Finding the perfect gift is easy when we think outside of the box or, for that matter, the basket. Prior to shopping this holiday season, prepare yourself with a little information. What activities do your friends or family members enjoy? Given this economy, what do they need?

For the home. For a son or daughter who has recently moved into their own place, visit True Value Hardware in Mechanic Falls for some basic tools to help them decorate and maintain their new home. From a step stool to a tool bag, screw drivers, work gloves, measuring tape, level and a hammer, you can prepare them for independence and avoid the inevitable lending (never to return) of your own tools. Pack it in the tool bag, stack it on the step stool, tie it up with a big bow and put it under the tree.

For the cook. The budding chef on your list might enjoy cooking supplies from Freeport Knife & Kitchenware in Freeport. Necessities such as a high-heat silicone spatula, basting brush and nylon whisk, stainless steel serving utensils, grater, tongs, an ovenproof thermometer, and a pepper mill can all be placed in a functional 2-quart batter bowl and wrapped in a festive dish towel. Many items at Freeport Knife & Kitchenware were made right here in the USA.

For the sportsman. Your favorite sportsman would appreciate a backpack filled with hunting essentials from the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery. Their hunting experts can help you choose from an assortment of cover scents, game callers, buck knives, compasses, and flashlights. Don’t forget to pick up a blaze orange hat and utility gloves to keep them warm. Pack it all in a blaze orange hunter’s backpack and when hunting season rolls around he (or she) will be ready to fill your freezer with delicious venison.

For the athlete. The little athlete in your life will enjoy unpacking a gym bag full of hockey essentials. Gee & Bee Sporting Goods in Auburn has affordable “Learn to Skate” hockey packages containing Bauer skates, gloves, pads, pants, a helmet, and a stick. Organize it all in a Bauer youth hockey bag or stack it in a “Hockey Tower,” and they will be ready to “take the ice.”

For your beautiful dancer, visit the new Finer Pointes Dance Shop located in the Great Falls School Performing Arts building in Auburn. At Finer Pointes, you will find colorful tutus, ponytail holders, and flowery bun wreaths, as well as paper dolls and coloring books that will enchant your tiny ballerina.

Finer Pointes has ballet slippers, jazz, tap and character shoes, hip-hop sneakers, tights, leotards, leg warmers, dance bags, and more for dancers of any age, style, and gender. Finer Pointes can help you assemble a delightful assortment of dancewear and gift items. Wrapped in a tutu or spilling out of a dance bag, it will brighten the holidays for your little dancing star.

Jewelry lover? Gentlemen, nothing enhances a woman’s inner beauty like stunning jewelry. For pieces that will make the ladies in your life glow, you need look no further than the Island Sea Glass Company. The artisans at Island Sea Glass use glass and pottery that has been sculpted by the elements of earth and sea on the shores of our own Maine islands and, combining these with vintage beads and one-of-a-kind accent pieces, sterling silver and 14k gold, create dramatic and unique necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other specialty items. Just as no two pieces of sea glass are exactly alike, the Island Sea Glass Company creates wearable art that is as stylish and unique as the woman who wears it.

Although its “home” is in Hebron and on the islands of Casco Bay, Island Sea Glass Company can be enjoyed by visiting www.islandseaglass.com/. Island Sea Glass can help you select jewelry that will make her shine.

Ragamuffins, a fashionable consignment shop in Auburn, has a wonderful and affordable selection of clothing and accessories for women, children, and men. The enthusiastic clerks at Ragamuffins can help you “dress her up” from head to toe in clothing and accessories.

Select a stylish purse, matching sweater, and tasteful pieces of vintage or contemporary jewelry, put it all in the purse, tie it up with a matching scarf and watch her smile as she admires your perfect blend of style and practicality.

The gardener in your life will enjoy a “Trug” filled with essential gardening tools. Sunnyside Gardens in Turner can help you select durable and useful items such as a hand rake, trowel, weeder, and gardening gloves. Place the items in the trug and tie it up with a festive bow and your “gardener” will go to sleep Christmas night with visions of fresh cut flowers, home grown vegetables and sunny days in the garden dancing in her (or his) head.

Craft-Mania in Auburn offers gift ideas for the budding artist and the baker on your list. For the artist, fill a basket or a paint box with inspiration in the form of brushes, sketch books, pencils, watercolors and a book about drawing techniques to let the creative energy flow.

For the baker, fill a basket or a mixing bowl with tools of the trade including a rolling pin, fondant cutters and smoothers, a color tray and icing color set, brushes, and flower cutters. Chances are good that you might even be the recipient of some of the amazing delicacies that he or she creates. The clerks at Craft-Mania will be happy to help you assemble creatively inspirational gifts.

Remember, the best gifts come from the heart and let the recipient know that you care about them and that their talents and goals have not gone unnoticed.