Christmas Hampers are the Ideal Gift This Year

The stereotypical Christmas gift and for good reasons, hampers are delightful and traditional way to offer a selection of delicious and unusual presents to family, friends or colleagues. With endless variety, shopping for hampers is an experience unlike any other.

The history of the hamper

Hampers are a French creation originally, with evidence suggesting they were in use as long ago as William the Conqueror. Coming to England in the 11th century, using baskets to transport edible goods for parties and picnics eventually became a highly fashionable activity. In the 18th century, those starting long journeys would ask for 'travelling baskets' of lunch items and snacks, as conditions at inns on the roadside were often rather poor. The height of the Romantic period followed, with the upper classes beginning to enjoy the country side for leisure   and taking elaborate picnic hampers with them. The growth of the railways at this time made it easier to transport perishable goods across the country, giving rise to the tradition of sending festive hampers as gifts during the Christmas season. This echoed the long standing tradition of employers giving household staff a basket of edible presents for Christmas as reward for hard work, a tradition which had extended into commercial practices too.

Choosing hampers for your family

During the Christmas period, everyone is worrying about which presents will be most appreciated or whether it will be something which is quickly discarded, cluttering up the home of its recipient and not being as successful as hoped. One of the many advantages of Christmas gift hampers as a choice of present is their practicality: Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry, so there is the certainty that items in the hamper will be savoured and enjoyed.

Consider the preferences of the recipient. Christmas hampers are much more easily personalised than in the past, with companies like Regency Hampers offering seemingly endless varieties to suit every palate. Alcohol free hampers are readily available alongside their cousins loaded with champagne and wine, savoury options laden with cheese and exotic pickles can be chosen or chocolate hampers full of sweet treats, shortbread and fudge might be more suitable. Whoever it is for, a hamper can be tailored to make them smile on Christmas day. Even more unusually, Regency Hampers have a 'Refresh and Revive Pamper Hamper' full of beauty products, perfect for the post-festive return to reality and a little rejuvenation, whilst retaining the traditional charm of the hamper as a gift at this time of year.

Hand finished with seasonal ribbons and displayed in beautiful wicker baskets, hampers possess timelessness and an appeal which transcends their contents. Giving Christmas gift hampers to a family is to give a whole special set of memories and emotions, wonderful for the festive feeling and sure to be appreciated by all.

AUTHOR BIO:

Ivy Burnett researched the fantastic range of Christmas gift hampers available this year as part of her writings for various blogs and websites on the topics of leisure and pleasure. Christmas festivities for her usually include plenty of fine food and good conversation with family and friends, so this year a customised hamper will be joining them for the season to try something a little different.