Everyone loves a good gift basket, and there are gift basket ideas for just about any interest. If you’ve been giving the classic fruit basket, or crackers, salami, and cheese baskets over and over , maybe it’s time to think outside of the box a little. Or, if you want to stick with the classics, find the king of ‘em all.
There’s rarely an occasion where a gift basket isn’t apropos. Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, say ‘thanks’ to a host, or wish someone a speedy recovery, a thoughtful gift basket will put a smile on the recipient’s face. After all, it’s basically an assortment of curated gifts all packaged up in a pretty basket, and who wouldn’t love that?!
Here are some unique gift baskets we truly got excited about. Some are pretty specific, and some have a little something for everyone, but all are sure to make someone on your list happy.
Unique Gift Basket Ideas
1. Brunch Basket
by igourmet
That jerk COVID has cramped our going-out-for-brunch style, so here’s a workaround basket for brunch at home! Give it to those in your life who love brunch (read: everyone).
It’s got Bloody Mary fixins, and stuff to assemble delicious smoked salmon nibbles. Just add vodka and live jazz and you’ve got the ultimate brunch at home!
2. Healthy Hair & Body Kit
This is a great idea for the girl who wants to products by cult-beauty brand Drunk Elephant without committing to paying full Drunk Elephant prices. It has a little bit of everything to make her feel like a queen from head to toe.
Ultimate Gourmet Gift Basket?
We thought it would be fun to show off what a splurge gift basket looks like. Who better than the iconic British based Fortnum & Mason to deliver the goods on an ultra luxury food gift basket pick!
“The Windsor Hamper” by Fortnum & Mason
- In Britain, gift baskets are called hampers. This branded basket is fashioned as The Windsor Hamper for reasons I’m sure you can figure out.
- An extra large wicker hamper holding 32 gourmet delicious treats.
- No, the price of this hamper is NOT a misprint!
3. Sweet and Salty Snacks
Know someone who love, love, loooooves their sweet and salty snacks? This gift box (ok, not a basket, but come on we had to include it) has it all, including MooseMunch caramel popcorn. The only problem with this gift is your recipient will have to keep an eye out for snack thieves.
4. Lavender Bath Gift Tote
Of course there’s a lavender-themed spa gift basket on here, what did you expect? We love this one because it comes in a cute tote, and it’s got literally everything you could need for a relaxing night spent pampering yourself.
5. Italian Kitchen Basket
Dinner in a crate! This one’s got it all. Ingredients for bruschetta, antipasti, and pasta puttanesca are included along with a couple of pretty, ceramic bread-dipping bowls to provide a vessel for all that gorgeous spiced olive oil. Perfecto.
6. Traditional Fruit Basket
This fruit basket is traditional… sort of. In addition to the usual apples, citrus, and pears, this one has a tropical twist with mango, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, and more. Perfect for a co-worker, boss, or anyone you don’t know that well. No meat, no cheese (in case vegetarian), no alcohol (in case no drinking), and no snarky funny novelties. Just a gorgeous, safe, and easy gift basket.
7. CLASSIC Hickory Farms Basket
We promised the king of classic gift baskets, and here it is. If you live in the US or Canada and have ever been to a mall, you know the Hickory Farms kiosk. And if you’ve never received one for Christmas or during the holiday season, no one loves you.
Just kidding, that’s absolutely not true. It is a really, really iconic gift, though. Smoky cheeses, sweet mustards, salty cured sausage. It’s just so good.
Unique DIY Basket Ideas
Sometimes, if you want to give something really special, you gotta do it yourself. Gift baskets are the perfect place to show off your gift-giving chops because you can create something customized and unique.
8. Cheese Lover’s Basket
Ok, so start with a cheese-making kit, put it in a basket lined with a dishtowel, add this personalized cheese set, some gourmet cheeses, and some fancy crackers. Tie it all up with a pretty bow, et voilà. Cheese lovers basket, only cooler.
9. Gift Basket For The Artist In Your Life…
If you’ve got an artist, you can easily make a custom basket just for them. Fill it with a personalized leather paintbrush roll (this one also holds art pencils and pens) and add some supplies from your local arts and crafts store. Top it off by including these specialty mugs, and you’ve got yourself a cool themed gift basket fit for an artist.
By the way, you can create a customized basket for anyone passionate about a hobby. Knitting, scrapbooking, gardening. Whatever the hobby, if you can name it, you can probably create a gift basket for it.
10. Traveler’s Gift Basket
We all have someone in our life who’s got a bad case of wanderlust. You know them, they’ll be the first to the gate when things get back up and running (i.e. the planes are flying and the borders are open), so give them a traveler’s basket to send them off!
Include a handy bucket list notebook, a personalized passport cover, a travel kit, and some courtesy spray. Put it all in this pretty tote lined with tissue paper, and they’ll be all set for departure.
11. Practical New Homeowner Gift Basket
Oh sure, there are plenty of beautiful housewarming gift baskets out there already assembled, but wouldn’t you rather make it personal?
When I moved into my very first house, someone gave me a No products found.. Now, I don’t know if they were trying to tell me something, but regardless, I thought it was a brilliant gift for a brand new homeowner.
So put one of those bad boys in a customizable laundry basket lined with something sturdy enough to hold up to some weighty gifts. You could even go eco-friendly and use carefully-cut brown paper shopping bags. Make them extra fancy by cutting the top edges with those neat crafting scissors if you’ve got them.
Throw in an inappropriate (but so true) doormat, housewarming candle, an always-appreciated gift card and anything else you think they’ll need, and your housewarming gift basket is complete. Oh, except for the pineapple! Don’t forget the pineapple – aka the international symbol for hospitality.
12. Busy Family Dinner Basket
If you know someone who’s supposed to stay off their feet (doctor’s orders), just had a new baby, or whose family is waaaay too busy for their own good, an easy-prep dinner basket is a wonderful gift.
This one’s all about quick, low-maintenance meals you can make in a slow cooker, but there are other options. You could just as easily give a gift basket assembled around weekday one-pot meals complete with dry goods and pantry items needed for some of the recipes in this book, for instance. (We probably don’t have to mention it, but be sure to give them the book, too.)
Include an oil mister, an apron with a message, a cookbook,spice blends, and non-perishable ingredients for common slow cooker dishes.
They don’t have a slow cooker? Well, take all this stuff and put it in an extra-large slow cooker . Bonus points for an awesome gift!
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13. Christmas Baking Prep Basket
Christmas is coming, it’s practically here! OK, maybe we’ve got a few minutes until it comes. But if you’ve got a Christmas traditionalist, baking prep baskets are a great idea to get them into the spirit early.
Line a large mixing bowl or basket with a Christmas-themed dish towel, and fill it up with a personalised Christmas tee, cocoa (or coffee) mug, personalized Great British Baking Show wooden spoon, mini loaf pans, and ugly Christmas sweater sprinkles.
I know so many people who’ve got it together enough to give homemade baked goods at the holidays every year (fortunately for me…). If your baker is a gifter, include these Christmas baking labels in their basket.
I mean, not like we’re giving gifts with the expectation of getting chocolate and delicious baked Christmas goodies or anything…. We’re just being thoughtful.
Gift Basket Idea-Hacks 101
A good gift basket doesn’t have to break the bank!
You can pare down any of the themes in this list to make them more affordable, and there are plenty of basket-hacks to help save you some money and still put together a great DIY gift basket.
- Buy multi-packs of things and separate them to put in different baskets.
For instance, if you’d like to give your female co-workers each a small gift basket, separate a big pack of individually-wrapped bath bombs and put some in each gift basket along with things like nail polishes, lip balms, pretty hair bangles. In other words, include anything you think would be appropriate and appreciated without cleaning out your wallet.
- Don’t be afraid to get thrifty.
I, for one, love to peruse thrift stores. Maybe it’s the adventure of never knowing quite what you’ll find, the mystery of where some of that stuff comes from (?), or the thrill of finding something fabulous.
At any rate, it’s so easy to find super cheap, sometimes fancy gift baskets still in really good shape at a thrift store. If you don’t want to deal with thrifting, get to the dollar store, they’ve always got a ton of baskets for next to nothing.
- Go smaller, but meaningful.
For example, if you’ve got multiple kids with multiple teachers (or just one kid with multiple teachers), it’s easy to assemble something simple to show them you appreciate all they do for your kids.
Grab a nice thermal tumbler and fill it with candy, ibuprofen, a $5 or $10 gift card for wherever they like to grab lunch, and a heartfelt, handwritten note of thanks. I’ve had teachers hug me with tears in their eyes over this one. It’s pretty awesome.
It’s Always Better To Give
So true. It never ceases to amaze me how satisfying it is to give a gift basket, particularly if it’s full of thoughtfully chosen stuff.
Go forth, get basketing, and have fun!
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