Host gifts are never really necessary, but it’s always nice to show appreciation for being invited and made a meal for. If you’re the one going over for a dinner party this year, bring along Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Christmas Party Pack of pretty festive bites at $29.90 for 12 pieces, or $39.90 for 20 pieces. The selection holds palm-sized Classic Log Cakes, Osmanthus Fruit Cakes, Linzer Tarts and Hazelnut Chocolate Pralines. All perfect for an after-dinner dessert for people of all ages!

Available online here and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlets, or call 6273 2221.

With their classy taste and appearance, chocolates can never go out of season, especially during Christmas time. Pop in abstract and masterfully created chocolate Bonbons from JANICE WONG, a sweet concept by our local chef Janice Wong who has made it to Macau, Tokyo and most recently London. These neon-splattered chocolates ooze of Christmas with Gingerbread, Cherry, Dulce De Leche, Peppermint and even Popcorn & Spice. At $38 for box of 9, $68 for box of 16 and $105 for box of 25.

Available online here, at JANICE WONG outlets and at 9233 7547.

Corporate gifting can be tricky but this one-trick hamper would be ideal for anybody. Available in six variations, all feature a selection of gourmet foods and beverages that can be enjoyed outside of the festive season, such as tantalising Raspberry and Hibiscus Jam, Lemon and Ginger Butter Biscuits for Tea and Cabernet Sauvignon. At $73 onwards.

Available for pre-order online (in-store pickup or delivery until 24 December 2019).

Instead of a Christmas present, bring a loved one down to Creamery for a divine combination of hot n’ cold in a sugary treat. The Whisky Chocolate Lava Cookie is a pairing of whisky ice cream dolloped on top of a molten lava cookie, which upon scooping oozes out warm chocolate. Super cosy, especially when set against the homely ambience of the shop.

Available at Creamery Boutique Ice Creams Singapore, 139 Tyrwhitt Rd, Singapore 207557. Closed on Thursdays.

It’s not yet too late to gift an Advent Calendar, not when you know you can pull open multiple doors a day to catch up to the actual date. InterContinental Singapore’s limited edition Advent Calendar this year features 24 grand treats including the Dresden Stollen, Moet & Chandon Champagne Brut, minced fruit pie and many others – this is one way you can give surprise after surprise with just a single gift! At $428.

Available from online here and at the Festive Shoppe located at the entrance of InterContinental Singapore from Bugis Junction, 80 Middle Rd, Singapore 188966. You can also email sinhb-festive@ihg.com or call 6825 1132.

This will be good for foodies with a penchant for local cuisine and want to whip up their own chilli crab dishes in little to no time. This chilli crab sauce is in-house prepared by The Halia for their own restaurant’s famous Singapore-Style Chilli Crab Spaghettini, so it’s really restaurant-ready quality contained in a jar!

Available at Provisions at Singapore Botanic Gardens and Forest Pavilion, 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569. You can also pre-order via query@provisions-store.com.

Nobody said you can’t give ice cream as a gift. Yes, we’re not talking about ice cream cakes, but a whole pint of it. Ben & Jerry’s has released a refreshing swirl of blueberry, raspberry and vanilla ice cream that will be a welcome celebration on anybody’s tongue after a smokey Christmas feast. Its tart and sweet flavours even come with strawberry pieces and buttery shortbread for texture. Each pint at $13.90.

Available at neighbourhood supermarkets, convenience stores and online retailers island-wide.

Discerning foodies in your social circle will light up upon receiving this rare pick-up. Inside of these vintage tins featuring designs by Delphine Cossais and Carolie Joulin contain aged sardines prepared strictly for superior taste and quality. Each can of sardines is sorted, cut and canned by hand in extra virgin olive oil where they can age and confit over time. At $9.50.

Available at So France, 7 Fraser Street, Duo Galleria #01-51/56, Singapore 189356.

The greatest gifts are priceless memories, so treat someone in your life to a good time at CIN CIN. Each Gin Treasury Ticket ensures three hours’ worth of free-flow gin & tonic, house wine and beer – which is the perfect concoction for stress-relief and a jolly good time for Christmas. At $68++ each.

Available every Saturday, 5pm till late at Cin Cin, 100 Peck Seah Street, #01-02 Singapore 079333. Reservations can be made here or at 6385 2604.

There’s something magical about encapsulating Christmas in a snow globe, but make it into a treat and you have something even dreamier. With fluffy vanilla chiffon, strawberry Chantilly cheese cream, strawberry jam and white chocolate Crispearls held in a capsule, gift these cakes as cute, humble treats or decorate and have your guests leave with them as door gifts. At $19.80 (but price may vary depending on location).

Available at all BreadTalk outlets except Singapore Cruise Centre and United Square.

Spread love this Christmas by taking your gift-giving a step further. In support of disadvantaged children, youths and elders, Noel Gifts will be selling special 45^th Anniversary Christmas hampers with $45 in each going to charity. Receivers are sure to feel warm at heart knowing they’re not the only ones feeling the love. Choose from two different hamper sets with an assortment of cookies, wine and chocolate while they last, for there are only 450 of them in total! At $165 and $230.

Available online here.

Bring a lover of French cuisine to Merci Marcel for an authentic experience of France’s lavish food and atmosphere. Enjoy a brilliant serve of epicurean delights such as beetroot and salmon, or delightful treats like crepes coupled with coffee, cocktails or even wines – its bohemian and cushy interiors only call for a longer stay at the café.

At Merci Marcel Tiong Bahru, 56 Eng Hoon St, #01-68, Singapore 160056; Club Street, 7-9 Club St, Singapore 069403; Orchard, 390 Orchard Road, 01-03 to 04 Palais Renaissance, 238871. Visit here for more information.

Even if the person you’re gifting doesn’t eat cookies, someone in their family does – so cookies are your safest bet if you’re not sure what to get someone for Christmas. While Violet Oon’s cookies are usually gifted over Chinese New Year, they make for a good Christmas snack for their buttery tastes and texture. At $195.50.

Available at Violet Oon Singapore ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #03-22, 238801 and Jewel Changi, 78 Airport Blvd, #01-205/206, Singapore 819666. You can also email at info@violetoon.com or call at 9834 9935.

Select something practical but festive with Jewels Rock Sugar Sticks. These Christmas Edition rock sugars are packaged adorably with delightful flavours like cranberry, cotton candy, gingerbread and mint – and only at $3.80 each. You can mix them in your beverages or have them alone as a candy, so both the young and old can find a way to enjoy this treat!

Available at retail locations island-wide. Click here for more information.

Know a tea connoisseur? A tea advent calendar is pretty much the best thing you can give them. The 1872 Clipper Tea Co.’s enchanting Christmas Advent Calendar features twelve beloved blends including Classic English Breakfast, Timeless Earl Grey, Blissful Berries and Logan Paradise; all of these brews great to be enjoyed over any time of the year in Singapore’s weather, and especially over a cold and rainy Christmas period. At $39.90.

Available online here and at retail locations island-wide. Click here for more information.

Text: Cherrie Lim