Giving food baskets to friends and loved ones is one of the major customs of Purim. This customs started as an act to make sure that every home’s table had food for Purim feast. Nowadays, giving food baskets is an act of friendship and is done to strengthen the bond of the Jewish community.
Before preparing for your baskets, I suggest making a list of the people you plan to give it to. Based on Jewish laws, you only need to send Purim gifts to one person although recipients nowadays may include a group of people, a family, and even people whom you’ve had conflicts in the past.
In Hebrew, giving of food basket during Purim is called Mishloach Manot. The basket contains ready-to-eat foods. Generally, a Purim basket contains dried fruits, nuts, hamantashen, candies and a bottle of kosher wine. Non-traditional Purim baskets can contain teabags, coffees, a coffee mug or teacup, biscotti and chocolates.
For children, you can choose to give a box of sweet goodies like candies, chocolates, bags of chips and juice drinks. You can also give a basket filled with some toys, their favorite CD or an iPod.
There is actually no limit on your Misloach Manot. The content of your basket can be customized based on the personality or lifestyle of the recipient.