gift ideas  (excerpted from Present Perfect)      

To delight a homebound child, fill a basket with cookie cutters, a loaf of sliced bread, a jar of peanut butter, assorted preserves, a box of raisins, and a jar of sesame seeds for making fun-shaped open-faced sandwiches. Or how about a homemade cookie kit with cookie cutters, sugar cookie dough and ready-made icing?

Cheer a discouraged friend with a ginger jar filled with fortune cookies into which you have inserted your own timely "fortunes."

Stuff a gym bag with the recipient's favorite sports balls: tennis, golf, softball, baseball, squash, racquetball, or table tennis.

Fill a watering can with bulbs or seeds, gardening gloves, and small gardening hand tools.

Pamper someone special with a European spa basket filled with loofah sponges and mitts; body, nail, and complexion brushes; fragrant bath oils, gels, and lotions; and a luxurious terry robe.

Fill small crocks with fragrant herb butters (mix one to two teaspoons of basil, thyme, dill weed, or tarragon per stick of butter) and garnish with a fresh herb sprig. Present the butters in a breadbasket with a fresh-baked loaf of bread or an assortment of rolls.

Fill a dish drainer with dishcloths, dishtowels dishwashing liquid, scouring pads, and bottlebrushes, and give it to someone setting up housekeeping.

Load a sturdy outdoor trash container with lawn and leaf bags, garden hoses, rakes, brooms, and other yard tools and give it to a new homeowner.

Stuff cushioned socks, a stopwatch, a heart rate monitor, and a pedometer into a pair of comfortable shoes and give them to a serious runner or walker.

Present Perfect: Unforgettable Gifts for Every Occasion is filled with ideas for gift baskets and many other creative gifts. In addition, you get tips on gifting etiquette, shopping, wrapping, special presentations, and much, much more. To order the book, click here.

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Have any gift basket ideas you'd like to share?