Coming to grips with the delicious grub is a massive part of the Christmas fun for many of us. This is good news for the gift giver, as it means tasty treats and edible gifts will usually be gratefully received. With this in mind check out my guide to edible gift-giving below, and make all your friends and families Christmas a delicious one.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a pretty delicious treat to give as a gift at Christmas, and as it’s so popular, it’s easy to source too. Although, it worth putting a bit of effort into the flavors you choose and selecting the right one for the folks concerned.

Cheese popcorn is a good choice, as are some of the more Christmas theme flavors such as cinnamon sugar. There are even companies that do gourmet varieties with all sort of crazy tastes like gin and tonic, and toasted cheese sandwich! Yes, you may pay a little extra for these than a traditional tin, the quality does make them an especially lovely gift for the foodie in your life.

Of course, being so easy to make at home, popcorn is also a fantastic choice if you want to create your own Christmas gift to give to family and friends the year. All you need is a pan with a lid, some oil, some unpopped kernels and some flavors. Something you can get easily online.

You can even buy decorative cellophane bags that you can tie with ribbon to present it in. Just don’t forget to add a sticker saying who made it for their eating pleasure.

Candy

Candy and chocolate is something that will continue to have universal appeal at Christmas time, making it a pretty solid choice for a gift for all ages.

A simple Kilner jar of M&Ms or jelly beans in Christmas red and greens makes a reasonably priced gift. Whereas a humorous and novel box of Christmas chocolates is something a bit more special. Combine that with the fact that you can order them to be delivered straight to the recipients home, making your life much easier, and you can see what a clever choice a gift like that can make over the busy and hectic festive period.

Cakes

Who doesn’t love a cake at Christmas? After all, it makes the perfect centerpiece for the seasonal table or buffet. That is why you should consider this as a gift-giving option during the festive season. Don’t worry you don’t have to get out your apron and whisk, as any local bakery worth their salt will have some beautiful offering that make great gifts for friends and family.

There are even some online companies that create and deliver the cakes for you. Something that makes it’s a viable choice if you are looking for an edible gift for nearest and dearest that live out of state, or that you won’t get to see in the flesh before the big day.

Cookies

Sugar cookies, iced and themed in festive ways are one of the most popular edible gifts at Christmas time. So much so, that you will find many companies offering to perform this service for you. However, you can get some pretty special results yourself in your own home, without having to buy them in.

To do this all you really need is a good sugar cookie recipe, and to know that the secret is to chill the dough before you cut it into shapes. Then it won’t spread so much when you bake them, and that means they will keep their festive shapes.

Then you need to create your icing, in xmassy colors, of course. The trick here is to have two types of each a firmer one for edging and adding detail and a looser one for flooding entire areas. Then you can decorate with Christmas patterns and colors or even go for some more detailed representation like the ones Jenny makes at her site.

Leave them all to set and then box up for a thoughtful gift that anyone would be delighted with.

Gingerbread House

A gingerbread house is another cookie like gift item that is perfect for gift-giving during the festive season. Of course, you can make your own if you are feeling particularly crafty, to do this just follow these instructions.

However, if time isn’t on your side, you have two other option. The first is to buy one that is all done and dusted (with icing sugar!) and give that just as it is. The other option and I tend to think this one is a bit more fun, is to buy a gingerbread house kit. These are kits that include icing and decorations as well as gingerbread pieces already baked and shaped into walls and the roof. The idea being that the family you give it to can have a fun, festive experience putting it together.

Fresh Fruit Bouquet

Looking for something that is a little healthier to counteract all the gluttony of the Christmas period? Then a fruit bouquet gift makes an excellent choice. These are containers in which skewers of fruit pieces and been arranged. Something that makes them look very attractive.

If you are lucky, you will be able to find one that is Christmas theme, meaning that the pieces of fruit are cut out in traditional Christmas shapes like stockings and reindeer. Although, do remember because of the tendency for fruit to go over very quickly this sort of item is best left to the professional to create as delivered in a refrigerated truck.

Hampers

For a more sophisticated edible gift why not consider a hamper? This is usually a wicker basket or box filled with select treats to consume over the Christmas period.

Expect more luxe items to be included such as a bottle of red wine, some chocolate truffles, and a selection of nuts and dried fruits. Shortbread biscuits are also popular, as well as sweet and savory preserves for consumption over the Christmas period.