Birthday baskets make perfect 21st birthday gifts because, unlike fancy boxes or beautiful ribbons and wrapping papers, they remain after the gift has been given and used. No matter how beautiful a package is, no matter how bright the ribbons or how intricate the bows, it ultimately gets torn and discarded. But baskets are more permanent. Not only do they provide beautiful packaging for a gift, but they remain afterward and can be displayed as a memento, or put to other decorative uses.
They are unique gifts at any age, but especially appropriate for 21st birthday gifts. The 21st birthday is special. In our society it represents a certain coming of age. A lasting sort of package, like a basket, can be displayed as a keepsake marking the special event. The gift might be something as tender and fleeting as a flower, as perishable as a fruit or candy, or as solid and permanent as a beautiful crustal or gemstone. The basket will remain even after the flower has wilted, the candy eaten or the crystal displayed on a bookshelf. It might be placed on a shelf itself, or might be put to a different purpose, like holding mail or silverware. But it will remain, and server as a reminder of that special gift on that special day.