To my very-American imagination, Christmas hampers are the stuff of Dickens tales and period dramas. Maybe a gift in a holiday episode of “The Crown”. So when I see them, I get super excited to see my stereotypical dreams come to light.
Did you know that hampers have a really long history? They date all the way back to William the Conqueror, but it wasn’t until the Victorian era that they became the popular gift choice that they are today. It pretty much goes without saying that the crème de la crème of Christmas hampers is to get one from Harrods. It’s basically a luxury Christmas in a box. With everything from your booze to your dessert to your decor sorted.
I was so excited to get my hamper in the mail. It’s literally the biggest parcel that I’d ever received. I was giddy. I was like at kid at, well, Christmas.
I opted for The Knightsbridge hamper (£250). It had everything I could possibly dream of in a Christmas hamper. A bottle of champagne, two varieties of red wine, truckloads of desserts (biscuits, cakes, mince pies, chocolates, Turkish delight and Christmas pudding), teas, coffee, and a larder full of chutneys, mustards and jams. I’m stuffed just writing that sentence. Everything in it was incredible. Delicious is more appropriate. The most fought over item might be surprising: the golden cocoa-dusted almonds. Those chocolate almonds were nuggets of joy that Sam and I consistently wrestled over. (I ate the last one.)
Not to mention, that the hamper itself is stunning and it also comes with baubles and a waiter’s tool. It takes care of your festivities. You’ve covered decor, snacks, drinks and desserts. (All my favourite things, basically).
If you are feeling insanely flush, you could spring for the Opulence Hamper (only a modest £10,000). It contains an assortment of things ranging from 16 different types of alcohol to extra virgin olive oil to a whole leg of Iberico ham to whole black truffles to rare cheeses to caviar. Some Christmas there right?
But if you can’t spare those kind of funds, you can treat someone you love to a Christmas box from Harrods for as little as £25.
***I received my hamper complimentary, but all my opinions are forever my own. ***
Are you yay or nay on Christmas hampers?
