wear and took time out of your day to prepare the gift.

If you dont know the person quite as well, you could always surf the web and pick a more generic thank you gift that is either topical, or timeless. There are loads of websites that cater to the latest craze or season and have gifts related to them that can bring a smile to anyones face. Some of these things might involve customized mugs or t-shirts for the person you are thanking. This is especially nice since these thank you gifts will be used again and again for some time, reminding the person you thanked how much you cared.

Finally, the simplest thank you gift might be the best. Sitting down and writing a heartfelt thank you note on some high quality paper is always a very nice gift to receive. Do this as a handwritten note to make it more personal. Somehow getting a letter from someone typed out on a computer doesnt quite do the trick, so take some time and care with the note. Also, there are a plethora of websites that offer sample verse or poems that will help you get started.

The possibilities for thank you gifts today are unlimited and really run the gamut from a simple tchotchke to elaborate personal gift baskets. The real key is to pick something personal that reflects the person you are trying to thank. They will appreciate the time and thought you put into the gift for years to come.