Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Chocolate gifts: Unique Christmas Gift Ideas for Teachers

Chocolate gifts

Christmas is always a season when anxiety hits. It is a stressful time, especially when you not only have to think of gifts for your family, but also help your child think of a unique Christmas present for their teacher. This can be very difficult, since students generally get their favorite teacher the same thing each year. Below is a list of tips on how to move away from the cliché, and try something unique!

1. Although food baskets are often cliché, coffee and tea baskets would work wonders. These baskets can be very unique since they can be personalized. You can pick your favorite flavors, a cute mug, and perhaps a few gift certificates. It is perfect for someone when you do not know what their favorite tastes are. Most places like Starbucks or a gourmet shop offers similar packages.

2. Chocolate gifts have always been a favorite present. It has been a fact for centuries that chocolate is one thing that everyone loves. From chocolate Santa’s to gourmet candy, sweet gift ideas are always a winner. If you have trouble finding a local shop, it is easy to find a distinctive chocolate gift store online. Many online stores now make special customized orders which allow you to personalize the chocolate gifts that they are sending. The best part to this gift is that everything is already done for you! Chocolate delivery is the finest way to go, since the only thing left to do is give it away!

3. Teachers absolutely love to read. Gift ideas can include new best selling novels from Border’s and perhaps even a subscription to a teacher’s magazine. It would be very beneficial to their career and they’ll appreciate it. It’s a unique way to score brownie points with any educator!

4. Popcorn and movie theatre tickets are other interesting gift ideas. Teachers are constantly on the go, so it is important that they have some relaxation time. Adding some microwave or gourmet popcorn with movie tickets would be a great treat, especially since movies are so expensive now.

5. Donate money to an animal or homeless shelter under the teacher’s name. This is definitely a thoughtful gift during the generous season.

6. There are many #1 teacher gifts. Anything from a #1 teacher shirt to a mug are perfect gift ideas. If it is a mug, you could fill it with chocolate or their favorite candy. After all, any gift with chocolate will bring a smile to their face.

7. Buy supplies or a special project for the class. For instance, if you know that the class is going to do be doing a lesson on marine life, you could purchase a fish tank with frogs or fish for the entire class. This will not only make the teacher happy, but it will excite the class as well!

8. Purchase a large poster board and have your child’s entire class decorate it. The students can each sign their name and draw something special for their teacher. This is a great gift idea because it is not only thoughtful, but it also incorporates the entire class.

Chocolate gifts: 3 Unique, Romantic Gourmet Chocolate Gifts for Valentines Day

Chocolate gifts

A simple gourmet chocolate gift basket is great...but here are 3 unique, romantic gourmet chocolate gifts for Valentines day to really heat things up!

1. Chocolate Dipped Wine - At first, the author thought this concept sounded strange. Maybe you do to. Why do they do that? Well, for one, presentation. It looks really cool. The wine label is no longer paper, it's mouthwatering gourmet chocolate. You may be thinking, "OK, but how do you get it off to eat it?" A zipper - got it?

2. Valentine's Fondue for Two - Melt in your mouth chocolate covered strawberries are one thing. Making them yourselves and feeding them to each other is another. This author votes for the latter. Add a nice bottle of champagne and enjoy.

3. Strip Chocolate - For the more risque, this game lets you explore chocolate in new ways, shall we say.

Which of these three is the best? It depends on the impression you want to make.

Presentation:

When you give a gourmet chocolate gift, you want the person to be impressed. If this is your main reason for giving gourmet chocolate gifts - and assuming the person is a wine lover - the chocolate dipped wine would be an excellent choice for gourmet originality.

Sharing:

If your are giving gourmet to be able to enjoy it together, fondue is wonderful. This sensual gift is one that keeps on giving. You can use the fondue again with chocolate or cheeses after the memorable evening has long since passed .

Just Plain Fun:

If your partner loves to play games, go for the Strip Chocolate.

Chocolate gifts: Gourmet Chocolate Gifts for Valentine's Chocoholics Good for the Heart

Chocolate gifts

Remember when you were a kid and couldn't wait for Halloween - dreams of candy swirling in your head? Valentines Day is like that for chocoholics dreaming of gourmet chocolate gifts. Chocolate lovers dreams come true when you also tell them it's good for their heart.

In a recent Japanese study, researchers found that dark chocolate rich in flavonoids can actually improve coronary blood flow. People who ate 550 milligrams of dark chocolate a day showed vast improvement of coronary blood flow after just two weeks compared to participants who ate white chocolate without flavonoids. Flavonoids are what gives chocolate it's antioxidant power. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage to our cells by free radicals - formed by environmental pollution and normal cellular activity. These antioxidants are what helps keep plaques from forming in our arteries. Good news for gourmet chocolate lovers.

Dark chocolate contains the most flavonoids because it is the less processed than milk chocolate or white chocolate. Flavonoids also give dark chocolate a stronger flavor. As a cocoa bean goes through fermentation, alkalizing and roasting (more processing), more flavonoids get lost.

Other chocolate research has shown dark chocolate and cocoa powder may raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels by up to 10%, while keeping bad cholesterol (LDL) levels at bay. Stearic acid, one of the fats in chocolate, can actually boost HDL levels according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And although, one would expect bad cholesterol levels to rise because of the increased fat intake, this was not the case. This is more good news for chocoholics.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, chocolate in moderation may be a close second.

Chocolate gifts: Birthday Gifts for Grandpa and Grandma

Chocolate gifts

Birthdays. They only come once a year, yet people cringe at the thought of coming up with a great present for just one day. We’ve all been there – we spend hours trying to think up a unique birthday gift, but the ideas never seem to flow. It’s especially difficult when we have to pick out presents for our grandparents; an older generation which is often impossible to please. Luckily, there are a few ways to help you come up with distinctive birthday gift idea.

If you are trying to think of a birthday gift idea that will incorporate both of your grandparents, it may be smart to pick something simple. The more extravagant you go, the harder it’s going to be to please both people. Most people tend to choose a joint gift such as memory books. This way you can create a photo collage, capturing all of the memories you never want to forget. Grandparents love seeing pictures of you when you were younger, and they enjoy seeing family photos even more. It is an ideal thoughtful gift that is much more meaningful than a pricey present. If you are not the crafty type, there are also dozens of other birthday gift ideas. For instance, grandparents love doing things together. A great idea would be to make them a gift basket. This could include several movie tickets, popcorn, and other treats for them to bring. Also, if they need help around the house, you could also buy an amplified phone, which will allow them to hear people easier when talking on the phone.

Other joint presents could include something sweet. No matter how old your grandparents are, they will never get sick of chocolate! There are hundreds of gourmet chocolate gifts online, making it easy for you to quickly order it and not have to worry about anything else. Many chocolate delivery places offer wrapping and personalized cards to go along with the sweet surprise. This is a great gift if you do not know what else to get them. Chocolate gifts will always go over well, as long as you get enough for the two of them!

If you want to buy a gift that only incorporates one grandparent, figuring out their hobbies would be a great idea. For example, if your grandfather loves to golf, perhaps you could get him personalized golf balls. You also could buy a few golfing books and add a golf computer game to the stash. If you are feeling generous, there are always computers and cell phones that you could consider.

If you are trying to think of a birthday gift idea for your grandmother, then it is an entirely different story. Every woman loves jewelry and purses, thus spoiling her with these luxurious items would put her in high spirits. Other ideas could include a massage certificate or her favorite CD. There are many “Songs of the Century” CD’s available, therefore making it a wonderful surprise.

No matter how old or young your grandparents are, it is tremendously easy to find something that they will like. Many people shudder at the thought of figuring out what to get their loved ones, but it is all about focusing on who they are and their hobbies. As long as you know them, it should not be an impossible task.

Chocolate gifts: Provide A Sweeter, Less Bland Surprise - Give Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

Do you find yourself stuck in a gift-buying situation where the process of purchasing a gift seems like pulling teeth, a task proving more daunting and uncertain rather than simplistic and satisfying? If so, you're not alone. When purchasing gifts for loved ones, family members and friends we sometimes tend to go out of our way and over the top to find that optimal, most suitable and perfect gift - you know, that gift making a person light up with excitement. Yet realistically, and most times, what we think is perfect or 'light up' worthy ends up being quite ill-chosen, dim at best, and subsequently, ill-received and disappointingly taken by our gift receivers.

The reverse of going above and beyond can prove awful as well. If we're feeling lackadaisical, we sometimes find ourselves opting to give gifts that are a bit cliché, boring and half-fast. This, in and of itself, is tasteless and is displayed on the faces of those receiving such bland gifts.

Avoiding The Bland and Embracing That Which Is Sweet

So, whether we're working too hard or too little to give gifts, it's clear that in either case, it's an intricate task, and one needing a simple -and perhaps, sweet- solution. "I understand simple, but sweet?" you may ask. Well, yes. Sweet here though implies not that of gesturing or giving, but rather, of providing cocoa goodness and rich chocolate treats so many of us love to savor and swallow. Taking a gift-buying situation from bland to flavorful or from sour to sweet, is actually, despite what you may think, a simple -and dare you think it, chocolate-fused- process.

Giving Chocolate Gifts Is Sure To Please

Whether uncertain or just flat out lazy about giving gifts, you can always fall back on giving what most everyone would be happy to receive and well, eat too - chocolate, of course! Let's face it, chocolate is a universal love in the world of foods. Chocolate's popularity is welcomed and widespread, as are the countless amounts of guilty chocolate smudged faces, belonging to the young, old and in between.

As it stands currently, chocolate has become quite a staple gift to give on all sorts of special or holiday occasions. Being molded into various kinds of shapes and all sorts of differing sizes, chocolates have filled the bellies of individuals during holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and of course, Valentines day.

Know A Chocoholic? Know A Foodie? Then Give The Obvious Gift

If you have a loved one or close friend who lives to eat chocolate, or loves food in general -a foodie-, it's obvious that you should go ahead and give him or her the gift of cocoa. Why wouldn't you? Be sweet with your gesture and your actual gift. It's a win win situation. Giving a chocolate lover or a foodie an accumulation of sweet chocolate treats could very well be your best option, to both please and excite them. Do this and it's guaranteed you'll be the bearer of sweet gifts, rather than sour half-fasted offers.

If you're left puzzled as to what a loved one, family member or friend would want in terms of a gift, look no further than a local chocolatier, candy store or online sweet shop. Chocolates of all kinds are available for you to choose from with flavors, shapes, sizes and plenty of other varied options to choose from, all to make your gift that much more personable, meaningful and as sweet as possible.

Instead of giving gifts that are intended to be sweet but end up being sour, give chocolate gifts and be sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Article Source : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=E.S._Cromwell

Chocolate gifts: An Excellent Way To Promote Business Relations

Chocolate gifts

When it is the question of gift baskets or corporate gift baskets, the kind of gift basket you give to your corporate partners will speak a lot about you and your company. It will show what you think about your employees and clients. If you are looking for such a gift then you can try corporate chocolate gifts. These will leave a lasting impression on your business associates.

Chocolates are everyone's favorite and you will get a positive response to your initiative. It will convey your sense of recognition to the person you are offering the gift. There are many sellers in the market like Lake Champlain Chocolates, Aphrodite Handmade Chocolates, etc.

Today, there are many chocolate manufacturers who have started a service for corporate customers and their business friends. There is a wide variety of corporate gift baskets available in the market. You can order the boxes of your choice that suits your corporate color.

These sellers provide you with many facilities. They give you an endless variety of chocolates prepared with special ingredients and flavored with many tastes. They also provide you with handmade boxes with special looks crafted for special clients. You can even select your chocolate flavors from their list. Even the sellers can get your special flavors made on order.

They can place your company's logo on the chocolate gift basket. You can put in your written message or any kind of literature in the gift boxes. You can also give instructions regarding the appearance of the box.

These are the primary services you can have from any seller. If you log on the web, you will get several service providers offering you such and other services. You don't have to visit a shop and can order it on the particular site itself. You can match the services of different service providers and find the best one.

Some chocolate vendors have special offers on festivals for their high profile corporate customers. They display a wide array of corporate chocolate gifts on Christmas, Easter and other special occasions of the year.

These vendors also give you the facility of home delivery. The gift can be delivered directly to the person it is meant for.

Chocolates are not just to surfeiting someone's stomach but to surfeiting someone's heart as well. Your corporate chocolate gifts can carry your message straight to heart. The gift can imply many positive things. If you are offering a gift to your corporate or business friend, just make a gift of chocolates. It will get something precious for you in return.


Chocolate gifts: History of Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

Chocolate has long been given as a gift, particularly as a gift of affection or passion.

The forerunner to chocolate was the Aztec drink xocoatl, a mix of water, spices and ground cacao beans. Aztecs used the beans as a form of currency and for payment of tribute to their kings. An Indian Chief is said to have made a gift of a basket of cocoa beans to Christopher Columbus, although Columbus did not know what to do with the beans. Later, The Aztec King Montezuma presented Cortez and his conquistadors with gifts of cocoa beans. It is recorded that the Aztecs favored the beans above gold.

In 1615 Spanish Princess Anna of Austria gave to her new husband, King Louis XIII, a gift of chocolate. The drink became fashionable within Louis’ court and it quickly spread to Italy and later to Austria.

Casanova believed in the aphrodisial qualities of chocolate and often plied his romantic interests with gifts of chocolate.

Cadbury introduced the first chocolate box in 1765 when cocoa beans were brought to Dorchester, Massachusetts from the West Indies. Boxed chocolates have been given as gifts ever since.

In 1835 the master pastry chef to Emperor Franz Joseph make a gift of the first Imperial Torte, a five-layered chocolate cake with five layers of almond paste, to the Empress.

Queen Victoria made a New Years gift of specially molded chocolates to the British troops fighting the Boer War in South Africa in 1900.

During World War II American soldiers became well known to European children as gift bearers of 4-ounce chocolate bars.

Modern chocolatiers produce the finest gourmet and hand-made chocolates in history, many elegantly boxed for gift giving.

Chocolate gifts: How To Successfully Mail Chocolate

Chocolate gifts

Chocolate gifts are, perhaps, the tastiest gifts that anyone could hope to receive. The problem with chocolate gifts, though, is making sure that they do not melt before they arrive at their destination!

This is quite easy if you are hand-delivering your chocolate gifts. But if, on the other hand, you plan on mailing your them, it is a whole other story. Here are some tips to help you make sure that your gifts of chocolate do not break while being handled and to make sure that they do not turn into gifts of chocolate soup:

· If you are mailing a chocolate bar and you do not want it to break, try taping a stiff piece of cardboard to the back of it and then wrapping it in a piece of bubble wrap.

· If you plan to mail a chocolate gift during the dead of winter, it will probably stay fine and not melt. If, on the other hand, you expect your chocolate gift to arrive completely solid in California in the heat of August, you need to think again. Avoid sending chocolate during times of extreme heat.

· Instead of sending chocolate gifts full of truffles and candy bars, consider sending brownies and/or cookies (save the cookies dipped in chocolate for colder months, though). If you do decide to mail cookies, pick out ones that do not break easily, like drop cookies. Pack them in foil-lined tin or small box. Put sheets of wax paper between the layers of cookies. Cushion the tin or box of cookies within the shipping box with plastic grocery sacks (or other such material). Mark the box with “perishable – food.” Also write on the top, “this side up” to encourage careful handling.

· If you are sending other items along with your chocolate, place your chocolate in a zip-lock bag (and suck out all the air) to make sure that in case it does melt, nothing else is ruined.

· Pay a little extra to send your chocolate overnight, or at least send it 2-3 day priority. The sooner it gets there, the less likely it will melt, first.

· Make sure that the recipient will be home when it is received. If your box has to wait on the doorstop in the hot sun, the chocolate will surely melt! Maybe even ask for a signature.

· If it is not a delicate chocolate, freeze it before you box it up to mail it. It will not stay frozen, but it will take longer for your chocolate gifts to melt.

· Pack your chocolate gifts with frozen gel packs, dry ice, or another cold source. If you use dry ice, write on the box “contains dry ice” to warn the recipients. Be sure to pack the chocolate in a zip lock bag so that it does not directly touch the dry ice, and do not touch the ice with your own hands. Write “keep refrigerated” on the outside of the box.

· Send your chocolate gift package at the beginning of the week to ensure that it will not sit at the mailing facility over the weekend.

· Send chocolate that is already melted! In other words, why not send a yummy chocolate sauce or chocolate for fondue!

Chocolate gifts: Liquor Filled Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

If you or a couple you know indulges in alcoholic drinks, then add some chocolate to the mix and watch a ho-hum evening turn into a night of fun, excitement, and the ultimate in romance. Romantic gift baskets with liquor filled chocolates and other sweet treats will have your mouths watering for more and your hearts pounding for each other, and the same goes for any couple lucky enough to get a basket as a gift from you and your own special someone.

So what exactly goes into an amazing gift basket like this? In addition to the awesome keepsakes like a martini shaker, beautiful olive picks, or even the baskets themselves, there are a variety of imported liquor filled chocolates to be enjoyed thoroughly by any romantic couple over the age of twenty one.

If the delicious chocolates aren't enough to get your heart pounding, and the keepsakes are just a bonus that you could take or leave, then you should hear about the rest of the package. Dip into vermouth flavored pimento stuffed olives to add to the delightfully tipsy experience, or drop one or two into your drink for a little added flavor.

Add in the fruits refreshed in liquor that can be found in some of these wonderful gift baskets, and you will start to feel that delicious buzz just thinking about digging in and sharing with that special someone. Dip into a jar of mini apples refreshed in Calvados liquor, imported from France for your pleasure. Or perhaps get some depitted apricots refreshed in Amaretto sounds more your speed? What about a gourmet jar or lychees refreshed in Sake? These also make a delicious topping for cakes or ice cream.

Mix together a couple of small bottles of your favorite shot drinks like Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey or Malibu Caribbean White Rum with coconut and you will be floating up to heaven on a cloud of pleasure with your significant other right by your side. Add in Brandy filled chocolates from Germany, and you are hitting upon perfection.

When you and your lover are looking for a way to celebrate something special, you likely pop open the champagne or another drink of choice and toast to your happiness, your success, or your love. Now you have the chance to pop a liquor filled chocolate into your lover's mouth and let his or her eyes widen in appreciation for the extra special treat that you have procured for your pleasure. Spend a blissful evening sipping at your drinks, snacking on liquor refreshed fruit, and enjoying the delightful keepsakes that come with each romantic gift basket of liquor filled chocolates.

You are hardly going to know what to do with yourselves as you enjoy special treats like Jack Daniel's flavored coffee, golden rum cake with walnuts, and white zinfandel cheese spread along with your special chocolates and port wine and cheese biscuits. With all of these wonderful treats just waiting for a reason to indulge, you will want to find a reason to celebrate every day!

Chocolate gifts: Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

Chocolate is a popular gift item that you can give to anyone for any special occasion. You can give chocolate to your amour with a bunch of red roses. You can wish your friend good luck with this delightful treat. Or you can greet your parents a happy anniversary with a chocolate basket. Whatever the celebration is, chocolate gifts are sure to bring a smile to the faces of the people who are close to your heart.

One of the most popular forms of chocolate gifts is the chocolate gift basket. A variety of chocolates can be included in the basket, which is artfully decorated for artistic appeal. Chocolate gift baskets are noted for the variety of chocolate they carry. If the recipient is a chocolate lover, he is sure to be delighted with a miscellany of white chocolates, dark chocolates, chocolates with nuts, fruits, and almonds, and those with different flavors such as raspberry or caramel. The more chocolate variations, the better.

If there is a chocolate gift basket, there is also a chocolate gift box. A chocolate gift box can include either a single flavor of chocolate or a variety of chocolate flavors. Some people prefer giving chocolates in a box instead of a basket because it is more presentable. Also, in giving chocolates packed in a box, there is less risk of melting. This would be a good choice if the recipient lives miles away and won’t be able to open your gift till a later time.

Lastly, you can simply give a piece of chocolate as a gift. Choose the favorite chocolate bar of that special person and tie a small ribbon around it for a more presentable look.

Chocolate gifts are indeed ideal for any occasion. Whether it is a basket bursting with chocolate variants, a neatly wrapped chocolate gift box, or a simple chocolate bar, it is sure to make that special day more memorable.

Chocolate gifts: Gourmet Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

Rich, sinful chocolate that simply melts in the mouth—is there a more heavenly experience? Admittedly, most chocoholics can think of more imaginative phrases to describe this wicked indulgence that has its origin in Central America.

Popular in Mayan and Aztec civilizations, the New World used it in bitter spicy xocoatl. Introduced by the Spanish to Europe, it gradually gained popularity, especially among the aristocrats. The nineteenth century saw the emergence of the modern-day chocolate. The Dutch, the Swiss, the English, the French, and others experimented and helped perfect the process.

There are no better gifts than gourmet chocolates to add to the festive punch of any holiday season, to sweeten the memories of a loved one, to put a smile on a face, or to simply to overwhelm the senses with pleasure. No special occasion is required to enjoy chocolate. There are different types of chocolate —unsweetened chocolate liquor used for baking, dark chocolate without addition of milk, couverture that is rich in cocoa butter, milk chocolate, semi-sweet cooking chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa powder. Mint, orange, strawberry, caramel, liqueur, dry fruits, cream, nuts of all kinds, and rice crispies are common additives to further enhance these sumptuous chocolates.

Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero are the three varieties of cacao beans used. From harvesting beans to blending, conching and tempering, all these process determine the character of the chocolate.

Can one imagine a chocolate-free dessert world? Be it a simple comforting cocoa drink or chocolate chip cookies to rich chocolate gateaux, chocolate is delightful. Chocolates could be inexpensive candy bars or expensive truffles. In demand are genuine, completely conched Swiss chocolates, famous Belgian specialties like ballotins de pralines and manons, divine French creations like bonbons, truffles, Turkish delights, chocolate-covered fruits, and many more. Appreciating the work of premier chocolate-makers is almost like the fine art of wine tasting. Movies like Chocolat and Charlie and the Chocolate factory further prove the popularity of this supposed aphrodisiac.

For the passionate chocophile there is no better gift than irresistible gourmet chocolates, with their attractive shapes, colors, flavors, aromas, and packaging. So take a stroll or go online for flawlessly sculpted tasty treats before it is too late!

Chocolate gifts: For the Love and Thought of Chocolate - Give Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate gifts

Once you sink your teeth into a piece of chocolate and allow it to rest in your mouth to liquify on the surface of your tongue, almost instantaneously you are sent into a creamy, melted, and all-too-pleasurable state of being. It's truly a remarkable and quite addicting experience. But, have you ever wondered why this ecstasy-type of feeling occurs? If you've been curious as to why this intriguing phenomenon occurs once having ingested a piece of chocolate, you should first know that chocolate is much more than it appears and has more than mere taste and treat benefits.

A Food With A Hidden, Happy Agenda

In fact, chocolate is a food with enough hidden potency to trigger particular areas in your brain that produce and prolong happy thoughts. And this is not to say that chocolate is at all related to that pixie dust in which Peter Pan's, Tinkerbell, uses to lift individuals off the ground. But, what it does imply is that chocolate does indeed have the powerful ability to generate positive emotions in peoples' brains.

Chocolate On The Brain: Neurotransmitters Spur Happiness

So, this feeling of delight that comes from every bite is almost unbelievable, yet it is most certainly explainable, especially from a scientific angle. Within chocolate exists a few essential ingredients that are known for their neuro-activating tendencies and overall mental stimuli statuses - of the active ingredients include both Tryptophan and Phenylethylamine.

Tryptophan triggers the brain to produce more serotonin, a neurotransmitter assigned to assist in the modulation of positive moods and sexualities, among other many other traits. Considerable levels of serotonin can be released into an individual's brain after eating chocolate and the results are heightened feelings of excitement, elation and even ecstasy. With phenylethylamine as a neurotransmitter, after consuming chocolate, feelings of attraction, giddiness and apprehension are all rendered.

Giving Chocolate Gifts and Spreading Positive Feelings

So, with all this upbeat scientific knowledge, I'm sure you're already enjoying a piece of chocolate or two already. And if not, you should be! But, in all seriousness, why would anyone not want to eat chocolate now, especially with knowledge of gaining positive mental outcomes? It's fair to say that eating chocolate is enjoyable, so why not get the most out of it and reap the benefits of being elated while eating it? And also, why not spread the love while you're at it too?

Spread those positive feelings that come with eating chocolate by giving your family, loved ones and friends some chocolate gifts. Once you do, it's certain you and your gift-receivers will be smiling from ear to ear with, of course, chocolate-covered faces.

Article Source : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=E.S._Cromwell

Chocolate gifts: 4 Reasons Why Gourmet Chocolate Gifts Make People Happy

Chocolate gifts

Why do gourmet chocolate gifts make people happy? If you think it's all in their heads - you may be right!

Most chocoholics will tell you that they love chocolate because it makes them happy. The question is, why does it make us happy? Of course, our taste buds will confess to to the pleasures of gourmet chocolate...but is there something else going on behind the scenes - in our heads?

1. According to BBC Science & Nature, there is. They say that chocolate contains the natural 'love drug', known as tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. Tryptophan is used by our brains to create serotonin.

A lack of serotonin is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. In a study from Hull York Medical School, researchers found that participants eating dark chocolate experienced less fatigue than those who ate white chocolate dyed brown. They believed that because dark chocolate is high in polyphenols, it improves the level of serotonin in the brain. High levels of serotonin diminish anxiety and can produce extreme happiness, working in a similar way to the drug ecstasy, although to a much lesser effect.

2. Chocolate also contains phenylethlamine, known as the "love chemical" which stimulates the brain's pleasure centers - which might be why chocolate has often been identified as an aphrodisiac.

3. Anandamide is another component which create something akin to a 'natural high'. For a flash movie to see exactly how anandamide works, check out BBC's online science hot topics chocolate.

4. Chocolate also contains small amounts of caffeine that increase dopamine levels. Dopamine also activates the pleasure centers of the brain.

Gourmet chocolate often contains more cocoa, and more cocoa means more of the good stuff, good for your brain and your heart, with more antioxidant properties. Look for gifts for chocolate lovers that contains at least 70% cocoa solids. Also, look for gifts made with cocoa butter which is better for your heart than palm or coconut oil.

Chocolate gifts: Gourmet Chocolate Gifts for Christmas - Everyone Loves the Gift of Chocolate

Chocolate gifts

Are you looking for a gift for someone who has everything? Consider gourmet chocolate gifts as birthday or Christmas presents for these hard to shop for friends and relatives. With the wide variety of gourmet chocolate gifts available there is sure to be something for everyone.

Gourmet chocolate gifts come in many different sizes and styles. They often contain a variety of different gourmet chocolate items. Some of the most common gourmet chocolate gifts include candy bars, truffles, boxes of candy, and hot chocolate mixes.

Many gourmet chocolate suppliers have websites that allow you to purchase gourmet chocolate gift sets directly online. Many will also give you the option of having the gift mailed directed to the recipient, which is a nice feature for friends and relatives who live far away.

Many gourmet chocolate gifts are sold in sets, often packaged in a nice basket. Items can also be purchased separately and combined together anyway you want. Sometimes non-chocolate accessories are included in gift sets as well. For example, many gourmet hot chocolate gift sets come with a variety of cocoa mixes as well as mugs, spoons, and marshmallows. Christmas gift sets are especially nice, often including holiday decorations such as ornaments or stockings along with the delicious gourmet chocolate.

If the person you are buying gourmet chocolate gifts for happens to be a diabetic, there is a wide selection of sugar free gourmet chocolate gifts as well. This makes it possible to truly allow everyone to enjoy gourmet chocolate gifts.