Introduction
By: Dena Gershkovich
Believe it or not, Purim is just around the corner! If you’re looking for some inspiration on what to include in your mishloach manot (Purim gift baskets), we’ve got you covered. This list of 50 ideas will add a creative touch to your chag (holiday) celebration. Let’s get started!
1. Trader Joe’s Theme
Place all your favorite Trader Joe’s finds into a Trader Joe’s tote bag or a brown grocery bag. You can even print out the Trader Joe’s logo and tape it to the outside. Purchase Trader Joe’s totes here. Purchase brown grocery bags here.
2. Tea Time Theme
Gather sugar cookies, tea biscuits, honey, sugar cubes, and a variety of teas/coffees. Package everything together with a tea kettle and/or mug. Purchase tea kettles here. Purchase mugs here. Don’t forget the honey sticks!
3. School Lunch Box Theme
For a cute theme, assemble foods such as chopped fruit, fresh veggies, pretzel sticks, crackers, sandwich halves, chocolate chip cookies, and/or a juice box inside a tin lunch box. Purchase lunch boxes here.
4. Make Your Own Pizza Kit
Everyone loves pizza night! Package pizza crusts, marinara sauce, shredded cheese, and various toppings/herbs on a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Include baking directions. Purchase pizza stones here. Purchase cookie sheets here.
5. Picnic Theme
Bring the picnic vibes to your mishloach manot. Line a picnic basket with a tea towel and add items such as apples, watermelon slices, macaroni salad, coleslaw, sandwiches, veggie sticks, hummus, guacamole, and other picnic goodies.
6. Teacher Theme
Show appreciation to the teachers in your life with a thoughtful package. Place instant coffee, tea bags, and chocolate inside a travel mug. Don’t forget to include an apple. Purchase teacher-theme travel mugs here.
7. Breakfast in Bed Theme
Treat your loved ones to a cozy breakfast in bed. Include yogurt, granola, frozen pancakes or waffles, diced fruit, orange juice, instant coffee, hot chocolate, cereal, an oatmeal packet, and maple syrup and/or honey on a breakfast tray. Purchase breakfast trays here.
8. Farmer’s Market Theme
Capture the essence of a farmer’s market by placing seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, and fresh bread into a reusable tote bag. Purchase reusable market bags here.
9. Shabbat Theme
Since Purim falls just before Shabbat this year, package challah rolls with grape juice, wine, babka (a sweet bread), and other favorite Shabbat treats. Wrap everything up on a challah board or with a challah cover. Find cute challah covers here.
10. Coffee Theme
For the coffee lovers, create a mishloach manot featuring coffee-flavored Nips, chocolate-covered espresso beans, coffee cake, or coffee-themed cookies. Include them in a mug. Don’t forget to check out this coffee-themed mug.
11. BBQ Theme
Bring the flavors of a backyard barbecue to your mishloach manot. Include baked beans, pickles, potato chips or barbecue chips, ketchup, mustard, potato salad, canned corn, and a hamburger or hot dog bun. These red gingham paper goods will add a nice touch to your theme.
12. Animal Theme
Create an adorable animal-themed mishloach manot. Include gummy bears, animal crackers, kosher Swedish fish candies, and chocolate molds shaped like different animals. You can also do a pet theme with cookies shaped like dog treats, paw prints, or bones. Include a tuna packet and a water bottle in a pet bowl. Find cute pet bowls here.
13. Pirate Theme
Arrr, matey! Package chocolate coins, seaweed snacks, saltwater taffy, pretzels or crackers with sea salt, a candy necklace, and a Ring Pop. Wrap everything up in a bandana. Purchase bandanas here.
14. Spa Day Theme
Create a mishloach manot package that promotes relaxation. Include cucumber and lemon slices, guacamole, lavender-scented tea, a water bottle, and diced fruit. These spa-themed totes will help complete the theme.
15. Make-Your-Own-Smoothie Theme
Add an interactive element to your mishloach manot with a make-your-own smoothie theme. Package fruit, yogurt, milk, orange juice, nut butter, and other smoothie additions. Don’t forget a fun straw bottle. Find cool straw bottles here.
16. Milk and Cookies Theme
Keep things simple and sweet with a milk and cookies mishloach manot. Pack cookies with milk and you’re good to go. Check out these delicious Grandma’s Cookies or go for classic Milano cookies or Chips Ahoy! cookies.
17. Italian Theme
Bring the flavors of Italy to your mishloach manot. Include a jar of marinara sauce, pasta, mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs like oregano, and olive oil. Package everything inside a strainer and tie with cellophane and red and white string. Save money by buying bulk olive oil and filling your own jars.
18. Peppermint Theme
Add a refreshing twist to your mishloach manot with a peppermint theme. Package together all the peppermint items you can find, such as York peppermint patties, peppermint candies, breath mints, peppermint-flavored hot cocoa mix or tea, and peppermint-flavored Pretzel Crisps. These snowflake gift boxes are perfect for this theme.
19. Circus Theme
Create a mishloach manot that feels like a trip to the circus. Include cotton candy, popcorn, a candy apple, soda, and other fun treats. Place them in these fun, circus-themed boxes.
20. Baseball Game Theme
Bring the excitement of a baseball game to your mishloach manot. Include Cracker Jack, canned soda, potato chips, a hot pretzel, and a hamburger/hot dog bun. These baseball-themed party favor boxes or baseball print paper bags will add a fun touch.
21. Firefighter Theme
Create a mishloach manot package inspired by firefighters. Assemble barbeque chips, Hot Tamales, and a bottle of water in a plastic firefighter hat.
22. Make Your Own Martini Theme
Package martini mix with nuts, trail mix, pretzels, olives, and/or crackers, and include a martini glass. This mishloach manot is fun and creative.
23. Sports Theme
For the sports enthusiasts, create a mishloach manot with soccer-themed cheese, Gatorade, and assorted milk chocolate sport balls. Decorate cookies to look like basketballs or create sports-ball themed cake pops.
24. Disney Theme
Make your mishloach manot magical with a Disney theme. Decorate Mickey Mouse-shaped cookies and add a heart or star-shaped lollipop for a magic wand feel. Don’t forget the cotton candy.
25. Heart Theme
Fill a heart-shaped container with all your favorite heart-shaped items. Include Reese’s peanut butter hearts, heart-shaped lollipops, heart-shaped pasta, and heart-shaped muffins or cupcakes. These heart-shaped silicone baking cups will come in handy.
26. Cold Winter Day Theme
Warm up your mishloach manot with a cold winter day theme. Fill a reusable coffee cup with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, chocolate, tea, cookies, mint candies, and a snowflake-shaped cookie.
27. Soup Theme
Give your loved ones a mini meal with a soup-themed mishloach manot. Fill disposable containers with warm soup and include breadsticks and/or croutons on the side, along with a spoon.
28. COVID-19 Theme
Embrace the times with a COVID-19-themed mishloach manot. Pack instant soup, sourdough bread, a puzzle-piece-shaped cookie, and hand sanitizer inside an empty tissue box. Get creative and personalize the package to reflect your family’s quarantine experience.
29. Fruity Theme
Create a fun and fruity-themed mishloach manot. Include assorted flavored Laffy Taffys, fruit-flavored lollipops, applesauce, fruit chews, and assorted whole fruits like apples, oranges, or bananas. This gift bag is super cute.
30. Fall Theme
Don’t let the flavors of fall end with the season. Package apple cider, cinnamon tea, an apple, cinnamon sticks, a pumpkin muffin, and a pumpkin-spice-flavored granola bar for a delightful fall-themed mishloach manot.
31. Go Green/Recycle Theme
Show some love for the planet with a Go Green-themed package. Fill an Earth-friendly tote bag with your favorite green foods like avocado, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, green candies, and green jelly beans. Find Earth-friendly tote bags here.
32. Movie Night Theme
Bring the cinema experience to your mishloach manot with a movie night theme. Include canned soda, microwavable popcorn, a chocolate bar, and licorice. Package them in a popcorn cardboard container or bag.
33. Chocolate Theme
Delight chocolate lovers with a mishloach manot filled with their favorite treats. Combine hot chocolate pouches, milk chocolate bars, Hershey kisses, Reese’s peanut butter cups, M&M’s, Kit Kats, and chocolate lollipops. Package them in a brown gift bag or a cute chocolate-lover themed mug.
34. Rainbow Theme
Create a mishloach manot bursting with colors. Place items of various colors in a rainbow-themed bag. Include apple slices, red cinnamon candies, clementines, yellow lollipops, green Laffy Taffys, blue gummy bears or jelly beans, and grapes or purple rock candy. Wishing you a colorful Purim!
35. S’mores Kit
Enjoy the classic taste of s’mores with a mishloach manot s’mores kit. Gather graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows, and any other creative additions you can think of. Don’t forget the skewers for roasting the marshmallows.
36. Cupcake Decorating Kit
Get creative with a cupcake decorating kit mishloach manot. Bake plain cupcakes and include sliced fruit, various frostings, sprinkles, chocolate chips, icing, cookie crumbs, and other syrups. Find cute plastic cupcake cases here.
37. Israeli Theme
Bring the flavors of Israel to your mishloach manot. Include falafel mix, pita bread, Israeli pickles, Prigat juice, and homemade Israeli salad if you’re feeling adventurous.
38. Camp Care Package Theme
Capture the fun of camp with a mishloach manot camp care package. Fill boxes with sourdough pretzels, crackers, Dum-Dum lollipops, chocolate, popcorn, and other tasty snacks.
39. Make-Your-Own Salad Theme
Keep things fresh with a make-your-own salad mishloach manot. Pack various chopped vegetables in mini containers and include croutons or another crunchy item and dressing. Don’t forget these mini containers.
40. Garden Theme
Create an edible garden for your mishloach manot. Place crushed sandwich cookies in flower pots, stick flower lollipops into the “dirt,” or use flower-shaped cookie cutters and decorate cookies to look like flowers. Include water to keep your garden hydrated.
41. Dunkin’ Donuts Theme
Get your caffeine fix with a Dunkin’ Donuts-themed mishloach manot. Place a Dunkin’ Donuts sticker on a cup and include coffee grounds, iced coffee, a donut, and/or munchkins in pink and orange gift bags.
42. Amish Theme
Create an Amish-themed mishloach manot. Line small woven baskets with a checkered cloth napkin and place a loaf of bread, butter, jam, and sugar cookies inside.
43. Beach Theme
Channel the beach vibes with a beach-themed mishloach manot. Include tortilla or pita chips with guacamole and/or salsa, lifesaver candies, seltzer, lemonade, trail mix, and grapes. Wishing you a Purim filled with sunshine!
44. Desserts/Sweets Theme
Indulge in a mishloach manot dedicated to desserts and sweets. Package brownies, chocolate chip cookies, licorice, and lollipops for a delightful treat.
45. Baby Theme
For a baby-themed mishloach manot, include baby bottle candy, pacifier candy, a lollipop, a juice box, and cookies that are decorated accordingly.
46. Workout/Fitness Theme
Stay fit with a mishloach manot that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Use a sweatband to tie a water bottle or Gatorade bottle together with a protein bar.
47. First Aid Kit/Doctor Themes
Create mishloach manot inspired by first aid kits or doctors. Place small candies such as jelly beans and Tic-Tacs into small pill vials. Add strawberry syrup to resemble blood and include an apple to keep the doctor away.
48. Chocolate Bark Kit Theme
Put together a chocolate bark kit mishloach manot. Package dark chocolate, dried fruit, candy, orange zest, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, banana chips, pomegranate seeds, and other toppings. Provide instructions on how to assemble the chocolate bark.
49. July 4th/American Theme
Celebrate July 4th with an American-themed mishloach manot. Dip pretzels in chocolate and top with red, white, and blue star-shaped confetti sprinkles. Bake cupcakes or muffins in patriotic liners and include an assortment of strawberries and blueberries.
50. Mexican Theme
Bring the flavors of Mexico to your mishloach manot. Package salsa, guacamole, canned corn, canned beans, taco shells, and taco seasoning in fiesta bags. You can also find Mexican-themed goodie bags for a fun touch.
Let us know if you try any of these ideas, and feel free to share your own mishloach manot ideas in the comments. Happy Purim!
