Walking through a crowded store with my arms full of packages is not my cup of tea. My mother loves to shop, but I did not inherit that part of her genetic composition. The part that I despise the most, however, is trying to figure out what presents everyone would actually appreciate. I used to have this ever present fear that all of my gift shopping efforts usually resulted in a rushed trip back to the store or, worse, out to the garbage can. I could never develop any sort of confidence about what to get my Grandma or dear Uncle Arthur. Now, I can enjoy the stores, especially during the holidays, because I walk through empty handed, unrushed, with all of my shopping already long finished. I do all my shopping online, now. Well practically all of it.

Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself. Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions. And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.

Of course, I actually discovered food when I was still an infant, but it didn’t occur to me as a great gift until I had suffered through many rounds of birthdays, baby showers, and countless other events that seem to always pop up. I received a gift basket of little sausages, spreadable cheeses and plain crackers. It was terrible! At the same time, though, I thought what a great gift this could have been. All they had to change in the gift was the quality of the contents!

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

These Internet shops offer everything from gourmet fruit baskets to live lobster dinners (well, they won’t be alive when they are actually eaten), from wine gift baskets to cookie bouquets. The array of gift foods is really quite amazing.

For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets. Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting. The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.

If you see me walking down a store aisle with a huge smile on my face when everybody else seems frantic, you will now know how I can be cheerful when surrounded by panic. But don’t tell my Uncle Arthur.