It’s holiday time and although one can feel a bit frazzled, I feel it is important to take time out of our busy schedules to visit with friends, co-workers and family members. It can be challenging to find that “perfect something” to bring as a host/hostess gift, but hopefully these ideas will make things a bit easier.

Since food is my thing, my suggestions are primarily edible selections but I did add a few food-related suggestions as well. None of the items cost more than $25 so they’ll also be easy on the wallet:

Fair Trade Chocolates

If you have a sweet tooth, how about bringing a few beautifully wrapped chocolate bars to a holiday gathering or party? Divine Chocolates is a fair trade chocolate company that is 45 percent owned by West African cocoa farmers and, according to Divine’s web site, “ensures farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community.”

Divine Chocolate offers products such as Dark Chocolate Covered Salted Fudge, Milk Chocolate Nut Pralines and their 3.5-ounce chocolate bars in Dark Chocolate, Dark Mint and Dark Raspberry.  

You can buy their products at Whole Foods or through their web site. The chocolate bars go for about $3.50 per bar.

Organic Cheeses with Fruit Spreads

If you are heading to a cocktail party, I love to bring a simple white plate with an organic cheese, some arugula, a jar of fig spread (or a fruit syrup) and crackers. You can add a small cheese knife if you wish. The guests can enjoy the appetizers and the host/hostess will be thrilled to have the plate and knife after the party has ended. If you want to make it fancy, you can always wrap the cheese plate in cellophane and tie with a ribbon. (I would wait until just before giving the gift to wrap it up.)

Here are some suggestions for the components of this gift: The Sonoma Syrup Co. sells a variety of fruit preserves such as Black Currant Berry, Candied Fig and Vanilla and Meyer Lemon for $9. The Meyer Lemon CheeseDrizzler is made in Sonoma in small batches with “organic California Meyer Lemons and a splash of California Dolce,” the site says.

As for the cheese, PastureLand, a Minnesota-based artisan cheese company, offers an amazing selection of cheeses that are crafted from organic milk from 100 percent grass-fed cows. PastureLand touts its eco-friendly practices on its web site saying that they use “intensive rotational grazing and year-round soil management to improve the vitality of our pastures and the health of our animals.” Cheese varieties include: True Raw Milk Cheddar, Goodhue Grass-Fed Gouda and Millville Aged 100 Percent Grass-Fed Cheddar.

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