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Tips on Christmas Gifting
Plan Ahead
Christmas is a busy time, not only for the obvious festivities and celebrations but also in preparation for it! Running around for the Christmas essentials, gifts shopping and more, overspending is but a natural reaction to the arrangements. That is why it is imperative to monitor and maintain the budget part of Christmas spends which further requires careful consideration and budget planning.
One of the most important things to do is to incorporate the budget of the gift into your monthly spends and set aside enough for Christmas in the months leading up to the festival, which also requires a plan on how much you wish to spend on each gift and maintaining that!
Considering your family’s expectations and social norms is recommended when preparing your budget, keeping in mind a lower ceiling limit in case you have a huge family. It is best to shop around sales and early through the year, which would, in turn, making your holiday season less stressful and pocket-friendly.
Smart Shopping
You can plan ahead with the options of comparison shopping and online shopping which is a smart way to control your spending. A running list will help you watch out for the best price on an item and keeping track of what all gifts you’ve gotten for whom.
During the holidays, it’s quite natural for people to throw impromptu get together or last-minute parties, so getting small gifts in addition to the usually expected gifts is a wise move. Buying a couple of generic gifts or gift cards is a good idea or you’d also think of buying a wine bottle or another kind of hostess gift.
Download the free apps that list your favourite retailer’s offers, coupons or sales. Do a quick assessment of credit card partnerships and reward programs you’d be eligible for and consider using your points to buy gift cards or making online purchases through the card’s rewards site.
Shopping Online
In comparison to spending long hours and getting exhausted going around multiple stores, opt for screen shopping! Online shopping is a wise move that not only allows you to look up your item’s availability but presents a practical opportunity to save time and shop at your convenience without the hassle of going far and spending more in commuting! Explore different websites, make notes, compare and add the visited links to your favourites/bookmark section to review and come back to make the final purchase. With a carefully thought of option and time & money saving option, you’d have earned yourself a good time to sit back and package your gifts with ample time on your hands! Also, keep a tab on the refund and exchange policies when shopping online to avoid getting a raw deal with items on sale.
Gift Ideas
Candy Cane Spoons
Candy Canes have a special relevance during Christmas, more so as a Christmas ornament with red & white stripes and the traditional flavour being Peppermint. However, having evolved over time, it is now available in a variety of flavours and designs. The Fun express hot cocoa hard candy spoons are perfect for making your hot chocolate drinks tastier and unique with the spoons that can be stirred according to desired sweetness. They are perfect for slumber parties or Christmas festivities in warm cups leaving the candy spoons to melt for a heavenly drink! The Hot Cocoa Candy Cane Spoons is priced at Rs. 902 for a set of 12.
Realistic Food Soaps
The realistic food soaps are a wonderful and tasty way of celebrating something sweet and enjoy the Christmas festivities. These summer bloom cheesecake squares make for a perfect gift, with a set of 9 squares, of 2” each, scented with vanilla cheesecake oil and topped with a sugar flower bloom in an assortment of coloured flowers. A perfect spa treat, these Dessert Soaps come priced at Rs.2,983 inclusive of delivery charges.
Wooden Truck Platter
The handmade & multi-coloured Wooden Truck Platter from Furnishing Factory comes with rotating wheels so it can be moved easily around the table and can be used to serve dry snacks like chocolates, candies, cookies or be used as a utility item to store trinkets, napkins and more! If used as a food platter, using butter paper/silver foil is highly recommended to avoid spoiling the texture. Priced at Rs. 550, the Wooden Truck Platter measures 25 cm x 8 cm x 10 cm in length, width & height.
Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker
The Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker can help cook a delicious breakfast in 5 minutes, using fresh ingredients in the comfort of one’s home. It can also make muffins, biscuits, bagels and more! It cooks every layer of the sandwich to perfection, including eggs and then slides out to assemble the sandwich! Measuring 7.5” x 5.3” x 5.8” the electric sandwich maker comes with a timer and is priced at Rs.4,209.
Bread Warming Blanket
The bread warming blanket is actually blanket with a removable flax-seed filled pack which can be heated in a microwave and placed inside the blanket’s pouch with the bread all wrapped up. Available in two varieties of a basket pattern or a classic white blanket, this unique gift will give a ‘fresh out of the oven’ feel to the bread. The bread warming blanket is made of cotton, blend of cotton/polyester and flaxseed, measuring 28” sq. with the pillow measuring 9” sq. and is priced at Rs. 2,082.
Cheese Platter Gift Hamper
The Cheese Platter Gift Hamper includes a platter of Edam cheese, Gouda cheese and Brie with an accompaniment of farm fresh bites. It comes with a selection of flavoured Gouda, parsley, cherry, Forval Tgt Manchego, crackers, plain black olives and a glass platter measuring 10x18. The Cheese Platter Hamper is priced at Rs.2,299.
Anti Soggy Cereal Bowl
The Anti-Soggy Cereal Bowl is a bowl with a smart and functional design, created to make eating off it a crunchy and tasty experience! Made of solid BPA-free plastic material that’s lightweight, it divides the cereal and milk into different slots until they are ready to be merged, scooped and crunched on! Ideal for other uses like for dipping fries in ketchup, adding ice-cream and decorating with toppings or milk and cookies, this premium & anti-soggy cereal bowl is both versatile and convenient for multiple snacks and turn out to be a great gift for your loved ones. Break and chip resistant the Anti-Soggy Cereal Bowl are priced at Rs.3,948.
Himalayan Salt BBQ Plank
The Himalayan Salt BBQ plank is a hand-carved platter of Himalayan salt which allows food to cooked and presented in ways to delight the taste buds and dazzle your loved ones. With a stable crystal structure, which balances the temperature, the plank can be used as a serving platter or heated over a grill or stovetop to cook the veggies. The cooking on salt enhances the flavour of the food more in comparison to that of a frying pan! The salt plank’s mineral content takes it a notch up to the table salt. Naturally antibiotic and long lasting the Himalayan Salt BBQ Plank is priced at Rs.2,082.
Italian Hamper in a Wooden Crate
Packed with all the ingredients that one would need to cook up an authentic Italian meal, the Italian Hamper in the wooden crate includes Penne Pasta, Spaghetti Pasta, Olive Oil, Pasta Sauce, Oregano Seasoning and whole green Olives, all wrapped up in cellophane and decorated with a ribbon. You can choose to add customized gifts to the hamper of your choice for an additional charge. The Italian Hamper in the Wooden Crate is priced at Rs. 3,450.
Hot Dog Toaster
The Hot Dog Toaster is a fun pop up toaster that creates delicious and easy to cook hot dogs in a matter of minutes! All you need is to place sliced buns and frankfurters in the toaster, adjust the settings for the toast to the desired level and press the side lever, the cooked hot dogs and buns will pop up together ready to be assembled. Just add your favourite sauce and enjoy tasty hot dogs. Featuring an auto switch off stop function, 5 different browning settings, and a crumb tray, the toaster’s easy to clean and is priced at Rs.3,606, measuring 11.5” x 8.1” x 5.8”.
Bonus Tip: Gift Guide for Foodies
Holidays are fun and exciting for two reasons, Gifts and Food! Christmas is the perfect time to relish savouries, delicious snacks and lip-smacking delights at nearly every gathering, meal or social outing, making it a wonderful time of the year to look out for! Here’s a gift guide to help you choose the perfect gift for your foodie friends or family to make the festival even more special.
- Wonderbag is a non-electric, portable slow cooker which uses the principle of thermal insulation to continue cooking and keeping food warm without the need of an additional fire or heat. This little sleeping bag shower cap hybrid can hold a pot of ingredients that’s been boiled over a camp stove and then acts as a slow cooker which then presents a perfectly cooked meal.
- Food Subscription Box offers an opportunity for a soulful foodie to enjoy a monthly subscription of their choicest food items. From a varied range of chocolates, coffee, cheese, pasta, gourmet items, they get to select some of the best and latest products each month and receive it all in the comfort of their home to try, sample and eat! Some of these boxes also have recipes and pairing options, making it a unique gift option for food lovers! The food subscription box is a relatively new idea in India but a lot of them like Flicbox, Fig, and The Gourmet Box have already kick-started the concept.
- Aeropress Coffee Maker is a portable and lightweight, easy to use coffee maker which makes one cup at a time with a long-lasting functionality. A great choice to brew anywhere, it is ideal for coffee enthusiasts.
- Cooking Thermometers measure the internal temperature of meat, especially roasts and steaks and other cooked food items, in which the degree of ‘doneness’ of bread/meat correlates with the internal temperature closely, with the reading reflecting the desired level of cooking. The cooking thermometer helps ensure the food sufficiently to kill pathogens and avoid foodborne illnesses.
- Cocktail Kits are perfect for the gourmet travellers with the travel sized mixology kits which include carrying on tins that cover everything from a mini booze bottle to a canned mixer, with options of making 6 Premium cocktails, Champagne cocktails, Margarita, Bloody Mary and more. Each tin has a metal mixing spoon and a smart linen coaster as well.
- DIY Meal Kits are created out of a well-proven concept in countries like the USA, which is now becoming popular in India with certain food enthusiasts. These DIY meal kits include pre-prepared and portioned ingredients that combine freshly chopped veggies, sauces, condiments & fresh pieces of bread in the right quantities to stir up a meal effortlessly! The kits carry step-by-step recipe manuals to ensure there’s no variation in taste. These meal kit menus cover everything from Indian, Chinese, Burmese, Thai, Italian to American cuisines with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Some of the Indian meal kit aggregators include the Burgundy Box, Out of the Box, iChef, Chef’s Basket, Let’s Chef.
- Tea Infusers help steep/brew dried tea leaves in a mug or a teapot of hot water. Available in a wide variety of shapes and designs these infusers mostly hang out on the rim of a mug, while the tea steeps and their design prevent the tea leaves from getting out. Made of durable and food safe silicone, the infusers can be used repeatedly, don’t trust/discolour and serve as unique gift items! ul>
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Foodies Really are the Most Fun to Shop for
Collected above are gifts that range from must-have prepared specialty items to kitchen gizmos and gadgets that every foodie needs to have in her home. Invest in one special gift, or mix and match some of the more affordable items to truly create the perfect present. I bet if you're extra nice to your foodie friend, she might even share a bite of whatever you're giving her with you after she's opened it.
Give, give, give this season. I promise it will make you the happiest you can be.