Grenville Station Gift Baskets in Canada

When creating new gift basket designs, I sometimes find myself drawing from my own personal experiences and memories for inspiration. Many of those inspired creations can be seen in our baby gift basket category.

During my childhood, my grandparents owned a farm and I spent as much time as possible there. I had a lot of friends who would come over to play, but the most memorable visitors were my “boyfriends.” There was one boy in particular who I have fond memories of. When we were 8 years old, we would climb up into my Grandpa’s John Deere tractor and he would pretend to drive me around the fields. We sure put a lot of “miles” on that tractor!  Those memories were the inspiration for the basket Born to Farm. When he has a child, I think it would be the perfect gift for his Little Farmer!

But that basket design may not be for everybody. Some people may remember “driving” their father’s motorcycle, feeling cool and grown-up as they “hit the open road!” In that case, Born To Ride would more suitable.

What was your baby born to do?  Grenville Station features a wide variety of baby gift basket designs but if you have an idea for a new design inspired by your baby or child drop us a line and let us know.  We’re always on the look out for great ideas and inspiration!

Tanya

Condolences can be difficult!

Before I started working here, I never really knew what to do for someone when they had lost a loved one.  Sure you show up at the funeral home, maybe give a donation, or send flowers, but I never got any response from any of the recipients, so I never knew whether or not it was an appropriate gift for the occasion.  You go to a funeral and there are so many flowers, sometimes they can’t even fit them all.  So just after I started working here, I began sending sympathy gift baskets anytime there was the need for it.  I not only started to get feedback from my recipients, but most, if not all said that it actually brightened their day, if only for a few moments in their time of mourning.  Some even told me that they were so impressed with the gift, they waited a week or two after the funeral, that way they could enjoy it that much more.  Any one of our gourmet gift baskets are suitable to send to someone who has lost someone special in their life, but my favourite to send it the Golden Moments gift basket.  I have received the best feedback from this gift and hopefully have been able to spread a bit of cheer to those I have sent it to.

Rich

Other than close family members, teachers are often the most influential people in a person’s life.  Surely their time, energy and efforts deserve some recognition!  So how will you recognize the teachers who had such an impact on your life or on the life of your child(ren)?  It doesn’t take much time, money or effort to give a “World’s Greatest Teacher” or “Teachers Have Class” coffee mug but unless the teacher is fresh out of college or fairly new to the profession I would suggest that you skip these type of gifts (most teachers have more than they know what to do with) and put a little more thought into how you express your appreciation.

A thoughtful card or handwritten letter would surely bring a warm feeling to a teacher’s heart, as would a small token, but personal, gift.  As a former teacher myself, I can honestly say that a gift need not cost a lot of money to be appreciated.  Most teachers that I know talk a lot and they need to stay hydrated throughout the day!  Skip the mugs mentioned above but consider what the teacher may enjoy drinking instead.  Gourmet coffee or herbal teas make a fine choice, as would reusable water bottles or lidded travel mugs.  Another suggestion would be some fine chocolate, cookies or other sweets for days when their flagging energy could really use a sugar boost! A small gift basket may be ideal.

Non-food items could include a stash of stickers or rubber stamps for primary grade teachers; books for classroom libraries; or gift certificates to local book stores, teaching supply, craft or office supply stores.  You would be surprised how much money an elementary school teacher spends out-of-pocket on motivational and educational items for their classroom to supplement what the school boards provide.  Any gift that enhances what they do in the classroom will be sure to be appreciated! 

If you happen to be lucky enough to know some of the teacher’s personal interests (such as gardening, crafting, involvement in a particular sport) then by all means tailor your gift along those lines!  As long as a gift is well thought out and useful or personal in nature you’re sure to receive an A+ for your efforts!

Laurie

“It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and our air force has to have a bake-sale to buy a bomber.” - Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

National Teacher’s Day falls on May 6^th this year.  It is celebrated annually on the Tuesday of the first full week of May as part of Teacher Appreciation Week.  I suspect that National Teacher’s Day is another of those observances that the majority of the population may not be familiar with, much like Doctor’s Day, Nurse’s Day, and other similar days devoted to acknowledging/celebrating members of a given profession.  I believe that it is a day worth acknowledging however, as teachers play such a crucial role in our society.

You may question my choice of the term “crucial” but I will explain why I believe this to be true.  With the exception of a very small minority of home schooled children, it is fair to say that a teacher taught most of us how to read.  A teacher taught us how to write, how to communicate, how to add & subtract, how to tell time and many other necessary basic skills.  Had we not learned these skills every day simple chores such as grocery shopping, paying bills, and simply driving or commuting to and from work would be a nightmare. 

Had it been left to my parents to teach me these basic life skills who knows if I would even be sitting at my computer typing this today!  On one side of my family my grandparents were immigrants who were struggling to learn how to speak and read a new language themselves without any formal instruction.  On the other side of my family my grandfather was illiterate and could neither read nor write anything beyond his own name.  Both sets of my grandparents, as well as my parents, were far too busy working (often multiple jobs) just to feed their families.  There was no time for teaching their children how to read or write – just how to survive.  The finer points of education were left up to our teachers and this situation was hardly unique to just my family, I’m sure.

Teachers do so much more than just teach students how to read and write – they also socialize children and help them to become fully functional members of society.  As the author Robert Fulghum so poignantly points out in his best selling 1989 book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, it is often teachers who teach children to share, to take turns, not to take things that belong to others, to put things back where they found them, and, in his words, “[p]lay fair. Don’t hit people. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.”  Teachers reinforce the morals, customs and mores parents teach their children at home and fill in the gaps that parents miss.  They educate, yes, but they also encourage, nurture and support the next generation to reach their full potential as human beings.

Often times, the most interesting designs to create are our baby gift baskets.  The vibrant colours, soft textures and gentle aromas allow for maximum creativity from our designers.  You always remember the reason for the design…new life!   Regardless of the price, the importance of the event weighs heavy on our minds and always ensuring the design excites the senses or stirs the soul are the primary motivators.  Sometimes an expensive gift basket for baby is required due to the important relationship with the recipient’s parents while a simple and inexpensive precious baby gift is sufficient to express your sincere affection and joy for their most precious day.  Remembering this is key to happy gifting…

James…

“My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being.  I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.”  ~Graycie Harmon

Here we go again. Mother’s Day is fast approaching and I have to do the impossible: buy my Mother a gift. Seriously, someone page Tom Cruise because it truly is Mission: Impossible - Mother’s Day style!

Making matters worse is the fact that I work in a seasonal retail type of business. What happens is that I get so busy making gifts for other people’s mothers that I forget to brainstorm about my own mother. That makes for a last minute decision. Smooth, right?

So I go through the list of typical presents…do I get her another unicorn knick-knack? No, her curio cabinet is absolutely full. What about another plant? No, her living room already looks like a jungle! Clothes? No, she’s extremely picky…gee I wonder which of her children got that gene?! Spa gift certificates? No, they’ll just go unused. See what I mean? This woman is impossible to buy for!

Finally I remember the way into her heart: chocolate! So simple.

So I’ll wrap up my favourite Mother’s Day gift basket, full of chocolates and other goodies, and tie on a beautiful bow. I will be sure to put some scratch tickets into the envelope as well – they are almost as important as the chocolate!

On May 11th, when I present the gift basket to my Mother, along with a hug, I’ll say to myself those two precious words: Mission Accomplished!

We all have at least one - you know, the person who is hard to buy for…  Personally, I have two of those people in my life and today just happens to be the 35th birthday of one of those individuals - my husband (and Grenville Station Inc. co-owner), James.  Why is James so difficult to buy for?  Well, for starters he doesn’t have any hobbies, participate in any clubs or play sports.  Not to say that he’s a couch potato by any means, he simply doesn’t have time for these activities.  We are the proud parents of a beautiful six year old girl and we own and operate our own business.  When you’re a small business owner and father of a young child you tend to wear a lot of hats and this keeps him quite busy.

“So, what about his interests?”, you might be thinking.  Well, his main interests involve technical IT kind of stuff that I know nothing about, and improving and growing our business.  So he’s constantly educating himself by reading, researching, networking and “tinkering” on the computer.  Buying him anything electronic or related to technology of any kind is out of the question - I simply wouldn’t know where to begin!  Music is out - he listens to talk radio in the van and seminars, lectures or other educational type of things on his ipod while exercising.  Books or other resource media are out too for obvious reasons.

So what does that leave me with?  You would think that someone whose business is ”gifting” wouldn’t have a problem coming up with a gift for their own spouse, but I do.  I certainly can’t give him a gift basket after being in the basket business together for eight years!  I have access to a wide range of gourmet & specialty foods and giftware but it just doesn’t feel like a genuine gift when you handle these products on a daily basis.  He’s not a plant or flower type of guy and gift cards seem impersonal to me.  I could make him a nice meal but let’s face it, I’m not much of a cook!  What is a girl to do?

James, if you’re reading this, our daughter and I will have a lovely store bought cake and a heartfelt birthday card or two waiting for you when you get home.  The rest of it will be a surprise because I obviously haven’t a clue what to give you for a present!

Today is Secretary’s Day and as I was reviewing our Secretary’s Day Gift Basket category, I just wanted to say, “Job well done folks”, to all those Administrative Professionals out there whose bosses are working them to the bone. 

As I was researching this fine non-holiday, I stumbled upon a website that made reference to other non-holiday celebrations.  In fact, today is also Cherry Cheesecake Day, Shakespeare’s birthday, St. George’s Day and World Book & Copyright Day.  It’s amazing that I never heard of any of these before.  Rounding out the week, tomorrow we have Ambivalence Day, Pigs in a Blanket Day and Plumbers Day and on Friday, just to name a few more, it’s Anzac Day in Australia & New Zealand, Zucchini Bread Day, Orthodox Holy Friday and my all time favourite, Don’t step in the Dog Poop Day.

As you can see, there are many reasons to celebrate daily and many reasons to send someone a gift.  I think I’ll send my brother our Koffee Kafe gift basket for Don’t step in the Dog Poop day…just for fun.  Have a great day!

Rich

Administrative Professionals Week 2008 (APW) is now upon us, with Wednesday, April 23^rd being designated as Administrative Professionals Day. It’s time to show your gratitude to your Admin Staff!

Established in 1952 as “National Secretaries Week,” it was created in order to acknowledge the effort and dedication such staff put forth, as well as to promote the Administrative industry in general. Here we are 56 years later and the occasion has evolved into an annual event celebrated in workplaces worldwide The official web site of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) has a wealth of information regarding the history of Administrative Professionals Week as well as recommendations for how employers can acknowledge their administrative staff, a listing of APW events and resources for administrative professionals.  It’s well worth the visit for employers and administrative staff alike!

Many companies hold seminars, set up educational events or fun activities. It is also a wonderful opportunity to present your staff with some treats, such as individual gift baskets containing their favourite treats or larger gift hampers to be shared amongst the entire administrative staff.

Don’t forget that Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day. How will you show your administrative staff how much they are valued?

At Grenville Station there are a number of environmental measures that we take in our workplace to help protect the environment.  To reduce paper waste, we put an emphasis on internet marketing (our website is our catalogue!).  All of our photography takes place in-house, using digital cameras and rechargeable lithium batteries.  We use real towels in our washrooms & lunch room instead of paper towels and we also use ceramic mugs instead of disposable cups for our many cups of coffee (tea in Laurie’s case) – which we can’t live without!

We make it a point to use as many products made from post-consumer recycled content as possible (i.e. toilet paper, printer paper).  We print the vast majority of our documents in draft mode (double sided, of course!) and we recycle and purchase recycled printer cartridges.  We also turn off our computers and monitors when not in use.

Our staff regularly eats lunch on site, using ceramic dishes and real cutlery.  We use unbleached brown coffee filters and make use of thermos pump pots for hot beverages rather than constantly turning to the kettle and coffee maker.  We even try to bring liter-less lunches to work with us, using reusable cloth lunch bags and containers!

Compact fluorescent bulbs are used throughout the facility and when it comes to cleaning supplies we use eco-friendly products such as those made by Method, Seventh Generation and Biolife.

Now that you know how environmentally conscious we are at Grenville Station we challenge you to join us.  Even small changes can make a big difference if we all pitch in!  Click here for some ideas on how you can make your office more green.  Let us know what your workplace is doing to protect the environment – we’d love to hear from you!