One of my very favorite things to give friends during the holidays are gift baskets I've assembled for them, myself, using Northwest items. It's a great deal of fun, and not as expensive or time consuming as it might seem. Nor do you have to actually use a basket; I'm fond of those inexpensive brightly colored shopping bags, and more than once, I've taken an ordinary box of a suitable size with a lid and covered it with appropriately attractive paper. I also like to line the box, basket, or bag with attractive tissue paper. There's a great deal of fun to be had in picking out the items that suit a particular person. You want to think about what they're likely to like, and what might be a fun item for them to try, too. There are online sources too, if you don't want to "do it yourself."

I like to start with something to drink; there are a number of Northwest Microbrews selling special holiday brews in 22 ounce bottles. I favor Northwest sparkling wines; Ste. Michelle has several that are very affordable. There's Northwest still wine, too; Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, and Hogue Cellars are all exceedingly affordable, but this year, if you want to do something really special, there's a super opportunity to introduce someone to Washington wine by including a bottle of Columbia Crest's 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, selected by Wine Spectator as the number 1 wine in the world for 2009 by Wine Spectator magazine. There's also Washington mead; Honeymoon meadery has a lovely holiday Wassail mead. There's Koenig vodka from Idaho, too, and at the other extreme, Washington non-alcoholic sparkling cider.

There are wonderful Washington and Oregon pears and apples available; I favor Honey Crisp Apples, but there are a number of varieties to choose from. Don't forget hazelnuts from Holmquist Orchards, Kettle Chips from Tim's Cascade Chips, some Pacific Northwest smoked salmon, and possibly some Oregon Cotlets, savory-sweet fruit and walnut candies. Why not follow up with some lovely tea from Oregon's Stash Teas? You can't go far in Washington or Oregon without running into a small batch coffee roaster (no, I don't mean Starbucks). In Oregon, there's Longbottom Coffee and Tea, among others, Washington has Dillanos Coffe roasting.

If you're including coffee or tea, why include a pair of mugs from a Pacific Northwest pottery? You might bake some cookies or scones to include, but there are probably artisan bakers near you. Other locally produced products work well, too. Think about scented candles, or soaps, and locally made honey or jams and jellies.

It's fun to include CDs by Pacific Northwest artists, too; one of my favorites is the annual children's hospital charity CD Christmas in The Northwest. Books are always nice; Pacific Northwest authors include C. J. Cherryh, Sherman Alexi, Ursula LeGuin, Vonda McIntyre, Richard Bach, Tom Robbins, Nicola Griffith, . . . there's an author to suit every taste and age, and I expect your local independent book store has a section just for local authors. This is the perfect time of year to start planning for next year, and there are any number of Pacific Northwest themed calendars, too.