Personalized Gifts - Personalized Gift Ideas for Everyone on your shopping list

Student Survival Gift Basket: Recent high school graduates and current college students will be grateful for a gift basket filled with goodies that will get them through midterms, finals and other college woes. Pick up the newest Vera Bradley handbag or backpack (for girls) or a Timbuk2 messenger bag (for boys) and stuff it with some essential items for college. - prices vary depending on size and pattern

• Bath robe: Nothing is more embarrassing than accidentally dropping your towel on your way back from the shower in a co-ed dorm. Prevent your favorite college student from shocking dorm friends with a soft bath robe. Boys will like the organic cotton robe from Pottery Barn ($99.00). Mrs. Clause recommends a cozy fleece robe from Adonna ($45.00) for girls.
• Safety Cross 6-in-1 Personal Safety Device: You'll probably receive a few eye rolls when the Safety Cross device is first unwrapped, but its convenience and security will overshadow any embarrassment a student may feel for carrying it in their pocket. The Safety Cross 6-in-1 Personal Safety Device is a light, siren, compass, radio and cell phone charger in one. You'll feel at ease with your favorite college kid roaming campus with a Safety Cross device in hand. - $18.00
• Food: Any type of food will satisfy the cravings of a growing, hungry college student. Instant or microwaveable food is best for students still living in a dormitory, but even students in off-campus housing will enjoy the lack of effort involved in preparing a microwaveable meal. After all, no college student has time to cook when there are exams to study for and parties to attend! Quaker instant oatmeal, Chef Boyardee ravioli and General Mills Fiber One bars are nutritious and delicious choices. - prices vary
• Pharmaceuticals: Advil, Band-Aids and Vitamin C should not be dismissed as unnecessary or silly gift basket additions. Your favorite college student will be thankful that you tossed basic pharmacy needs in to their gift basket, especially when they need extra energy or to calm a piercing headache at 2 A.M.
• Instant coffee, cocoa or tea: Whipping up a delectable cup of warm liquid on a chilly evening or early in the morning is nothing short of wonderful. Ghirardelli hot chocolate is especially savory, or pick up Maxwell House coffee or Bigelow French vanilla tea for the more mature tastes. Bonus: put a Black and Decker coffeemaker in the gift basket, too. - prices vary
• Gift cards: Contact a local campus restaurant and the campus bookstore and purchase gift cards from them for the gift basket. Gift cards never disappoint a college student in need of extra spending cash, especially when the gift card can be used at local campus hotspots. A Visa gift card to be used at any location that accepts Visa credit cards is an option as well. - prices vary

Pizza Gift Basket: Sometimes finding a gift for a friend or family member is nearly impossible. Satisfy hunger pangs in a creative fashion by putting together all the ingredients needed to make homemade pizza in to a pizza gift basket. Line a hand made Longaberger basket with a festive cloth, add the pizza products and voila! - prices vary depending on size of basket

• Baking Stone: The Pampered Chef baking stone is perfect for homemade pizza making or heating up frozen pizzas. It can also be used for any other type of baking. In fact, Mrs. Clause cooks her famous Christmas cookies with the Pampered Chef baking stone. I don't cook or bake, but I'll admit the Pampered Chef baking stone works well as a serving tray for breakfasts in bed. - $26.00
• Cheese Grater: OXO's Seal and Store cheese grater is affordable, easy to use and has been spotted by diners at Olive Garden restaurants. If a restaurant uses the OXO cheese grater then your gift recipient should too! Cheese can be grated directly over food or it can be grated prior to dining, stored inside the grater and put in to the refrigerator until meal preparation is finished. I even use my OXO to grate chocolate bars in to shavings for dessert toppings. - $15.00
• Pizza Cutter: An ordinary pizza cutter won't do for a holiday gift basket. Try the Pampered Chef pizza cutter instead. The Pampered Chef pizza cutter is known for its cutting versatility - brownies, lemon bars, pizza, tortillas - nothing can stop this pizza cutter from slicing and dicing your favorite meal in to finger food form. - $9.75
• Garlic Press: Garlic salt and garlic powder don't add as much flavor to meals as fresh pressed garlic. The Pampered Chef garlic press is durable, useful and convenient. Your favorite cook won't even have to peel the garlic before using the press because it peels and presses all at once. No more smelly garlic hands, whew! - $15.75
• Toppings: No pizza is complete without the proper toppings (unless, of course, you enjoy eating pizza sans toppings). Experiment with your friend's taste buds by giving them a smorgasbord of toppings and sauces. Hunt's tomato sauce or Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce are my favorite sauces to use on pizzas. I also prefer Hormel turkey pepperoni for a healthier pizza topping option. Shredded cheese, sausage, pineapple and other pizza garnishes galore at the grocery. Take your pick to complete the pizza gift basket.

Business Trip Gift Basket: Design a gift basket for the busy business traveler in your life. First, drop by your local North Face store or log in to their website and order a Base Camp duffel. The North Face Base Camp duffel isn't an ordinary bag. It's impeccably durable and designed to withstand terrible terrain and weather, so rough handling from airline crews won't destroy your luggage. The North Face duffel will be used to store the rest of the gift basket contents. - $99.00-$149.00

• Quart-sized plastic bags: It baffles me that airports have such strict travel requirements but don't provide free bags to travelers. Help curb security traffic by putting quart-sized plastic bags in to this gift basket. Put some Kashi granola bars, candy, Purell hand sanitizer and Crest travel-sized toothpaste in the bags. Airline peanuts and unpleasant airline hand soap just don't cut it anymore. - prices vary
• Advil: A pain reliever is essential for the neck aches that result from sleeping crammed against an airplane window or for any other travel-related pain. Pick up Advil Liquigels; they're easily dissolved and therefore fast-acting. - prices vary
• Sudoku or puzzle magazine: Flight delays are more common than not for today's frequent travelers. Pick up an entertaining distraction to pass the time when trapped on a concourse or plane that's stalled on the runway. Boggle Brainbusters will challenge your friend's mind and word skills. They'll learn while having fun and passing time! - prices vary
• iTunes gift card: No traveler leaves home without their iPod. Gift the gift of free music with an iTunes gift card. Your favorite traveler can activate the gift card on iTunes and use it to download new music to their iPod. They'll never hear a crying baby on a flight again when they toss in their headphones and listen to their new Playlist. - prices vary
• Ear Plugs and eye mask: Putty Buddies (prices vary) may be designed for kids and water but they'll do a great job blocking out sound. Your world traveler will be able to tune out their snoring neighbor in the seat next to them with Putty Buddies in their ears. Better yet, invest in a Brookstone Sound Therapy Eye Mask ($40.00). The Brookstone Sound Therapy Eye Mask simultaneously produces white noise and blocks out light. There are five different noises and a timer, so the sound will turn off and leave the user sleeping peacefully within 30 minutes. The best part: no one is stopping you from borrowing it for your trips!

Vacation Gift Basket: Whether you have a friend heading out of town for a long weekend or their honeymoon, a gift basket filled with vacation items will reduce their preparation anxiety and make their trip much more relaxing. Colorful, handmade totes by Brynn Capella will fit all of your friend's vacation goodies. They'll also make a vibrate statement at the beach. - prices vary depending on handbag size

• Swimsuit: A swimsuit is a staple item in every suitcase packed for a tropical vacation. I don't know the tropics very well because I spent most of my time at the North Pole, but I've heard Swimsuits for All is the place to shop before getaways. Swimsuits for All is a swimsuit website selling, you guessed it, swimsuits for every size, shape and age. In fact, you'll be able to outfit the entire family for their vacation if you want. Swimsuits for All has children and adult size swimsuits, as well as plus sizes. Toss some sandals from Swimsuits for All in to the gift basket, too. - prices vary
• Sunscreen: Ditch the tanning oil and promote healthy sunbathing with Bullfrog sunscreen. Bullfrog is sweat proof and waterproof, so constant reapplication isn't necessary. Your friend won't smell like sunscreen, either, because Bullfrog is odorless. There's no need to worry about ruining a vacation by sitting inside and treating a sunburn with aloe vera when using Bullfrog sunscreen. - prices vary
• Books or magazines: Don't deprive the avid reader of their favorite vacation pastime - pleasure reading! Chances are good your buddy will speed through a lot of literature during their lazy days in the sunshine so make sure to stock their gift basket with several novels and magazines. Vacations are the best time to get through any one of the seven Harry Potter books. Otherwise, A Thousand Splendid Suns or Water for Elephants are good reads for the more sophisticated reader. Celebrity news magazines like US Weekly or People will be page turners, too. - prices vary
• Guide book: Check out an online or local bookstore for a guidebook about the destination your friend is heading to for their vacation. It's an informative and fun way to help your friend prepare for their trip or find things to do while at the destination. Unfortunately, you won't find many guidebooks about the North Pole. - prices vary
• Sunglasses: Pick up a pair of sunglasses for your friend and ensure they won't be blinded by the light at the beach. Nothing is more annoying than the sun blinding your view of that hot babe down the beach! Ray Ban sunglasses are especially stylish for men, and Burberry sunglasses are sure to be a hit for your gal pal. - prices vary

Movie Lover's Gift Basket: I don't know many people who don't like a good movie, so when in doubt of what to give this holiday season try putting together a movie lover's gift basket. The Whirley Pop ($25.00) popcorn popper is a cute way to store all of the gift basket items. Top it off with a bow or ribbon and the gifts are wrapped!

• DVDs: Were you honestly going to create a movie lover's gift basket and not include their favorite movies? I sure hope not. If you're not sure what your friend's favorite movies are then choose the classics or recent theater hits. Another great idea is creating a genre-themed gift basket: horror movies, reality TV series, comedies and other genres make a great themed basket. Just remember to include gift receipts in case your favorites aren't your friend's favorites! - prices vary
• Popcorn and candy: Movie viewing isn't complete without a buttery mountain of popcorn or boxes of candy to indulge in. Orville Redenbacher or Dale and Thomas popcorn brands are particularly buttery. A pack of floss will be a funny addition to this gift basket. I sure don't like picking kernels out of my teeth mid-movie. - prices vary
• Tissues: A movie isn't worth your buddy's tears, but just in case his or her nickname is Waterworks, remember to toss a box of tissue in to their gift basket. Tissues with lotion or extra softness are essential for the frequent crier. Raw noses are just no fun. - prices vary
• Slippers: Mrs. Clause loves her hot pink Charlotte slippers. They're warm, lightweight and girly. She highly recommends them for a relaxing evening of movie watching. I'd choose a Hush Puppies suede moccasin for a guy, although there's nothing wrong with the Charlotte slippers if he's not afraid to wear pink. - prices vary

Girls' Night Gift Basket: There's no woman I know who will turn down some personal pampering time. A nice way to encourage your favorite lady to take time for herself is by organizing a girl's night gift basket. You'll be able to fit all of the girl's night essentials in to the Avon Train Case. - $25.00

• Facial mask: Beauty product guru LUSH makes a facial mask Mrs. Clause swears by. Love Lettuce contains ground almond, ground almond shells, clay, honey, seaweed and a few other ingredients as well. It leaves skin smooth and hydrated. LUSH Love Lettuce facial cream is a perfect starting gift to a girl's night gift basket. - $15.95
• Lotion: Although her face will be moisturized after a facial, that still leaves the rest of her body needing to be soft and smooth. Dove's Energy Glow lotion and self tanner will not only hydrate her skin but also give it a healthy tint of color. Bath and Body Works products are also a traditional lotion favorite of many women. Sneak a peek at her lotion collection to make sure you find the right scent. - prices vary
• Manicure and pedicure supplies: You'll need nail polish and a nail file and toe spacers to complete a manicure and pedicure set. OPI nail polish comes in a variety of fun colors and stays on nails longer than most other polishes. The Burton nail file is made of crystal and ranges in size from 3.5 to 8 inches. Your girl will be able to quickly and easily file her nails in to her favorite shape without feeling as though she is sawing her nails with sandpaper. - prices vary
• Chocolate: Praniles, truffles, nuts - there's not much not to love about Godiva chocolate boxes. The chocolate nearly melts in your mouth. You'll be lucky if there's a chocolate piece left for you. - $29.00
• Sex and the City: No girls' night is complete without a chick flick, and the Sex and the City movie is the ultimate chick flick indulgence. It's not likely, but if you know a girl who hasn't seen the series then splurge on the complete DVD collection. It's well worth the $200. - prices vary

Personalized gifts are unique and touching. Anyone who receives a personalized gift is truly grateful for the thought and preparation that goes in to making a personalized gift. Creativity is the key to success when putting together a personalized gift, so use my suggestions to get those wheels turning in your head. After all, it's called a personalized gift for a reason.

Happy Holidays!