Get Well Baskets: What To Get

Last August I took a week away from graduate school to be with my mom during a major surgery. I knew I wouldn't be able to be with her during her entire recovery, and I wanted to leave her with a get well package that would keep her occupied during her much-altered recovery schedule (my mother loves to be always on the go.)

While nothing could make up for her confinement to the couch and inability to work for a week or so, I knew that she needed some things to keep her occupied. One other factor I had to consider was that I was on a seriously slim graduate student budget.

While I could have purchased the typical get well bouquet of flowers, I wanted to put more thought and effort into my gift; besides, flowers tend to be expensive anyway (unless you use some of the tips I included in my earlier blog on flower arranging!) So, I decided to create a basket of magazines and movies.

Finally, I arranged everything in the bucket, and wrapped it up in the cellophane with elaborate bows for a finishing touch (this is my favorite part!) When I presented it to my mom, it brightened her day. At first she thought it had been professionally done, but then realized that it had the kinds of personal touches a pre-made basket couldn't have had. Most importantly, the gifts occupied her waking hours for a couple of days, and she appreciated the time and effort I had put into creating a personal, beautiful basket.

Here are the essential things everyone needs to create a successful Get Well basket!

Part One: Basket and Basics

I needed a nice basket that was inexpensive. I headed to my favorite place for all things gift packaging-the dollar store.

There, I found a cute bucket that I knew my mom would be able to reuse in her garden.

I also purchased a get well card, cellophane, ribbon, a sweet-smelling candle with pressed flowers around it, and those cute little package curlicues, all for a total of about six dollars.

Part Two: Magazines

Magazines are great for someone recovering from surgery, unless the person is typically a heavy reader, because magazines require less concentration that books, and are usually filled with cheerful photographs and art work.

I bought four different women's and gardening magazines for my mom, as these are the kinds of periodicals she enjoys. (I'll admit, though, that the magazines added up and put me a little over budget.) I then headed to the discount movie rack at my local Target, where I lucked out finding one of her all-time favorites-Patch Adams.

Part Three: For the Kids

If you're creating an inexpensive get well basket for a child, you can also find stuffed animals, puzzle books, coloring books, crayons, stickers, and kids' books at the dollar store.