ABC's of Food Catalog Gift Shopping

These tips from catalog gift experts are designed to keep shoppers sharp and on focus so they can enjoy the annual task and complete it sanely, on time and on budget.

By Madelyn Miller

I love to shop. And will do it anytime and anyplace. But the holidays and malls are my least favorite time to shop. I would rather be on a beach somewhere warm, or browsing through a museum, or dining in an exotic locations.

If you hate holiday shopping, there is help available. It is called catalogues. You can do it in the privacy of your home, at the office, on an airplane, in a hotel room, or even on a park bench in Paris.

You don’t have to guess what size or color.  And it won’t even matter if you are all thumbs at wrapping.

If you have not been smart enough to create a stash of unique gifts from your travels, just get some catalogues. Happy ordering.

And if I happen to be on your list, remember that I love anything chocolate.

A is for abundant selection, which is what holiday catalogs are all about — putting a virtual shopping mall at your fingertips.

B is for Beef Log and Baby Swiss, two traditional holiday treats — readily available through holiday food catalogs — that are handy to have on hand for drop-ins not only during the holidays, but also throughout the year.

C is for Chocolate, the runaway favorite flavor of adults (52 percent), according to a survey conducted by the National Confectioners Association and Chocolate Manufacturers Association. Seek out the specialty items not usually found in stores — like hand-decorated truffles and petits fours, old-fashioned butter toffee and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts — for a gift that’s as memorable as it is delicious.

D is for Dobosh Torte, a chocolate dessert sensation. This European delicacy, featuring 15-layers of cake and chocolate créme enrobed in a shell of luxury Swiss-blend chocolate, has been a customer favorite since The Swiss Colony perfected the delicate torte for shipping and introduced it to Americans more than 40 years ago.

E is for early — the earlier you place your order, the more you save on shipping charges and the sooner you can sit back, enjoy the holidays and relax.

F is for food, the one gift sure to please everyone on your gift list, because everyone eats! F is also for Fruit Cake, that sweet and nutty treat everyone loves to joke about. For the aficionados on your list, consider a creative variation, such as Fruit ’n Nut Chocolate Cake, macadamia nut cake or fruit cake cookies.

G is for Gingerbread House. What would Christmas be without one? Hand-decorated and available in several shapes and sizes, you can choose readymade or assemble-it-yourself. Or purchase a special Petits Fours Gift from The Swiss Colony, and they will send a Gingerbread House in your name to a special, hospitalized child.

H is for holiday ham, available baked, fire-glazed and/or spiral-sliced — a great way to share food with family and friends across the miles.

I is for Incredible Spreadables — those smooth, creamy, easy-to-serve cheese spreads that come in a mouth-watering assortment of flavors.

J is for the joy your recipients will experience when their specially selected food gifts are delivered to their door.

K is for keeping away from crowds in the mall — one of the great benefits of armchair shopping.

L is for legendary, a term used conservatively to describe The Swiss Colony’s Baby Swiss, for the secrets of making it, as well as The Swiss Colony’s other delicious cheeses, have been handed down by cheese makers from generation to generation.

M is for mail order, a convenient way to shop, although a purchase today is more apt to be delivered by mail than ordered by mail in this era of cell phones and the Internet.

N is for nuts, a gift of distinction in their own right, be they cashews, almonds, pecans, Brazils, filberts, macadamia nuts or pistachios — or as an ingredient in butter toffee or other chocolates, cookies or Gourmet Brownies.

O is for online, where many catalog shoppers are turning to actually place their orders. The immediacy of the Internet makes it easy to check availability, as well as to print out a copy of your order.

P is for petits fours — and personal greetings. The former are those delicious, bite-sized, filled, frosted and hand-decorated layer cakelets found in the better-known food catalogs; the latter, something you’ll want to make sure your mail-order food company offers.

Q is for quick, as in quick and easy — one of the greatest advantages of catalog shopping.

R is for Red Velvet Cake, a moist red cake kissed with cocoa and exquisitely hand-decorated that was originally made famous by New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

S is for sugar free — and also for satisfaction guaranteed. For diet watchers, more and more of your favorite sweets are now also available sugar free. And do make sure that every item you order by mail, phone or online comes with satisfaction completely guaranteed.

T is for truffles, toffee and tortes — a fine tradition to establish and enjoy.

U is for unique or unusual, that special gift everyone is looking for. Catalogs are chock-full of specialty items that are often found no place else.

V is for Vintage Cheddar, an extraordinary cheese that’s been quietly aged more than two years to develop its magnificent character and rich tangy flavor.

W is for wonderful, which you are bound to feel when your last holiday gift has been ordered.

X is for “Xpress,” which is how you’ll want to ship any gifts ordered at the last minute.

Y is for “your time delivery,” a service that allows you to do your gift shopping in advance and specify exactly when you’d like your gifts to be delivered.

Z is for the zeal you can approach the holidays with now that your gift shopping is done.

For more information about any of the products mentioned, call 800-804-5188 or visit www.TheSwissColony.com.