The Shore Blog

A beach-themed Easter basket is a great gift for a shore lover. Here are some of our recommended beach themes for Easter baskets or other gift-giving occasions.

Kids. Fill a beach bucket with beach toys, a beach towel, sunscreen, reusable water bottle and beach snacks. You may also want to include some activities for the car ride, such as Auto Bingo, or things they can do back at the house, such as a jump rope. You can also include a kit for a scavenger hunt, a beachcombing adventure, or other fun activity.

Bike Rider. In a bike basket, include a small towel, reusable water bottle, sunscreen, reflectors, a map of different biking routes and a book on biking. You could also custom-make a biking map or a scavenger hunt for younger riders. Accessories for the bike are also great basket fillers.

Beach Lover. In a beach bag, include a beach towel, sunglasses, sunscreen, a beach tag for their town’s beach, a pack of trail mix or other beach treat, a reusable water bottle and a book. You can also add a swim suit if you know their size (be careful here!) or a gift card or coupon to purchase a swim suit at their favorite shore shop.

Shopping Enthusiast. In a fashionable straw or other beachy tote, include a wallet, a coin purse, a reusable water bottle, an umbrella, comfortable flip-flops, an expandable fabric shopping bag, a list of shore shops in each town and a gift card or coupon to one or more of those shops.

Foodie. You can get really creative with this one, depending upon the type of foods they love. Ideas include filling a basket with shore-related snacks such as sea salt chips, crab dip mix, salt water taffy, fudge and the like. If cooking is their thing, consider including cook books from local restaurants or books that features shore-related food recipes. For a grill-master, an apron, grilling tools and a cookbook work well. To keep it local, consider including beer or wine from local breweries and wineries. Local coffee shops such as Ocean City Coffee and Avalon Coffee have their own coffee brews for which you can purchase a bag of beans and a travel mug. And don’t forget to include gift cards to local shore restaurants. A food-related theme is one that has no limits.

Cocktail Lovers. Here’s another category for which you could be really creative. Use a hula skirt or leis as your “grass” and include tropical cocktail drink mixes and glasses (specific to the type of cocktail) featuring palm trees or pineapples. If you don’t want to use a drink mix, consider drink pouches that can be frozen and taken to the beach (Shh! Don’t tell law enforcement!) Include drink accessories such as a shaker, jigger, muddler, strainer, ice tongs and a tropical-themed dish towel. If appropriate, include a bottle of maraschino cherries, olives or their favorite mixer. Make it festive with cocktail umbrellas or tropical-themed straws that feature hula dancers or flamingos. And, of course, don’t forget the alcohol.

Sports Addicts. Fill a mesh sports tote with beach-related sports equipment such as paddle ball, Nerf football, Waboba ball, reusable water bottle, sunscreen and other sports-related items. If watersports is their thing, consider a waterproof disposable camera, a waterproof wallet and/or cellphone holder, and a gift card to a local watersports activities business.

Beachcomber. Fill a beach bucket with a little bit of sand and some shells. Include a book that will help them identify beach treasures, a sifter, a small shovel, a hat and, as always, a reusable water bottle and sunscreen. You could also add a mesh bag to collect shells and a package of wipes or a small towel to help them clean up their beach finds.

Specific Beach Towns. You can create a basket with the theme of your favorite town. Include a book on the history of the town, an updated map, a beach tag, a brochure of 2019 activities, gift cards to certain restaurants and shops, or a town-wide coupon such as the one Sea Isle City offers. Include items with the name of the town printed on it, such as a tee shirt, mug, glass or reusable water bottle, keychain or other items. Include a box of fudge or salt water taffy from the candy shop in their town – every town has one!

These are just a few themes we came up with. How about you – what theme would you like to see? Contact us if you’d like assistance in planning your beach-themed gifts.