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The art of giving gifts has always revolved around the presentation. It is how you present a present that makes it what it is, as the obvious linguistic interpretation might hint at.
The world I refer to is varied and colorful. It comprises of wrapping paper (both glossy and matte), ribbons, bows, artificial and natural flora, twine, string. A fairly recent addition to an already staggering list, gift baskets live up to their repute of excellence. Why? You ask. Well, the reason(s) are simple.
Gift baskets are great for packing in a lot of small articles in an elegant manner. It helps one choose and customize. Akin to a shopping cart, but prettier. A gift basket really is a gift in itself, for it can be used to store household items (my personal favorite is toiletries), or simply to brighten up your desk.
DIY-ing a gift basket is not as hard as it sounds. It is perfectly possible to put together an attractive gift basket out of easily available items that you might find lying around the house or stocked in your local supermarket.
1. The Bath Basket
The bath basket, as the name suggests, is an all-in-one gift basket for your showering needs. You can customize the gifts by including the receiver’s favorite soap (make it yourself for a personal touch), body gel, bath salts, bath bombs, and a loofah! You can decorate using ribbons or the fuzzy material from a spare loofah.
[Pro Tip: Throw in a scented candle & bath towel.]
2. The Coffee Gift Basket
Now, this is a highly functional yet exciting gift basket idea. If you are an adult in today’s world of stressful work environments, you probably are surrounded by individuals who run on coffee (as do you!). And what better idea than to gift them a package that curates to a daily need?
Throw in the items that would be most essential in brewing a good cup of coffee- coffee beans, perhaps a fancy strainer, a mug, and its warmer.
You can even personalize according to the person’s taste in coffee- add some dark chocolate if he or she has a taste for mochas. An ice tray also never goes amiss.
3. A Book Basket
A book gift basket is perhaps the easiest one to put together and yet almost certainly guarantees a pleasing reception.
Find out about the receiver’s taste in books- if they prefer fact to fiction if they have a penchant for countryside whodunits (I do!) or classical romance.
Buy two-three books that fit the brief and yet deviate enough to keep things unusual. Add a throw blanket, a home-made bookmark with a cool quote, a small pillow, and a journal.
4. A “Green Fingers” Gift Basket
This gift basket is for those who love the garden and are happiest to receive gifts that pertain to it.
Curate a herb basket for such a person. This is very easy to do. All you need to is put together gardening gloves, a small shovel and a watering can ditto.
Throw in some herb cuttings that the receiver of the basket might be able to plant and grow in his home- basil, thyme, coriander. You could even add some seeds or stalks from your own garden.
5. The Breakfast Basket
The breakfast basket brings together choice breakfast foods, in one basket.
This one does require the gift giver to be judicious while they choose because the range of options to choose from is endless.
You can put in a selection of bread, tea or coffee, maple syrup, honey, cold cuts, some fresh produce from a local market. Then again, you could base your items off of a particular cuisine- Italian, English, Indian.
6. Dog Basket
A gift for the pet? A gift for the pet!
A DIY dog gift basket is a great idea for a gift. All you need to do is compile a selection of treats and toys the pet is known to like. Dog biscuits and cookies chew toys, soft toys, and maybe even a dog bed. And a few balls with which to play “Fetch”, of course.
7. Housewarming Gift Basket
Housewarming gifts are difficult to get right especially because a single gift never seems to be quite enough. A gift basket is of course, the perfect solution.
Wine is possibly the first pick on the list. You can put together a selection of foods that go with the selected wine- cheese, fruit, dry preserves, pickled olives. To keep things interesting and heartfelt, you can put in some embroidered hand towels. A coffee table book or sculptural curio is also a good idea.
8. BBQ Basket
A BBQ gift basket is a fun gift idea for the summer months, leading up to the 4th of July. It is also incredibly simple to put together.
Compile a list of sauces and dry rubs and purchase them at your local supermarket or store. You can even put in the extra mile, and make a sauce at home yourself. Spices (cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin) in glass or plastic bottles are a must.
You could also throw in cooking shears or tongs, perhaps a pair with an inscription bearing the name of the receiver. A recipe book is always welcome.
9. Back-To-School Basket
Back to school is an exciting time, and always brings with it a flurry of stationery shopping. Surprise someone by presenting them with a basket full of school supplies.
The basics are of course, quite obvious. Pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc. You can have them personalized. Purchase some color-coded journals and organizers, as well as highlighter pens and Post-its.
10. Christmas Baking Basket
A basket fully equipped to deal with the baking that ensues before Christmas. This gift basket can be compiled in many ways, depending on the receiver’s baking habits and preferences. A few staples are dry fruit, baking powder, vanilla essence. Add an electric whisk to the mix( it makes baking so much easier!).
An embroidered apron might be a nice personal touch.
11. A Pedicure Pack
Put together a pedicure pack for the friend or relative whose feet need tending to. Fluffy slippers go first, in my opinion! Pumice stones, a nail file, some Epsom salts, and essential oils- these are only a few of the things potentially in the list.
The rest, I will leave up to your imagination.
12. A Cold Kit
Truly a great gift option for those who feel the cold a little too much, a cold kit essentially is comprised of all the items one might need to ward off the cold.
Honey-lemon tea or chamomile, fuzzy socks, a cap, Epsom salts for the bath and scented candles for the room. There, you’re all set.
13. Cheese Gift Basket
A cheese basket makes for a great gift, especially if the receiver(s) of the said basket are fans of tapas.
Put in a cheese board, artisanal cheeses (steer clear of the smelly variety), chutneys, and nuts.
14. DIY Sangria Jar
A jar with the necessary ingredients to brew one’s own sangria.
Put in a bottle of wine of your choice, and add fruits to the mix. Lemon, cherries, apples, oranges. You can even spring for a few choice herbs that will highlight and refine the taste.
This also makes for a very fun housewarming present.
15. A Sundae Package
A gift basket curated to create epic sundaes for the whole family. This could be fashioned in many ways, each option having a few common factors- think M&Ms, sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and Hershey’s bars.
You can even throw in an ice cream scoop and some waffle cones to be used as per requirement and inclination.
16. Spa Kit
A DIY spa kit is a great gift idea and possibly my personal favorite. It is fairly easy to curate a spa kit- all you need is a careful selection of self-care items.
Bath bombs, bath salts, body and hand lotion, body scrubs( I would go with the sea salt)- these are a few staples. In addition, you can concoct a face pack scrub of your own using kitchen ingredients and essential oils.
17. A Towel Basket
A towel basket makes for a prudent baby and bridal shower gift.
It is super easy, all you need to do is purchase towels or varying sizes and textures. Make sure they are in the selected color scheme of the event. You can make the present look fancier by twisting the towels into different shapes (swans are always a big hit).
18. A Cooking Casket
This is for an aspiring or practicing chef, someone who would appreciate and use a gift basket stocked with cooking equipment.
Cater to what the person in question does not already own- perhaps some swanky new device they have coveted a long time. A pasta jar is always a good idea, as are herbs and spices. Add some ingredients that might not be easily available- perhaps truffles or an exotic tea.
19. A Craft Kit
Meant for kids but fit to use by anyone regardless of age, every house should have a craft kit.
We are talking crayons and paints, brushes and pencils. Charcoal sticks, handmade paper, some mixed media. Glass paints. A sewing kit. Glue, buttons, and sequins.
20. Fruit Baskets
The veteran of the list, fruit baskets almost always work.
Put together a selection of your choice. Pick out fruits that are relatively durable and slightly unusual. Also, make sure to go for seasonal produce.
For example, a summer basket would ideally contain mangoes, lychees, watermelon, and berries.
21.Self-Care Package
A self-care package is a difficult one to get right for there is no fixed rule book to act as a guide. The idea of self-care is relative. There are, of course, a few pointers I could help with.
Books. A journal. Bath salts. Snacks and chocolates( a lot of chocolate). A face mask. A scented candle.
You can also have it double as a “Get well soon” package and add some broth recipes and throat soothers.
22. Baby Shower Basket
Another rather specific gift idea, a soon-to-be mom requires all the supplies she can possibly get.
A good baby shower basket should have all the necessary baby toiletries (baby oil, soap, shampoo, and powder), rattles, some items of clothing. Sew or knit them yourself if possible. Toys and diapers too are useful gift items.
23. Travel Basket
A travel basket is an unusual and interesting gift basket, but definitely one that elicits approval.
Try to be innovative with what you put it. A fanny pack, of course. A journal for notes. A disposable camera perhaps, for those delightful Polaroids. Some souvenirs, too, if you are returning from a recent trip.
24. Board Game Basket
If you are a board game enthusiast like I am, you will know how much this gift basket could mean to the right person.
Fairly easy to compile, all you need are a few good board games (play favorites), playing cards (customized if possible), and snacks!
25. A Tea Trove
The perfect gift for a lover of tea.
Think dainty china, flavored tea, matcha. A tea strainer if your budget allows it. A tea cozy. Some biscuits to go with the tea.
26. The Movie Night Box
This one’s for those movie nights that continue early into the morning.
Some great popcorn, nachos, and dips, cold soda. A program perhaps, with interesting trivia. Quite possibly the best gift idea for a budding cinephile.
27. Mimosa Magic
Slightly specific, this one but you can customize based on preference.
Gift your friend a gift basket containing all they will need to whip up said drink. Oranges, lemons, prosecco, and cherries! Some fancy glasses too, if you have the budget.
The beauty of a gift basket is its innate ability to bring together a collection of items (either store-bought or handmade), its ability to portray a theme through the said gifts. Not only is a gift basket a source of pleasure for the receiver, but it also makes the process exciting for the giver.
Gift basket ideas are aplenty on the internet, to consult and refer to. But do not hesitate to add touches of your own, to curate a truly amazing gift basket. Here’s wishing you luck on future gifting adventures!
