• A homecoming basket makes a personalized gift.toy in a basket image by Irina Kodentseva from Fotolia.com
  
  Homecoming baskets offer a personalized gift to welcome home a new mother and baby, a newlywed couple or a returning family. They can also be customized to make a thoughtful hostess gift. As you put together the items and decoration for your homecoming basket, consider how the included items that will be useful and comforting to the recipient.
  
  

Useful Liner

• Instead of using a traditional elasticized fabric liner for a homecoming basket, look into using a blanket, table cloth or set of cloth napkins. For a baby gift, a small receiving blanket is a functional and beautiful way to line the basket. For hostess gifts and wedding homecoming baskets, an afghan, table runner, wall hanging or other fabric item can be used as a colorful base for the rest of the items.
  
  

Choose a Theme

• For a cohesive homecoming basket design, choose a theme to tie all of the items together. For a newlywed couple, you might focus on a "getting started" food theme to start their new life together; items might include premade cookie mix, kitchen staples and a set of mixing bowls and utensils. For a hostess gift, choose a theme that relates to the individual tastes and favorite treats: wine and cheese, fabric crafts or reading with a cup of coffee, for example.
  
  

Double-Duty Baskets

• For a more utilitarian take on the homecoming basket, use a container with an item that is functional for the recipient. While a large basket might be ideal for a new mother to store toys or books, you can also use a baby bathtub or laundry basket. For a gift for a gardener, you could use a window box or a decorative planter. By using a purposeful container for your homecoming basket, you establish a focus for the items that will go in the basket.
  
  

Create a Moment

• If you are working off of a theme, look for a variety of useful items to put in the basket that will allow the recipient to envision the moment they will be used. For a baby homecoming basket, you might use a blanket, a stuffed animal and a set of children's books to create the feeling of a relaxing afternoon spent reading to the baby in a rocking chair. In a hostess basket for a wine lover, you might include several bottles of wine, a complementary cheese or fruit, a classical music CD and a book the recipient has been wanting to read.