Christmas Gifts for Her From a Fine Food Shop
The hardest part of choosing a Christmas gift for her is guessing what she wants. The easier way is to look at what she already reaches for: the tea she makes every afternoon, the square of chocolate after dinner, the jar on the breakfast table, the notebook in her bag. A gift that fits a habit gets used.
This guide sorts Christmas gifts for her by that habit: the tea drinker, the chocolate lover, the breakfast table and the writer, plus small extras. Each gift is a pair priced from listed prices, and a table at the end collects them.
One question to choose with
Ask yourself what she makes or eats for herself on an ordinary weekday. If it is a pot of tea, start with tea. If she keeps a bar of chocolate in a drawer, start with chocolate. If breakfast is her favorite meal, start with honey and preserves. If she writes lists, letters or a diary, start with a notebook. Two habits can share one gift box.
For the tea drinker
A scented green tea and a citrus honey
Mariage Frères, founded in Paris in 1854, scents its Thé à l'Opéra green tea with red fruit, vanilla and gentle spice, and packs 100 g of loose leaf in a sealed black canister (shop Mariage Frères Thé à l'Opéra). Savannah Bee Company's Orange Blossom honey comes from blooming orange groves in northeastern Mexico, Florida and Spain; the maker describes it as bright and sweet with a citrus finish and suggests stirring it into tea (shop Savannah Bee Orange Blossom honey, 12 oz). Together: $52.95.
For a tea drinker who already has a cupboard full, gifts for tea lovers sorts teas and teaware by the way she drinks it.
For the chocolate lover
Raspberry rose and Alphonso mango
Amano, which makes chocolate in Orem, Utah, says its Raspberry Rose bar came from a visit to Pierre Hermé's pastry shop on Rue Bonaparte in Paris. The 55% bar is made with cacao from Ecuador's Guayas River Basin, raspberries, rose petals and whole vanilla beans (shop Amano Raspberry Rose). Mirzam, which makes chocolate bean to bar in Dubai, sets Indian Alphonso mango in white chocolate (shop Mirzam Alphonso Mango white chocolate). One is floral, one is tropical. Together: $25.99.
For the breakfast table
Meyer lemon honey and a blueberry sumac preserve
Bushwick Kitchen in Brooklyn blends wildflower honeys from the USA and Argentina with Meyer lemon; the maker suggests it for everything from morning tea to fried chicken (shop Bees Knees Meyer Lemon Honey). BRINS cooks wild blueberries with Turkish sumac berries from Burlap & Barrel (shop BRINS Wild Blueberry Sumac). Both go on toast and yogurt. Together: $27.50.
For the writer
A large notebook and a card to start it
The LEUCHTTURM1917 Master Classic is a desk-sized ruled notebook, 8.75 by 12.5 inches with 235 numbered pages, a blank table of contents, two page markers, an elastic band and a thread binding that opens flat (shop the LEUCHTTURM1917 Master Classic, black). Tuck in a letterpress card from Ice Pond Press with a John Muir line on the front and write the first page yourself (shop The Mountains Are Calling card). Together: $43.95. For more on choosing one, see a journal gift for her.
Small extras
Mayana's Cloud 9 mini bar layers marshmallow, fleur de sel caramel and 66% dark chocolate, made in small batches in Spooner, Wisconsin (shop the Mayana Cloud 9 mini bar, $4.49). Bonbons Barnier fills a tin printed with Parisian scenes with assorted fruit lollipops (shop the Barnier fruit lollipop tin, $20.00). Either one fits on top of a pair.
Christmas gifts for her, by habit and price
| Habit | Gift | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Tea drinker | Mariage Frères Thé à l'Opéra, Savannah Bee Orange Blossom honey | $52.95 |
| Chocolate lover | Amano Raspberry Rose, Mirzam Alphonso Mango white chocolate | $25.99 |
| Breakfast table | Bees Knees Meyer Lemon Honey, BRINS Wild Blueberry Sumac | $27.50 |
| Writer | LEUCHTTURM1917 Master Classic, Ice Pond Press card | $43.95 |
| Extra | Mayana Cloud 9 mini bar | $4.49 |
| Extra | Barnier fruit lollipop tin | $20.00 |
Prices follow the listed price on each product page. Products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com.
A few things to check
- Caffeine. Thé à l'Opéra is a green tea and contains caffeine. For an evening tea drinker, lead with the honey.
- Allergies. Chocolate bars can contain milk or traces of nuts, and the Mayana bar contains dairy. Read each label before buying.
Short answers
What is a good Christmas gift for her if she has everything? Something she will use up: a tin of tea, a jar of honey or a bar of chocolate she would not buy for herself.
What is a thoughtful Christmas gift for her under $30? The Amano and Mirzam chocolate pair at $25.99, or the honey and preserve pair at $27.50, both at listed prices.
What should I write on the card? Name the habit: "for your afternoon tea" or "for the next list." It tells her why you chose it.
For a woman who loves to cook, gifts for mom who cooks sorts oils, spices and salts by how she cooks. The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver.
