Chocolate for Christmas

Let’s get started by answering that nagging question.

Is Chocolate a Good Christmas Gift?

Yes, it is absolutely okay to give chocolate for Christmas. A Lindt USA study on Americans’ gifting habits for Christmas 2023 found chocolate to be a popular gift choice. Sixty-seven percent of the 2,000 Americans surveyed said they considered chocolate a gift, with 77% of millennials saying they would gift chocolate to a loved one.

It’s a similar trend in Europe where chocolate sales shoot up during Christmas season with some of the purchases going into gift exchanges. Other regions and countries also experience a boom in seasonal chocolate sales, even if not as high in volume as in Europe, the USA, and other parts of North America.

Why is chocolate a popular gift during holidays? Because nearly everyone you know loves chocolate. In addition, chocolate has been associated with Christmas before you and I, or our great-grandparents, came along. Yule logs, balls, pralines, truffles, bars, you name them, and they all find a role to satisfy the familial and friendship spirit that reigns during Christmas.

So, unless the person you want to gift with chocolate is allergic to or hates this favourite treat for whatever ‘strange’ reason, you shouldn’t hold back considering chocolate as a perfect Christmas gift. And it’s also perfectly suitable to consider chocolate for corporate gifting.

This article gives you reasons to choose chocolate as your next Christmas gift, how to shop Christmas chocolate, and how to package and ship, if necessary.

When to Buy Chocolate for Christmas

The timing to buy chocolate for Christmas depends on several factors. You need to consider:

– The shop’s delivery timelines.

– The type of chocolate product you want in order to stay within shelf-life and maintain freshness until Christmas. For example, truffles have a shorter shelf-life than chocolate bars.

– When you want the chocolate to arrive. The average person cannot sit with chocolate in the house without the temptation to eat it all. If you possess great self-control, go ahead and order your Christmas chocolate way before December.

Generally, early to mid-December is the best time to order Christmas chocolate. This takes into consideration that shops are busier during holiday seasons and last-minute shopping may not get your chocolate to you or your giftee on time. However, for custom-made orders, you may need to order much earlier. Check with the chocolate maker for suitable ordering and delivery times.

The Benefits of Gifting Chocolate Bars

Are chocolate truffles, pralines, and bonbons more Christmas-y that some people wonder if bars are suitable for Christmas gifting? The truth is, bars are a common gift choice for Christmas.

Chocolate bars are a more thoughtful Christmas gift, instead of just some holiday clearance routine. This is even more so as many people consider the cocoa content in bars before buying, something you’d normally not do for chocolate products that don’t include cocoa percentages on their labels.

Second, as bars tend to be higher in cocoa content, you’ll not just be gifting a treat to your loved one, but you’d be giving them something richer in antioxidant health benefits.

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Makossa 66% Dark Chocolate with nuts and spices, perfect for those who like a balanced cocoa flavour

Noire 73% Dark Chocolate, ideal for those who prefer a stronger chocolate taste

Voodoo 83% Extra-Dark Chocolate, for those who prefer an even more intense cocoa flavour

Limbe 55% Coconut Milk Chocolate, a delicious dairy-free option

Toasted 35% white chocolate with cocoa nibs,a sweet Christmas treat for white chocolate fans

How to Shop the Perfect Chocolate Bar for a Christmas Gift

The perfect chocolate gift for Christmas depends on your recipient’s personality and chocolate flavour preferences. You could pick what you think is a great chocolate bar but your loved one may not appreciate it.

The best option will be if you already know the kind of chocolate they love. But if you don’t know and won’t ask because you want the gift to be a surprise, here are some tips you can follow to still delight the receiver of your Christmas chocolate gift.

– Choose milk chocolate over dark chocolate if you don’t know what type of chocolate your recipient loves. The point is, if they don’t already love dark chocolate, they won’t appreciate its intense cocoa flavour.

– A better option is to mix different types of chocolate bars. Unless you know your giftee eats only one type of chocolate. You can throw dark, milk, and white bars together to make your gift memorable with different chocolate tastes and flavours.

– Choose sustainable chocolate. A growing number of chocolate lovers are conscious about the eco-impact of their chocolate indulgence. Help them enjoy a guilt-free Christmas.

– Check for freshness and quality. This only applies when you’re buying in a physical store. Look at the expiry date, check appearance and texture for signs of spoilage. Also smell it; dark chocolate and milk chocolate should smell like cocoa while white chocolate should smell like cocoa butter.

Shop our Vegan Chocolate Bars for Christmas Gifts

Creative Ways to Gift Chocolate for Christmas

You’ve settled on the chocolate for your Christmas gift, but how do you go about getting it ready to your recipient in a way that shows more thought and heart in your gifting?

1. Personalize the gift wrapping

How you present your gift is just as important as the gift proper. You can use wrapping papers and ribbons in your recipient’s favourite colours. Also consider a memorable gift tissue, box, or bag.

It goes without saying that you should include a message with the gift, as a card or letter inside your gift box or bag.

2. Pair the chocolate with other treats like fruits, nuts, or wine

The specific pairing will depend on the type of chocolate. You can pair dark chocolate with sweet or tart fruits and wine, and milk chocolate or white chocolate with something simpler in taste.

3. Consider DIY gift baskets and arrangements

That is if you have both the time and skill. Check YouTube for tutorials and ideas.

4. Go overboard with a chocolate subscription gift

Instead of a one-off chocolate gift on Christmas, you may consider gifting a monthly chocolate subscription. Most subscriptions in the UK range from £6 to £25 per month with a lot of room for variety in chocolate forms. In the US, you can find monthly chocolate subscriptions between $15 to about $40.

We mentioned the importance of getting creative with wrapping your Christmas chocolate gift. Let’s now dwell on how to package your gift so your recipient gets it in good condition. And also add an emotional experience to their unwrapping!

How to Package Chocolate for Christmas

How you package your Christmas chocolate gift should serve two purposes: to keep the chocolate in safe condition during transportation, if the gift needs to travel, and to create an emotional experience for your recipient when they’re unwrapping it.

Here are some items you may need:

– Chocolate box that comes with chocolate from chocolatier.

– Shipping box or gift bag to contain your chocolate box plus other treats and personalized card. The size will depend on your gift.

– Cold packs to keep temperature low and prevent melting.

– Wrapping paper and ribbons for decoration.

– Tape for proper sealing.

Packaging for safe transportation:

Packaging materials come in various shapes, sizes, and texture suitable for different cases. Carefully select your packaging material based on the size of your gift, its shape, and how far the chocolate will travel.

A gift basket or bag will be better than a box if you’re gifting chocolate alongside pairings like wine and fruit with different shapes to wrap. If your gift is just chocolate bars, then a simple box will be okay.

Packaging for your recipient’s delight during unwrapping:

First, make the packaging appealing to the eye with suitable package shape, colours, and decorations.

Second, make the gift hard to unwrap. Psychology Today says the act of slowly unwrapping a gift brings pleasure to the recipient and donor. Use your recipient’s favourite colours in the choice of wrapping papers and ribbons, but also wrap your gift in a way that your recipient won’t quickly get to it.

Creative ways you can do this include double wrapping your chocolate, using ribbons on your gift box and duct tape or masking tape on your wrapping paper to add layers of gradualness to the unwrapping to heighten expectation.

Now let’s talk about something important when you’re buying, storing, or shipping Christmas chocolate.

How Long Does Christmas Chocolate Last without Going Bad?

Chocolate shelf-life depends on the type of chocolate and how you store it. If stored in a cool, dry place, unopened dark chocolate can last for 2 years from date of manufacture, and about 1 year after opening. Because of dairy, milk chocolate and white chocolate usually last for 1 year if unopened and about 6-8 months if opened but properly stored.

The truth is, chocolate likely lasts for longer than the ‘Best before date’ or expiry date you find on the label, but the chocolate maker can no longer guarantee the quality and safety of their product after that date.

If you’re not shipping or gifting it immediately, store your Christmas chocolate gift in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight or hot lamps. Temperatures between 16-22 °C are ideal. Higher temperatures cause chocolate to melt and then create fat bloom when the chocolate resolidifies. Meanwhile, moisture and very low temperatures cause sugar bloom.

Fat bloom is when the cocoa butter crystals in chocolate separate from other ingredients, causing a dusty grey or whitish appearance instead of the smooth, glossy look. Sugar bloom happens when sugar crystals in chocolate absorb water and form larger crystals as the water evaporates, resulting in an appearance similar to fat bloom. Bloom, however, does not affect the shelf life of chocolate.

You can also store your chocolate in the fridge, but you must place it in an airtight container or wrap to keep the chocolate from absorbing moisture or flavours from other food items in the fridge.

How to Keep Your Chocolate Gift from Melting During Shipping

Should you freeze your chocolate gift before sending?

Yes, you can freeze your chocolate gift to prevent melting in the mail, but you need to wrap it well to preserve its appearance, texture, and flavour. Use an airtight plastic wrap or freezer bag to freeze the chocolate overnight before packaging with cool packs and shipping. But understand that fat bloom or sugar bloom may occur when frozen chocolate is thawing.

An alternative to freezing is to straightforward package your chocolate gift with cool packs without first freezing the chocolate. Place your cool packs as well as the chocolate in separate airtight plastic bags inside your gift box with some cushioning between them.

Given that temperatures during Christmas are already low in the Northern hemisphere, there may be no need to freeze your Christmas chocolate gift before shipping. For people in the Southern hemisphere and around the Equator, higher temperatures may warrant precautions against melting during shipping, but keep in mind the potential downsides to freezing chocolate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dark chocolate good to give for Christmas?

Yes, dark chocolate is perfectly suitable for gifting during Christmas. However, first ensure that your giftee loves dark chocolate to guarantee that your gift will be appreciated. Not everyone enjoys dark chocolate’s intense cocoa flavour.

Check out Our Delectable Vegan Dark Chocolate Bars

Will chocolate melt if wrapped?

Yes and no. If temperatures are higher than 22°C, chocolate tends to melt. To prevent melting, store wrapped chocolate in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight and hot lamps. If you’re gifting the wrapped chocolate, you may use cool packs to keep temperature low. Only remember to wrap your chocolate in an airtight plastic, double-wrap cool packs in airtight plastic bags, and use a cushion between the cool packs and the chocolate.

Key Takeaways

Chocolates are a popular gift choice for Christmas. It’s important to buy your Christmas chocolate gift in early to mid-December to account for personalized packaging and shipping delays to your giftee.

To keep your Christmas chocolate gift from getting spoiled during transit, choose the right packaging size and material. If you’re worried about the chocolate melting, you can package your gift with cool packs before shipping.

Check out Our Delectable Vegan Dark Chocolate Bars

References

https://www.lindtusa.com/christmas-gifting-habits

https://www.euromonitor.com/press/press-releases/dec-2023/tis-the-season-for-chocolate.-christmas-sales-on-the-up-euromonitor-international-expert

https://www.wikihow.com/Give-a-Great-Gift-to-Someone

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/hide-and-seek/201210/how-to-give-the-perfect-gift

https://better-package.com/box-material/

https://www.thehighfivecompany.com/whats-the-real-expiration-date-of-chocolate-bars/

https://www.embassychocolate.com/blog/keep-chocolate-from-melting

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_bloom

https://www.vosgeschocolate.com/blogs/vosges-haut-chocolat-blog/chocolate-storage-to-freeze-or-not-to-freeze

https://blog.papermart.com/how-to/shipping-mailing-chocolate/

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3880/how-to-ship-chocolate.html