I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.
the holidays are officially nipping at our heels, folks! they’re here. how that’s even possible, i do not know. i feel like it was just August and i was preparing for the big move.
in theory, i’m a really organized and on-top-of-it kind of gal. in theory. for some reason, when it comes to holiday shopping, i’m just not. i think it’s partly because i’m not always great at generating creative holiday gift ideas, especially for people that i don’t spend time with regularly or are male (am i the only one that is the worst at buying gifts for the men in my life? i never know what they want or need). i knew that i wanted to put together a gift for my boyfriend’s dad and girlfriend, but i didn’t know where to even start. and then Mariano’s came into my life. for those that aren’t familiar with the store, Mariano’s is all that is right with grocery shopping. from an abundant cheese selection (seen below), to fresh meat and seafood, plenty of chocolate, and some of the best smelling and looking prepared foods you’ve ever seen, it’s the place to be. my first time there was one of those “i’m so overwhelmed by how amazing this is that i’m just going to walk around and look at everything before i even start to shop” kind of things. you know what i’m talking about.
i decided to put together a “wintry night in” gift basket for Mike’s dad and girlfriend. if they’re anything like me, going out to eat on a cold winter night is just about the last thing i want to do. i’d rather stay warm and cozy inside. Mariano’s had everything i needed (and more!) to prepare the basket for them. with the help of my boyfriend, i picked out some fancy cheeses and a nice bottle of wine to begin.
then we made our way over to the chocolate/sweets area, where i grabbed some chocolate covered almonds for a bit of sweet in the basket. we continued through the market, and i added some crackers, fresh fruit, salami, mixed nuts, and fresh focaccia bread “muffins”. i wanted a variety of flavors and a good balance of salty and sweet.
to keep it simple, i gathered all of my items and arranged them in a basket. with a simple holiday tag attached to the basket, i had the perfect holiday gift put together. i’m hoping that they’ll enjoy it on a cold night in, watching a movie and snacking on some delicious treats.
my favorite part about this basket is that it doesn’t require the recipients to do anything but enjoy it. it was quick and easy (and less than $50!) for me to put together, which i love. i always enjoyed when my parents received baskets from people for the holidays because it was a surprise to see what would be inside. i hope they’ll enjoy it!
if you haven’t been to Mariano’s before, you really should check one out! while you’re there, be sure to grab a Mariano’s reward card to take advantage of all the great deals they have to offer. bonus: if you have a man in your life that doesn’t like grocery shopping as much as mine, he’ll actually enjoy walking around Mariano’s. there’s so much to look at! so drag him along with you when you go.
be sure to like Mariano’s facebook page and follow them on twitter. for recipes, store openings, and all things Mariano’s, check out their community page. #MyMarianos #cbias
