Order Online to Have Decadent Foods Delivered Right to Your Door

My family has always liked giving food as gifts around the holidays. Maybe this is partly because for some of us, buying something really expensive and decadent puts too much strain on the family budget the rest of the year. There was a time when fruit baskets were popular as gifts for those special family gatherings. If you really wanted to impress, you ordered a box of that gourmet fruit from Harry and David. For my grandfather, who was once a butcher, there was the sausage pack from Hickory Farms. For that romantic interest, it was usually chocolate from Godiva or something covered in chocolate from Merb's. No one ever gave fruitcake, thank God, except for one year when crazy Aunt Gladys mailed one to us. It changed hands many times before it finally ended up in the trash.

One of the good things about giving food as a gift is that it kind of keeps on giving. That sweet, creamy piece of chocolate given at Christmas tastes just as good a month later and brings back memories of the giver. Here are a few special treats that you can order through the mail to give as gifts this holiday season:

The first two are for die-hard chocoholics, and who doesn't know a few of those?
CocoaBella Chocolates at www.cocoabella.com imports small-batch artisan chocolates from all over Europe. A box of 18 custom selected chocolates goes for about $35. I think it easily rivals Godiva.

Dolcielo makes a decadent fudge brownie that redefines this square little chocolate morsel. They are baked to order and feature flavors like apricot, almond, amaretto, and coffee. Prices range from $30 to $60 per dozen. Place your order about two weeks before Christmas to get them on time.

Numi at www.numitea.com makes a gorgeous selection of teas to wash all of those brownies down with. No ordinary teabags here, but rather the tea comes in bundles that flower when you put them in hot water. A set of 14 tea bundles sells for about $47.