Happy Chocolate Holiday!

Make your holidays more memorable with chocolate! There’s a kaleidoscope of ways to make your holiday - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa - more fun, creative, and tasty! Here are some traditional and unique chocolate ideas to enjoy.

For gift giving, the old standbys never truly go out of style: boxed chocolates, chocolate marshmallows, and chocolate truffles. To that list, add chocolate-covered cacao beans, and gourmet slab chocolate. For those ‘health conscious’ chocoholics, wrap up chocolate figs, chocolate sushi, chocolate covered fruit, chocolate with sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds, or sugar-free chocolate. Take a walk on the creative side with chocolate CDs whose custom inserts can note a favorite holiday song or perhaps a special holiday memory. For friends who appreciate fine wine and good Scotch, quality chocolate is the perfect compliment! Pair their favourite bottle with a delectable chunk to titillate their discriminating palates.

Be creative when stuffing stockings or shoes for older children, or the young at heart. There are tasty chocolate lip balms, as well as chocolate aromatherapy and bath products. Imagine the sensory heaven of a chocolate milk bath! For bibliophiles and movie fans, wrap up Chocolat by Joanne Harris or Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.

To choc-ify your celebrations, start by setting out delicious smelling chocolate candles. A chocolate fountain is always a crowd pleaser, with lots of fresh fruit slices nearby for dipping. Make sure there’s a chocolate mill - much like a pepper or cheese mill - on your holiday table. You can instantly add chocolate shavings to cakes, pies, puddings, ice cream, coffees, cocoa and eggnog - to name a few. Experiment with different types of chocolate to see what tastes best where.

Take a tip from the French and include their Bûche de Noël or ‘Christmas Log’ with your celebratory meal. Traditionally covered in chocolate buttercream textured to look like tree bark, it’s creatively decorated with candied leaves, nuts, and marzipan shapes. Rich and memorable!

Create new traditions with recipes from any number of chocolate focused cook books. How about a chocolate chip date nut cake instead of fruit cake, or chocolate cranberry bread pudding? I’m not just talking desserts here, though. Liven up the holiday meal itself by serving chocolate Kahlua sweet potatoes with chocolate Zucchini bread on the side. There are many good chocolate cook books to chose from. Favourites include: Chocolate Holidays: Unforgettable Desserts for Every Season and Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate both by Alice Mendrick.

How about chocolate for the ears? For a unique and lovely change from standard holiday tunes, pop in a wonderful CD entitled, ‘Music From the Chocolate Lands’. It’s a collection of songs from chocolate producing countries around the world. Liner notes are in English, French and Spanish, and include a history of chocolate.

As for YOU - when making out your own ‘Wish List’ – don’t forget to include a box of your favourite luxury chocolates. How about some of those imported bars you covet? And remember to list those cocoas or hot chocolates you always wanted to try! Happy Holiday!