Autumn is harvest time, the season of abundance and a time for taking stock of how well we have met our goals for the year, how best to plan for the coming season, and how to share the fruits of our labors. It’s a time of giving thanks for the goals we have nurtured and realized, and for those who have helped us in our efforts.

The cornucopia, or “horn of plenty”, is an autumn symbol of abundance and nourishment, overflowing with produce, flowers, and nuts. It’s an icon of ancient mythology that still represents a plentiful harvest and this season of sharing. To create a cornucopia your customers will love, start with the right containers Fill to overflowing with flowers in autumnal hues of orange, copper, and gold. Add branches and berries, or nuts and pine cones, to align with the season. Even mixing fruits and flowers is appropriate this time of year. Try adding pears or pomegranates!

Delight customers this season of giving with the flexible, re-usable sturdiness of Wald containers. After the plants and flowers have been enjoyed, the crates can become a new tradition. During Advent season, instead of opening a window on a calendar, families put a small, practical gift into the box each day. Christmas Eve, visiting a homeless shelter becomes a serious moment in a joyful season. Baskets and Containers in subtle whitewash and graywashfind their niche heaped with pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn; or doily-lined to display a sumptuous buffet of pastries and cookie; or even eventually, filled with straw, as mangers in the crèche at Christmastime.

“Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go…” The autumn is also a season for visiting family and friends near and far. Hostess gifts and family treats, gourmet cheeses and sausages, shortbread cookies and teas — they all fit wonderfully rustic baskets and containers in rich fall colors. After the cousins have enjoyed the delicacies, they will find practical uses for decorative boxes.

This fall, share thankfulness with your customers by offering a plate of cookies, a free bloom, or some other small representation of your appreciation. Send holiday cards to trusted vendors who’ve helped you out in a crunch. Offer a “Customer Appreciation” coupon during the Thanksgiving season. Small gestures of employee appreciation bond your team.

Coffee cards make great inexpensive tokens, and caffeine may help during the busy season! Even though we are all in business to make a profit, as Winston Churchill famously said “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”