This Christmas, give a gift that will keep on giving

It’s that time of year again when you wrack your brain thinking of what to give the assorted people in your life without breaking the bank. Food gifts never fail to warm the heart — and the stomach. Like your lola’s (bless her pure heart) unforgettable melt-in-your-mouth embotido (pork loaf)  gingerly wrapped in cheese cloth.  Or your niece’s decadently delicious double chocolate chip cookies oozing with Ghirardelli goodness.

There was a time when people were giving and receiving fruitcakes, and there were tons of fruitcakes going around they sometimes ended up in the hands of the original givers. Back then, fruitcakes were the most recycled gifts.

Maybe it’s not the gift that counts, but you can make it count by giving a gift that keeps on giving. Like a good book that can be read and re-read for many more Christmases to come. Or music that can be enjoyed long after the holidays.

Or how about gifts of health, love, hope, peace, and beauty? Such as what Healthy Options, the country’s all-natural products store, recently unveiled at its first-ever preview of quality Christmas gift selections for corporate gift-giving.

“It’s not really just for corporate giving but for personal gift-giving, too, because at the end of the day, it’s all about health,” says Romy Sia, managing director of Healthy Options. “This is especially for our loyal gold cardholders, so they’d be the first to have a glimpse of Healthy Options’ Christmas gift packages, our Christmas lines.”

With the frenetic dash to the malls to beat the Christmas rush and the horrific traffic, you’ll do yourself a favor by shopping early. “We want to give you an idea (or two or three) of what to give on Christmas without stress, without panic  buying,” Romy tells us. “Healthy Options is a calmer, go-to place for your Christmas gifts, where you can ask questions and get answers from our trained staff, and where you can even customize your gifts. Just give us your budget.”

Yes, at Healthy Options, you can customize your gifts and put a lot more thought and love into the giving. If, for instance, you have a diabetic friend or member of the family, you can give Koochikoo sugar-free cookies sweetened naturally with monk fruit (green melon grown on vines in central Asia) or Amberlyn sugar-free chocolates made with premium Belgian chocolate. Life can be sweet even for people suffering from diabetes.

The idea is, as much as possible, not to give generic gifts (or the same gift for everyone on your Christmas list because no one size fits all) that may only end up in the waste bin.

Yes, there’s something below P500 at Healthy Options. You can grab some of those deliciously pretty lip balms at less than P200.

While sharing some precious Christmas gift-giving tips, Romy walks us through a room at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel filled with holiday goods and goodies:

• Gifts of Joy are delicious all-natural snacks for the whole family or for your circle of friends. Indulge in a tasty selection of chips, gummy candies, organic milk, cookies, cookie butter spread, sparkling juices, and more.  Delight in  product finds like Rickland Orchards Greek Yogurt granola bars with their crunchy, protein-rich mix of Greek yogurt with granola and fruit; delicately crunchy Tea Cookies; Natural Nectar Speculoos Spread, simply perfect on toast, bagel, waffle, crepe, croissant, or fruit; dry roasted, antioxidant-rich Himalania Goji Berry Crunch with Goji berries and nuts; Beanitos bean chips made from super nutritious fiber and protein-packed beans; Bissinger’s All-Natural Gummy Pandas; and Sweet Home Farm granolas made of oven-roasted rolled oats, fruits, and nuts.

• Gifts of Peace are delicious sugar-free treats for guilt-free snacking this holiday season and beyond.  Have peace of mind that the sugar-free sodas, cereals, biscuits, chips, nut butter, candies, oatmeal, milk, chocolates, and other delicious treats will not give you unwanted pounds. Try Lucy’s Gluten-Free Cookies made without milk, eggs, peanuts, or tree nuts. Or Torie & Howard Organic Gluten-Free Candies and LOL’s Multigrain Chia Chips.

• Gifts of Health are wholesome food selections fit for a holiday feast — organic pasta and pasta sauce, popcorn, cereal, soup mix, crackers, chicken broth, sparkling juices, and more. Crunchy trail mix, tasty dried fruits, and sugary confections make Healthy Options’ holiday treats the ideal healthy snack. Go for the Wild Friends All-Natural Nut Butters; Nash Brothers, lightly sweetened whole grain cereals. Savor the dairy-free goodness of So Delicious Coconut Milk, and get vitamins and minerals from the 100-percent natural Lakewood Juices.

• Gifts of Hope. Celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a toast to good tidings and the best of health.  Renew ties and pave the path for new hopes and dreams with a special banquet along with Healthy Options Sparkling Juices.  Or enjoy the fresh, well-structured Nuevo Mundo Estate organic wines, produced from organically grown grapes. Add the perfect partner to a sumptuous holiday feast, and choose from elegant, complex wines of great character, like the Nuevo Mundo Reserva organic wines; and Organic Vintners Rosso Wines with lively aromas of rose, citrus, and fresh red berry fruit.  These wines go so well with premium organic chocolates like Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate.

• Gifts of Love are a boxful of flavors grown from nature’s loving harvest. The premium selection of spices and seasonings is guaranteed to bring out the chef in you.  Priceless gift options include handcrafted Bissinger’s All-Natural Chocolates and Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate.

• Gifts of Beauty are new natural beauty perks to make you glow this season. Check out Sealed With a Kiss holiday greeting cards with Alba Botanica’s Terratints lip balm. Other lovely pampering gift ideas are the Andalou Naturals Soft Skin gift set that includes a body lotion and shower gel; Dr. Woods Fresh Skin gift set, a facial cleanser and bar soap duo; and the Andalou Naturals Get Started gift set. Choose from a wide variety of Dr. Woods bar soaps for an all-natural and refreshing lather.

Happy, healthy gift-giving, everyone!

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Healthy Options has 21  branches located in Metro Manila and in Pampanga, Cebu, and Davao. For more information, visit the Healthy Options website at www.healthyoptions.com.ph. For inquiries and orders, call 09177947299 or e-mail at marketing@healthyoptions.com.ph .  Better yet, drop  by any of the Healthy Options stores and their knowledgeable customer advisors will gladly assist.