How to Create a Purim Gift Basket (Mishloach Manot)

Purim is one of the happiest Jewish holidays. We celebrate, we have festivals, we eat hamantashen cookies, and we give a gift basket of food to people we know.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Baskets or paper plates
• Cellophane or plastic wrap
• Paper to make cards
• Ribbon for bows
• Foods to fill the baskets
• Blank stickers to write "To" and "From"

1. The first thing you need to do is to write a list of the people you're giving a Purim basket to. You may want to deliver baskets to your Rabbi, children’s teachers, neighbors, and close friends and your extended family.
2. Next decide what types of food you want to provide. Some people deliver cookies, including hamantashen cookies in each Purim food basket, others opt for coffee or tea and crackers. Other people give baskets of wine, cheese and crackers. Choose what you’d like.
3. Decide how you want to present your Purim gift. Some people wrap elaborate baskets, others use paper plates covered in simple plastic wrap. The baskets can be the same for everyone or they can contain different items for different people.
4. Now that you know how many baskets you’ll need, what the contents will be, and how you want to wrap them, it’s time to write your shopping list.
5. Doing the shopping will be one of the most time consuming tasks. You can buy all of the food for your Purim basket already made, or make everything yourself. Again, it’s your choice so do what’s easiest and most affordable for you.
6. Once you have everything at home and prepared, fill your Purim gift baskets. The list of who is getting what in their basket is a handy reference to help make filling them easier.
7. After the Purim baskets are filled, wrap them and tie a bow around them. You can be as creative or plain as you’d like or have time for.
8. Add a sticker with the message, “Happy Purim,” and add the name the basket is for. Be sure to include your names, too.
9. If you have children, let them dress up for Purim as they join you in delivering the Purim baskets. Happy Purim!