Browsing for the perfect present? Everyone wants to give presents that are personal, touching, and make our loved ones smile. To give a good gift, you have to know your audience well. After all, it’s for them, so you want to buy something they would love, not just something you particularly think is great. This is why we love the holiday gift basket idea!
What Should I Put in a Family Gift Basket?
Gift baskets have a poor reputation for being an item someone buys when they have no idea what to buy, or when they don’t know the recipient well enough. And while that is one of the helpful aspects of gift baskets, you don’t want your gift to come across that way. You want your loved one to open his or her gift basket and react with happiness. The key, though, is choosing — or making — a basket with a unique theme!
For example, perhaps you want to give a basket to your friend who has just booked a vacation with her family. Consider creating a family vacation gift basket theme, and stock your basket with a disposable camera, a miniature photo album, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, a fast food/restaurant gift card, or road trip essentials!
When your gift baskets are unique and personal, anyone would love one! Consider these five points when purchasing or making a gift basket:
- Hobbies. What are some of their favorite pastimes?
- Preferences. Think back on what they’ve said about their likes and dislikes. Are they tea drinkers or coffee drinkers? Coffee snobs, maybe? Do they like sweets or savory? Do they like reading or playing video games? The options are limitless, but they influence your choices for their gift basket!
- Free Time. How much free time do they have? What do they typically like to do with their time-off?
- Family Life. Do they have kids? Grandkids? Are they married?
- Career. What is their passion in life? What fuels their interest? OR, perhaps they don’t exactly love their job — fill the basket with everything else they enjoy instead.
15 Holiday Gift Basket Ideas Your Family Will Love!
Sometimes, we just need a little inspiration to find the perfect gift. Thankfully, there are all sorts of gift basket ideas to choose from. Better yet, you could always combine a couple of ideas to make it just right! Whether you are thinking of a snack Christmas gift basket for the growing teenage boy who seems eternally starved, or perhaps a family fun night gift basket idea for a great game night, the choices are endless. One of the best aspects of Christmas gift basket DIY is the opportunity to make it completely custom! To get started, do you need a few gift basket for family ideas? We have found 15 fun options!
- Spa Kit Relaxation Gift Set. This basket gives the gift of luxury and ultimate relaxation. With high-quality soap, bath salts, a face mask, and more, a spa night is definitely going to be in order.
- Game Night Gift Set. Does your friend or family member love playing games? This would be the perfect gift basket for game lovers! With checkers, alcohol, cheese, crackers, and other snacks, this basket sets the stage for a fun night of competing!
- Date Night. Date night can mean many things to different people. For some, this gift basket would be perfect for a cozy night of relaxation. Other people, however, may prefer something fancier. In that case, consider putting together a basket with wine, champagne glasses, a selection of cheese, perhaps a charcuterie sample, and perhaps a gift card to a restaurant, ice cream shop, or movie theater!
- Starbucks Gourmet Coffee Gift Basket. Do you know a coffee lover? This gift basket would be a great choice for them! With gourmet Starbucks coffee, biscotti, shortbread, and more, they will be ready for a delicious, cozy, weekend coffee experience.
- A Picnic Basket. This gift basket is adorable because it’s a classic wicker picnic basket, fully stocked with flatware, plates, wine glasses, and a bottle opener! Give the gift of a family favorite: a summer picnic! What better way to spend quality time together and make memories as a family?
- Variety Tea Gift Set. If your friend or family member loves tea, this gift basket could be a wonderful option! With numerous varieties of tea, the basket has plenty of options for the tea-lover, as well as a porcelain teapot and teacup!
- Golf Gift Set. This basket is a great choice for a golfer! Packaged in an insulated cooler bag, this basket offers cookies, fruit & nut medleys, pretzels, cheese wedges, a cheese knife, a bamboo cutting board, and more!
- Self-Care Night! Consider a spa night gift basket for a friend who needs a night off. In this basket, you’ll find a variety of lotion, soap, body wash, bubble bath, bath salts, and more. If you want to add a DIY twist, perhaps you could include a face mask, nail polish, a manicure/pedicure kit, microwavable popcorn, a romantic-comedy movie, and so on.
- Cheese-Making Gift Kit. Know a cheese lover? This basket is for that family that loves cheese! Gift an experience they won’t forget!
- Brain Puzzles and Snacks Gift Basket. A great basket for puzzlers! It’s such a unique choice and sure to make a good impression. With multiple puzzle books (crosswords, sudoku, cross words, and more) and snacks (i.e. cookies, crackers, and popcorn), the recipient is set for a cozy night in!
- Family Flix Movie Night Gift Box. Do you know a family that just loves watching movies? This gift basket comes with all the goodies and a Red Box gift card!
- DIY: Ice Cream Gift Basket. Nearly everyone loves ice cream. This idea for a gift basket is brilliant and even better, you get to put it together yourself and fully customize it with whatever ice cream they love most!
- Sports-Themed Gift Basket. Some families are obsessed with everything about sports! Appeal to a sports-loving friend with this creative basket idea.
- “Her” Coffee Box for Moms. Many moms pretty much survive on coffee. Morning coffee is a treasure, and this gift basket is coffee-themed for the exhausted mother. With a vanilla latte-scented candle, a coffee scoop, funny coffee snob socks, and more, you’re sure to make her day.
Though gift baskets are often dismissed as cliche, they can be wildly imaginative and exciting, as you’ve seen with our list! If you’ve been searching for a great present, consider making or ordering a basket. Finally, perhaps you’re wondering, “Can I get a gift basket delivered?” Absolutely; that’s another benefit of ordering a basket, especially if the recipient doesn’t live nearby.
There are countless ways to put your personal stamp on a basket, and all those little additions are what make any gift stand out! We hope this post has helped give you fresh ideas and hopefully provided inspiration for wowing your friends and family this holiday season!
(Includes affiliate links that enable us to continue to bring you awesome free content!)
Discover amazing holiday gift ideas in this year’s holiday gift guide for homeschoolers!
