Happy Anniversary

August is a busy month for weddings and anniversaries. I love to read wedding announcements in the newspaper but I love reading the anniversary announcement even more. My husband and I have been married for 32 years, some times it seems like yesterday, and other times it seems live forever. Having been married that long, I am amazed at couples who have been married for 50, 60 and even 65 years!
Every anniversary is a milestone in the life of a couple and is usually marked with a special gift. There are traditions associated with giving wedding anniversary gifts, different types of gifts being considered appropriate for each year. Here is a listing for the first 10 years and then for the more significant milestones after that. The list was compiled taking into account the more traditional among us as well as the more modern. While putting the list together, I had fun imagining what I would actually buy to fit in each category. It was fun.
Anniversary /Traditional /Modern
First /paper /plastic
Second/ cotton/ cotton
Third/ leather/ glass
Fourth/ flowers/ silk
Fifth/ wood /wood
Sixth /candy /iron
Seventh/ wool/ brass
Eighth /bronze /pottery
Ninth/ pottery /willow
Tenth/ tin /aluminium
Twentieth/ china/ china
Twenty-fifth /silver/ silver
Thirtieth /pearl /pearl
Fortieth /ruby/ ruby
Forty-fifth/ sapphire /sapphire
Fiftieth/ gold/ gold
Fifty-fifth /emerald /emerald
Sixtieth/ diamond/ diamond
Wishing you all happy marriages from paper to diamonds.
Marie and everyone at Laurel Mountain Gift Basket Company

College Survival Kits

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating high school graduations across the region and in only a few weeks, many of those graduates will be on their way to college.

For some, it will be their first time away from home. It can be a big adjustment for both students and parents. With cell phones and e-mail staying in touch today is easier than ever before. So parents, make it a point to contact your student regularly, at least for the first few weeks while they get adjusted.

Another great way to stay in touch is with care packages. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we offer a full line of care packages especially designed for students, including our Off To College Kits. Sending a package filled with not so gourmet treats is a fun way to let your student know that you are thinking of them. For a limited time, to help offset the cost of higher education, we are offering FREE SHIPPING of our Off To College Kits to colleges and universities within the continental United States.
For more information, check out our website at http://www.laurelmtbasket.com/ or you can call us at 413-527-1243.

Summer Time In New England

It's summer time in New England and the Pioneer Valley is covered in lush green under a bright blue sky. Farm stands are filled with local produce. We've lived here all of our lives and every summer we enjoy shopping at the local farms. There's nothing tastier than fresh sweet corn on the cob or a veggie kabob on the grill. From acorn squash to zucchini you'll find it all in our little corner of the world.

We love living in New England. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we spend a lot of time traveling around, constantly on the look out for new and different products to add to our gift baskets. We've recently discovered Bleu Cheese Chipoltle dip and Sundried Tomato Horseradish dip from Appalachian Naturals. Bleu cheese chipoltle and sundried tomato horseradish are not flavors usually associated with New England but these taste treats are made right here from ingredients grown on local farms.

Our Home Grown Gift Basket (photo above) is a new and different taste of New England. Summer time is the time for family gatherings and one of our New England style gift baskets makes a great hostess gift.

Have a sunny summer and remember to eat your veggies!
Marie

Bear Fest Easthampton 2009

Bear Fest Easthampton 2009 is in full swing. On June 13th the Easthampton City Arts unveiled 35 artist created fiberglass bears in and around downtown Easthampton, MA.

On Sunday, my husband, my 2 dogs and I took a walk to view many of the creations with names like Ted E. Bear, Ursa Major, Bumble Bear (shown in photo), and Bear Hugs. It took us hours to walk the short distance because we kept meeting friends and neighbors with their families enjoying the bears as well. All of the bears are beautifully painted, or otherwise artistically enhanced.

In honor of Bear Fest, Mt Tom Ice Cream created a special ice cream treat and Opa Opa, the local brewery created a special brew. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company, we are featuring our Bear-y Special Gift Basket.

Bear Fest 2009 will continue through out the summer with city wide events culminating in a week-long celebration of the arts including concerts, an ArtWalk, and a gala dinner and auction of the bears on October 15th.

For those of you in Western Massachusetts, take a stroll around downtown. I guarantee you will have a great time. Stop for an ice cream at Mt Tom's or a coffee and pastry at Sunrise. Try the Sunday buffet at Your Way Gourmet, and while you are in Eastworks (that's where Bumble Bear and Astronaut Bear are), stop by the Laurel Mountain studios and say hello.

Happy Father's Day

My Dad was a blue collar worker who didn't wear a lot of ties so thinking up a great Father's Day gift that wouldn't strain my baby sitting money budget was not an easy task. Slippers were a good choice but then Mom would have to chip in. So, poor Dad usually ended up with a bottle of Aqua Velva After Shave and a cake of Williams Shaving Soap.
No matter what you get Dad for Father's Day, you know he is going to love it. As Bill Cosby said, "Fatherhood is pretending that the present you love the most is soap-on-a-rope".
You can give Dad a gift he really will love and one that he may even share with you. A night at the movies is a fun gift basket filled with not so gourmet treats that a perfect for gathering the family together to watch the latest DVD or an old time favorite. Fix up a big bowl of micro wave pop corn (included) and munch away. While you're at it check out some of our other Father's Day gift basket designs.
Happy Father's Day!
Marie

Final Exam Survival Kit

It's that time of year again. School is about to end, Summer Vacation is about to begin. Many students are only weeks away from graduation. Weeks away form starting a new chapter in their lives. Some will be going on to college, some will by starting their careers. But before Summer Vacation, before graduation, before starting college or a career, they face Final Exams!
Show your favorite student that you are thinking of them and wish them good luck with a Final Exam Survival Kit from Laurel Mountain Basket Company. Our eco friendly boxes are filled with a generous assortment of "not so gourmet" snack items including popcorn, cookies, granola bars, candy bars, and more, all of the things late night study sessions are made of. A hand written note is included to let your student know that you are there for them.

Happy Mother's Day

Mothers are very special people. On the second Sunday in May, it will be the 102nd anniversary of Mother's Day. I report I read recently stated that 96% of us in the U.S. celebrate Mother's Day. Mother's Day is the day phone companies log the most long distance calls, it is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants and retailers rank Mother's Day second only to Christmas.
If you are a statistics junkie, like me, here are some more numbers that I found really interesting. In the U.S. there are an estimated 82.8 MILLION mothers, of mothers with infants, 27 million (almost 3/4) work outside of the home. The odds of a woman delivering twins are 1 in 33 and for triplets or other multiple births, 1 in 539. The woman from California who gave birth to octuplets earlier this year should be living in Vegas.
My mom is great. I'm lucky. She lives in the area and I get to see her often. But like the shoemaker whose family goes barefoot, I get so busy at the Laurel Mountain Basket Company studio making gift baskets for other people to send for Mother's Day, I'm usually putting together something for my own Mom at the very last minute.
Remember Sunday, May 10th. Give your mom a call, take her to lunch and if you want to send her a gift especially created with her in mind, we would be happy to design one for you. We also have a great line of gift basket designs that are perfect for Mother's Day . We deliver to cities and towns in the Pioneer Valley section of Western Massachusetts and ship anywhere.