The Big Easy Gifting Strategy

Mardi Gras, great food, fun times, living easy: those are our first thoughts when we hear “New Orleans!”

Our online store offers a variety of baskets and gift boxes full of local treats and keepsakes that customers send to faraway family members or to friends who haven’t had the luxury of tasting the Big Easy. 

There are a lot of different ways to represent New Orleans, though. Even if you or the recipient of your gift doesn’t enjoy drinking alcohol, there is plenty of fun to be had and lots of unforgettable memories to be made.

NOLA gifts always feel like a celebration, but they also feel like the comforts of home. Especially if the gift is sent to someone who’s moved away! You can truly taste New Orleans with the specialty foods it offers. Even baubles depicting the cultural foods feel reminiscent of the city!

Choose your adventure here: We’ve got several NOLA gifts hand-picked for your perusal, and they’re all categorized for your specific needs. We have gifts themed around the drinking scene, but there are also baby gifts and traditional food gifts to choose from as well!

Photo by Mitch Hodiono on Unsplash

Parade Route

The gifts we picked out below are a combination of snacks and other things you can take with you to the parade route (physically or from a distance). They are festive and Mardi Gras-centric! These gifts would all be great to send to someone in the New Orleans area or someone who’s missing the festivities.

• A King Cake Sampler Gift Box - With popcorn, king cake, pretzels, cookies, and more, your family and friends won’t miss out on the best of Mardi Gras cuisine! If they’re in NOLA, this box makes an excellent parade-route snack stop. If, sadly, they’re out of town, this will bring carnival straight to them! They can hold their own parade shouting, “Throw me something, Mister!”
• Loretta’s New Orleans Pralines Gift Baskets - Loretta’s Authentic Pralines offers several different treat baskets that include her buttery, homemade pralines. One thing I always remember about trips to the city is watching the praline makers spoon out the candy and letting it cool, then wrapping it up for sale. It’s an iconic treat in the area, and most stores sell them, even 20 miles outside of the city!
• Mardi Gras Woven Tote - If you haven’t heard of The Royal Standard, you should visit their website! We sell their elegantly branded NOLA merchandise here at The Basketry, too. This woven tote is super fun and a great size for carrying snacks and water, but also all the beads, shoes, and toys you catch at the parades!

Booze Crew

It’s true that booze holds a huge weight in South–especially at carnival time. Celebrate in the Crescent City with these drink-themed gifts. Most people who visit frequent the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, so it’s some of the highlights the city has to offer. Though the visual art and jazzy music rank much higher, in my opinion!

• The Ultimate Krewe - An upscale wine gift, this basket sends a taste of New Orleans wine (a tasty one for sure), praline candied pecans, chocolate-dipped Mardi Gras Oreos, and a bar-cart-worthy book of New Orleans cocktail recipes. This gift truly speaks “Southern class” that your friends will always remember.
• Barrel Wood Flask - The Sazerac is an original NOLA cocktail that all whiskey lovers have to taste. The Sazerac House is a three-story distillery with gorgeous exhibits to tour and delicious whiskeys to try. This wooden barrel flask is the ideal souvenir for your whiskey connoisseur!
• Scales of Justice Mint Julep Cup - After visiting the esteemed Oak Alley Plantation, most people are hooked on their scrumptious mint julep. Adler’s Jewelry offers the most beautiful pewter mint julep cup that is sure to keep your drink icy cold. It comes with a single-serving recipe card to make it easy to re-create at home.

Family & Home

New Orleans homes often display Southern class, especially with lots of gold accents. We’re circling back to the food, too, because there’s nothing more exciting for a whole family (kids, too) than to dig into a box of festive goodies!

• King Cake Gourmet Gift Box - A family will love to dig into this celebration box! They can don their Mardi Gras mask while munching on gourmet NOLA snacks. Included are 2 mini king cakes, pepper jelly, pecan caramel popcorn, chocolates, and more. It’s a party-sized box, so encourage them to invite friends to join in the fun!
• New Orleans Candle - Mmmm–gardenias! There’s a shrub of these sharp-smelling florals in almost every yard. The smell brings you back to the French Quarter, reminds you of sipping on a Café au Lait and a powdered sugar mustache… It’s a simple design, great for male of female gifts, and it will go along with anyone’s home decor! The reusable glass container makes it a gift that keeps on giving.
• New Orleans Ornament - Okay, so I know it’s hard to choose from Old World Christmas’ gorgeous ornaments. But this 360-degree ornament really pulls all of New Orleans together, making it a fond memory to look upon each year. It is so elegant, but also has hints of the fun you had.

NOLA Baby

One of our favorite gifting themes is NOLA Baby. There are so many funny and adorable references to New Orleans in the form of teethers, bibs, onesies, and plushes. They make great memories to bring home from a vacation, or a wonderful connection to family that live here. Grandma’s love to send their grandkids NOLA treasures to remind them of her!

• NOLA Baby - How cute are the little beignet socks?! This gift box is created to be gender-neutral, so it makes an easy choice for whatever the parents are having. The symbols are very close to home if you’re from the New Orleans area. The little onesie is also super soft, and great for warm days in the summer. 
• Louisiana Baby Muslin Swaddle - This swaddle is freckled with South Louisiana symbols, like gumbo, crawfish, and parade floats. It’s fun to look through and see how many different pictures there are! It is also made of the softest material. Your baby will feel so snuggly and warm wrapped up in this blankey!
• A Cajun Alphabet Story Book - Build up their little libraries with a book close to home! This alphabet book has beautiful illustrations painted and written by a local author. Its glossy pages feel luxurious, and the pictures are super intriguing. There isn’t a better Cajun alphabet book out there!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this gift tour through the Big Easy! Hopefully, it’s made your gifting strategy easier. If you need any more ideas, visit our shop for more fun gifts and apparel!

You can build your own gift box or choose a pre-designed gift for your special someone. 

Want to explore corporate gifting? We will take the hard work out of it for you. Tell us what you’re looking for, and we can create a memorable gift and deliver it or ship it out for you. We ship all over the country!

Happy gifting, and laissez les bon temps roulez!