I wish we could request certain items from neighbors, i still haven't figured out how to gift!!
When you visit a neighbour, there is a gift box down the bottom of the screen. There doesn't seem to be a gift button in the social area. Once the gifting starts, they show up in the newsfeed where you can return/accept gifts. 3 gifts can be given, they will be random things like maps, tools and money etc. that we don't choose.