Christmas in July

I hate to be the bearer of some startling news, but Christmas is less than 24 weeks away and that means less than 200 shopping days left.  Now I know some of you won’t think about this news but others, like me, have already started to do a little holiday shopping–or at least started thinking about it. 

Christmas in July is a thing–a real thing.  Every year, I plan and strategize to make the most of the holiday season.  But the planning starts a few months from now. This year, I want to do things differently.  I want to start planning now. I want to eliminate the stress and the pressure. I want to avoid waiting until the last minute to shop. This year, like every year, I plan to enjoy every second of the holiday season.  This year, it is my top priority. 

So to help get this process rolling, I decided to start shopping now and putting together special gifts collections (I hate to limit myself to a basket) for the foodies in my life.  I can go ahead and start to cross this off my extensive holiday list of things to do.  I thought I would share some of my ideas with you and help you plan your holiday shopping with the wonderful, fabulous gift of food.

I have put together some ideas of some culinary gift collections for my dear friends and family.  I am striving to put together an experience for them–and not just a last-minute item picked up on December 22. 

The Cheese Board Collection

Look no further than our In the Curious Kitchen shop and a good cheese shop to get this fabulous food lover’s collection started.  We have bundled up our best-selling jams, jellies, and mustards to make it even that much easier.  We offer the Bourbon Country Collection

featuring our Bourbon Honey Mustard, Boozy Cherries, Bourbon Blueberry Jam and our Bourbon Apple Butter.  There’s also the Cheese Board Collection, which is aptly named.  It features Hot Pepper Jelly, Strawberry Jalapeno Jam, and Bourbon Blueberry Jam. Of course, any and all of these products are sold individually on the website, too.  Just add a nice cheese board–my favorites are from my favorite “retail therapy” shops, Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table. Or begin looking now while so many of the artisan festivals are happening.  There are some talented woodworkers with some of the prettiest hardwood boards.  The last component is, of course, the cheese.  My favorites would include a nice manchego, a flavorful French brie, a wonderful aged cheddar, or your favorite cheese.  Who wouldn’t want to receive this collection of goodies?

Tinned Fish Collection

Start off with the tinned fish.  There are so many varieties out there at a variety of price points.  Think beyond tuna–although a nice tinned yellow-tail tuna is never a bad choice.  Other options include anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, and even oysters, or mussels.  A must-have in this collection is a good bottle of dry wine or maybe two, flaky salt, capers, and a couple of boxes of really good crackers.  My favorites include Rustic Bakery and Effie’s Homemade.  To round out this collection, toss in a festive package of cocktail napkins.  I love a festive Caspari Cocktail Napkin but you can find them at any gift shop or culinary shop these days.

The Cookie Collection 

For the sweet tooth on your gift list, create a fabulous cooking-making collection.  I would include several gourmet cookie mixes.  Again, Williams-Sonoma has a wonderful assortment of Cookie and Brownie Mixes available including chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, cowboy cookie, classic chocolate brownie and ‘brookie’, lemon crinkle, and my personal fave, orange cardamom shortbread.  W-S has also teamed up with my favorite vanilla, Nielsen-Massey, to create a vanilla bean sugar cookie.  It would be hard to choose just a couple!  Also include my favorite sprinkles from www.fancysprinkles.com.  I have been using these sprinkles for years and now they are so easily available online and even at several retail locations.  Don’t forget a selection of decorating supplies including piping bags and tips.  I have also found the most darling Batter Bowl at one of my hometown's favorite shops in downtown Frankfort.  Completely Kentucky  has a great selection of handmade bowls that would be perfect to wrap up all of these goodies.  

The Cocktail Collection

The sky is the limit with this one–depending on the cocktail you prefer.  I would go with bourbon but I guess that does not come as a shock.  Start out with a couple of good bourbons, Kentucky-made, of course!  Then go to In the Curious Kitchen and let us take it from there.  We have everything from complete cocktail kits that just need the bourbon to all of the accouterments.  We have everything to stock the bar with the best bar tools out there.  We also feature our world-famous, best-selling Boozy Cherries, along with several classic cocktail friendly collections:  The Boozy Cherry Cocktail GIft Set, The Bourbon Bitters with Cherries GIft Set, The Bitters Pantry Pack, and The Bitters Collection.  We even have an exclusive Bourbon and Ginger Candle from Lineage. Of course, all of our products are also sold separately.  Add a festive package of cocktail napkins, maybe toss in some stirs and you have one of the best collections for the cocktail lover on your list.

Wrap a festive holiday ribbon around these collections, write the gift tag, and it is as simple as that to start crossing those names off your holiday gift-giving list.  I cannot wait to get started this year and get things wrapped up–literally!  

Cheers!

MK