From Chocolates to Croissants: Why Artisanal Gifts Are Taking Over Christmas

It’s that time of year when calendars fill up, dessert plates overflow, and gift boxes start travelling across cities faster than Santa’s sleigh. But let’s admit one thing: Christmas gifting has levelled up. The predictable dry-fruit boxes have been efficiently replaced by limited-edition bonbons, festive croissants, artisanal chocolate selections, brioche stars, and all things handcrafted and aesthetic. People today don’t just want to give something nice; they want to give something that feels personal and thoughtful. Limited-edition flavours, handcrafted desserts, small-batch indulgence and design-forward packaging are suddenly the holiday season’s real showstoppers. And behind this shift are brands that treat craft like a love language. Founders Nikki Thakker of Entisi Chocolatier and Eesha Sukhi of The Bluebop Café & Bluebop Bakes share what makes Christmas the biggest moment of the year for makers, and why handcrafted gifts are the ones that linger long after the wrapping paper is gone.

Edited excerpts.

Why do you think Christmas has become one of the strongest times of year for artisanal gifting?
Nikki: Christmas is not just about gifting, but about emotions, memories, and togetherness; and people aren’t simply buying a product; they’re buying a feeling. With travel, family gatherings, office celebrations and social exchanges all happening at once, there is a natural rise in thoughtful gifting. In recent years, there has been a clear shift from mass-produced gifts to more intentional and artisanal ones as people seek something special, personal and meaningful. Chocolate fits beautifully into that space. For us at Entisi, Christmas is about creating joy through flavour, craft and experience, not just packaging.

Eesha: Christmas is a season built on warmth, nostalgia and meaningful connections, and artisanal gifting fits beautifully into that emotion. People want something that is thoughtfully made, visually festive and personal rather than mass-produced. At BlueBop Café, we see guests gravitating toward gifts that feel artistic and special. With themed Christmas designs and limited-edition collections becoming more expressive every year, artisanal gifting has become one of the most emotional ways to celebrate the season.

How do you ensure your Christmas collection looks and feels genuinely artisanal, rather than just your usual products in festive packaging?
Nikki: We don’t wrap Christmas around an existing product; we build it into the product experience itself. It starts with flavour ideas, textures, shapes, formats, and the final presentation. Our Christmas collection is crafted in small batches with meticulous attention to detail, featuring hand-painted bonbons to limited-edition ornaments, spreads, hot chocolates and cookies. Visual design matters, but for us, the real magic is in the making—the moulding, the enrobing, the balance of flavours and the imperfect human touch behind each piece. That’s what makes it feel truly artisanal.

Eesha: We reinvent from the inside out rather than just adding festive décor. Every year, BlueBop introduces fresh Christmas designs—winter-inspired croissant finishes, Christmas tree pizzas, holiday-spiced cocktails, and playful motifs crafted by our pastry team. Every product starts from scratch with new flavours, textures and presentations. Even the packaging is built to enhance the artisanal feel with warm tones, embossed detailing and subtle craftsmanship. Authenticity always takes priority over ornamentation.

How do you decide which products are worth creating as limited edition Christmas specials?
Nikki: It’s a mix of intuition, seasonality and customer behaviour. We consider which flavours feel festive or winter-appropriate, which formats work well for gifting, which customer favourites can be reinterpreted, and which new ideas feel exciting yet aligned with our brand. A limited-edition product must still feel distinctly “Entisi”, and if it feels like something that could belong to any brand, we don’t do it. The Christmas special should feel elevated, meaningful and true to who we are, not just seasonal for the sake of it.

Eesha: We choose products that naturally carry a festive story; flavours that evoke warmth and nostalgia, visual elements that feel joyful or designs that surprise. Some favourites return each year because guests wait for them, while others evolve into brand-new festive creations. The combination of signature classics and new seasonal innovations keeps the Christmas lineup exciting and emotionally meaningful.

When do you start planning your Christmas range, and what part of the process usually takes the most time for your brand?
Nikki: We start thinking about Christmas much earlier than most people realise, often several months in advance. The most time-consuming stage is not the actual production but the development process—testing, refinement, packaging structure, finalisation and logistics. Because we produce in small batches and handle many elements in-house, attention to detail becomes everything. Even a few millimetres in packaging or a slight change in texture can affect the final result and how the product travels in transit, so planning and precision take the most time.

Eesha: Ideation begins as early as August. The longest part of the process is R&D, then developing new flavour combinations, testing textures, and aligning each item with the year’s Christmas theme. Our pastry team experiments with glazes, croissant finishes, brioche styles and dessert presentations. We also revisit our bestsellers to update them subtly while protecting their signature charm. Once flavours and designs are perfected, packaging and gifting formats follow.

What has been your biggest learning about producing artisanal products for gifting at a larger scale during the Christmas rush?
Nikki: The biggest learning has been that craftsmanship cannot be rushed. Scaling an artisanal product is not the same as scaling a factory-made one, and it requires respecting the process, the people and the time it takes. This has prompted us to plan better, anticipate demand early, organise production in phases and, above all, protect quality even when volumes increase. Quality cannot be compromised, not even once, because that is the core of what we stand for and the very reason people choose artisanal gifting.

Eesha: Scaling craft without losing its soul is the biggest learning. Early preparation, strong planning and team training are crucial. Christmas brings themed designs and repeat favourites, so consistency becomes everything; every brioche, croissant, and dessert must look as handmade and beautiful as the first batch. Structured batching, quality checks and process discipline enable us to maintain artistry even at high volumes.

How do you keep your Christmas offerings fresh each year while still staying true to your brand and craft?
Nikki: We evolve rather than overhaul. Every year, we introduce something new: a flavour, a format, an experience, or a packaging innovation, but we stay rooted in our core identity of fine artisanal chocolate. Our brand DNA remains constant, yet its expression changes with the season, which allows us to stay fresh without losing authenticity. The idea is to create excitement while still feeling familiar to our customers, and that balance keeps the collection both festive and unmistakably Entisi.

Eesha: We stay rooted in our identity rather than reinventing ourselves every Christmas. Guests expect BlueBop’s warm, indulgent Italian-American comfort, so that remains the heart of our festive offerings. Each year brings new themed designs, flavours and desserts, but beloved classics return too because people look forward to them. That balance keeps the collection fresh yet familiar, festive yet unmistakably BlueBop.

What makes an artisanal Christmas gift truly memorable for someone?
Nikki: A memorable gift creates a moment. It’s not just about how it tastes, but it's also about the experience of opening it, the detail in the design, the story behind it and the emotional warmth it brings. When the receiver can sense the thoughtfulness of the giver and feels that the gift was chosen especially for them, it becomes unforgettable. Artisanal gifting has the power to make people feel seen, appreciated and celebrated, and that emotional layer is what makes it stay in someone’s memory.

Eesha: A memorable artisanal gift feels personal. Handcrafted finishes, thoughtful design and a sense of celebration are what make it special. When the recipient can feel the maker’s passion in every detail, from the rise of a brioche, the glaze on a croissant, the artistry on a dessert, it creates emotion. Themed designs add festive delight, and returning favourites add nostalgia. That emotional connection is what makes a gift unforgettable.

What changes within artisanal businesses themselves have helped Christmas gifting grow into a strong category?
Nikki: Artisanal brands today are more confident, more design aware and more connected to their customers than ever before. There is a stronger focus on storytelling, transparency, sourcing and the emotional value of the product rather than just the product itself. Social media and e-commerce have also helped artisans reach people who are actively looking for alternatives to mass-produced gifts. Consumers don’t simply want expensive, they want meaningful, and that is exactly where artisanal brands thrive, which is why Christmas has become such a powerful moment for this category.

Eesha: Artisanal brands today have found a healthier balance between creativity and structure. We plan ahead, build stronger systems and scale without compromising craftsmanship. Teams have become more skilled, packaging is more refined, and customers trust that quality will remain high even during the festive rush. The ability to launch new themes every year while consistently delivering favourites has made Christmas a strong and reliable category for artisanal businesses.