Most people use the words "gift" and "present" interchangeably but there is a difference between the meaning of these two words. A gift is something the receiver wants to receive while a present is something the giver wants the recipient to have. True, it is a trivial difference but it makes all the difference between giving something good and something great. Good gifts are displayed and kept, but great gifts are appreciated, used, and remembered. This is the idea behind making your own gift baskets. By making your own gift baskets, you determine what goes in it to fit the personality of your recipient.

Making your own gift basket is not hard. In fact, there are many everyday items that you can throw in together to make your perfect basket. Speaking of baskets, gift baskets aren't limited to hand-woven baskets. Boxes, plastic containers, and other everyday stuff can make good baskets if you exert a bit of creativity. Making theme baskets is a perfect way to recycle and reuse the stuff cluttering your space. However, please don't recycle used items as gifts. It is impolite and inconsiderate of others' efforts.

Traditionally, gift baskets are limited to food items like cookies, breads, sauces, and preserves. A good way to tweak this tradition is to come up with themes for your food baskets. Brunch baskets may include bagels, preserves, marmalades, eggs, and beverage mixes. You may include recipe cards of brunch favorites like quiche or fritata. You can use breakfast trays line with soft fabric as your makeshift basket. Movie night baskets may include bags of popcorn, M&Ms, Raisinets, gummy bears, and a couple of DVDs. Put all of these in a big popcorn bowl and decorate with a bow or small flag proclaiming "Movie Night." Other fun theme options you can try for your food baskets are cheese and wine, afternoon tea, and roadside picnic. The recipients of these food baskets can't help but think of you each time they take a bite.

Food is not the only stuff you can put in your themed baskets. Most people are resorting to giving hobby theme baskets to their family and friends. These hobby baskets are more fun to make with less effort and a dose of creativity. Got a sick relative? Put together a basket with canned chicken soup, a book, a music CD, nasal drops, and cough medicine. Roll in a soft cardigan or blanket and finish with a "get well" card. Hobbyists will certainly appreciate gift baskets from you with hobby materials inside. Put together a fishing basket with bait, tacklers, and fishing book for your fisherman uncle. Get a wicker basket and fill in different yarns, pattern book, and knitting needles for your family knitter. Themed gift baskets give you the flexibility to give everybody their perfect gifts.