Thankfully they avoid the proverbial brick-like fruitcake (well, 89 percent of them), but with the rich tradition of holiday cookies and recipes that have been passed down through generations, it's not a surprise that more than half of holiday gift-givers gift their loved ones with something edible. In fact, I was planning on gifting some tasty treats myself this Christmas. Mine will be homemade, and I wonder how much of what is gifted will be homemade and how much will be packaged products, like traditional gift baskets, boxes of truffles and boutique treats.
The NPD Group's report shows that 65 percent of respondents enjoy cookies around the holidays, which is no surprise if you have been on Gourmet magazine's website lately (www.gourmet.com/recipes/cookies). They recently posted their favorite cookie recipes from the last 68 years, just in time for the holidays (I recommend 1951's Sugar Shuttles and 1957's Lace Cookies). What really shocked me, however, was that vegetables came in second on the list as a top snack food traditionally eaten at Christmas. The only veggies that came out in my household growing up were carrot sticks we put out for Santa's reindeer.
More information about Christmas food-gifting and snacking can be found here.
What kind of food gifts are popular in your stores? And what kind of food gifts do you enjoy giving (or receiving)?
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