Your clients mean the world to you. So as the holidays approach, think outside-and inside-the box for great gifts to send holiday spirits soaring. You don't have to spend a bundle, but that's certainly your call. As mothers everywhere say, "It's the thought that counts.''

Gifts can run the gamut from a special brand of coffee to Bucs tickets (let's hope they win!) to a sunset sailboat cruise on Sarasota Bay.

Are you dreaming of a White Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah or a Convivial Kwanzaa? Epicurean Life's Jay Riley is dreaming of a big package that always arrives mid-December from a client. It contains boxes of retro candies (think Necco wafers, Mary Janes and Boston Baked Beans) from grocer Hometown Favorites that "really bring back the memories,'' says Riley, the public relations director for Morton's Gourmet Market, Annabelle's Home and Kitchen and Fred's Restaurant. Riley is a licorice pipe man himself, but definitely likes Moo Cows and Pop Rocks, as well as Bit O' Honey gems and a Bottlecap or two. And you don't have to spend a lot: For $29.95, pick your decade ('50s, '60s, '70s, etc.) and have a blast reliving your "sweet'' childhood memories. Hometown Favorites, www.hometownfavorites.com.

Holiday time means big business for Morton's and Annabelle's as they create hundreds of personalized gift baskets that businesspeople send their clients, Riley says. They range from a popular filet mignon basket for two-complete with fresh asparagus, the makings for a Caesar salad, a marvelous merlot, red bliss potatoes and Portobello mushrooms ($105)-to the "Perfect Host" basket for 10 people, which might feature 10 Reidel Montrachet glasses, two bottles of fabulous Cakebread chardonnay, a bevy of pates, crackers and snacks (try the Sahale brand sing buri mixture of peanuts, cashews, dried pineapple, lemongrass and Chinese chili) and Scharffen Berger dark chocolate (about $500 on up, depending on what you choose).

They might use woven baskets, or a stainless steel strainer for an Italian-themed gift, complete with wine, pasta and sauce, Romano cheese and a grater, or start with a teak cutting board for a wine and cheese duo. Tuck in monogrammed linen napkins, tickets to a touring Broadway show at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall or a day spa certificate to the Met on St. Armands Circle to unwind from all the holiday hoopla and it doesn't get much better. (Memo to the guys on this one: Don't scoff at the day spa scenario; you might just get hooked after a soothing, relaxing pedicure.) Morton's Gourmet Market has two local locations: Southside Village, (941) 955-9856, and Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, (941) 782-0916. www.epicureanlife.com.

Drayton Saunders, vice president of Michael Saunders & Company, says classic blue boxes from Tiffany are always appreciated. Some realtors have given crystal ice buckets ($125), sterling silver picture frames ($200 to $400) and crystal vases ($90 to $525) to their clients, he says. Tiffany & Co., (813) 351-8800, www.tiffany.com.

It's also fun to make the gift personal, Saunders says, so if a client loves to fish, then hire a fishing guide to take him or her out on the water. CB's Saltwater Outfitters offers several different packages, including a six-hour trip for two to three people on an 18- to 20-foot flats boat ($395, including all tackle and licenses). Or enjoy a sailboat cruise at sunset for only $45 per person on Sarasota Bay. Captain Kirk with, yes, Enterprise Charters docks his 42-foot Morgan sailboat at Marina Jack. CB's Saltwater Outfitters, (941) 349-4400, www.cbsoutffiters.com; Enterprise Charters, (941) 951-1883, www.sarasotasailing.com.

Real estate figures prominently in Saunders' life, obviously, so he also suggests commissioning a portrait of the client's home. Nationally recognized Sarasota artist Pamela Barron charges between $1,500 and $2,500 for a 32- by 40-inch oil painting that would be perfect over the mantle or in another prominent place in the house. Pamela Barron, (941) 966-5901.

Is the client an orchid lover? A membership to Selby Botanical Gardens would be perfect, Saunders says, and it's supporting a community institution. An annual individual membership is $55; a family membership is $75. Or order an orchid from a Hilo, Hawaii; plants start at only $39.95. That's what Keep Morse, who owns A-to-Z Rental in Bradenton, did for some of his customers. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, (941) 366-5731, www.selby.org. Orchids of Hawaii, (800) 323-1449, www.orchidsofhawaii.com.

At the Wine Warehouse in Sarasota and Palmetto, you'll find an incredible selection and a helpful staff who can steer you toward the type and price range you're aiming for, says Drew Smith, the manager of the Sarasota shop. Whether it's $10 per bottle, something in the $20 to $50 range or a splurge on a wine a tad over $300 bottle (maybe a 2000 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo), you'll have plenty to choose from for customers and clients on your holiday list. Wine Warehouse of Sarasota, (941) 922-8216; Wine Warehouse of Palmetto, (941) 722-2255, www.winewarehouses.com.