Mother's Day Gift Baskets for Every Mom on Your List

With Mother's Day rapidly approaching on May 12, it's time to start planning your gifts for the special  moms in your life. Whether you're shopping for your own mother, mother-in-law, grandmother or a friend who is like a mother to you, here are some creative ideas to help you put together a special gift basket for each one of them:

For the Health-Conscious Mom:

Her body is her temple and this health-conscious mom is careful to stick to wholesome foods that are good for her. She says no to sweet desserts and her idea of indulgence is the occasional glass of red wine (after all, it is good for your heart). Get the healthy mom a basket of what she loves — fruit baskets are the way to show her your appreciation for all that she does for you. Opt for organic fruits for optimal health benefits and fewer harsh chemicals. Combine everything in a reusable shopping tote that she can use again and again to tote her goods from the local farmer's markets.

Flickr photo by Vegan Feast Catering

For the Thoughtful Mom:

The thoughtful mom is always sending handwritten cards for every birthday and anniversary. She sends a prompt thank you note to the host after any dinner party or event she attends. Get her a gift basket stocked with all of the essentials to keep up her correspondence habit. Include monogrammed stationery, a new address book, stamps and a personalized stamper personalized to add some style to the standard return address on cards. Instead of presenting everything in a basket, stash the contents in a chic file box that she can use to organize her desk.

For the Mom Who's the Life of the Party:

She's the first to break out a bottle of wine and it doesn't feel like summer until she makes her first batch of famous summer sangria. She's the life of the party and you wouldn't have it any other way because she makes any ordinary evening so much more fun. Celebrate her with a nice bottle of Champagne, new Champagne flutes. Put it all in an ice bucket. To make this gift extra special, have the ice bucket monogrammed with her last initial.

For the Mom Who Loves to Cook:

You always know where to find her: in the kitchen. This mom is constantly whipping up gourmet feasts for the entire family. She loves experimenting with new recipes and finding kitchen gadgets to make the job easier and more efficient. Spoil the mom who loves to cook with an Italian-themed gift basket filled with imported food goods and useful kitchen tools. Get gourmet pasta, a can of imported San Marzano tomatoes, a tube of Italian tomato paste, a hunk of the best Parmigiano-Reggiano you can find, as well as good bottles of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Include a Microplane Grater-Zester, a favorite utensil of the top chefs. Package it all in a big colander that she can use to drain the pasta.