Canadian Gift Guide

Last week was all about customization, and this week we’re going to take a hard (okay soft) look at hostess gifts. Why you ask? Well that excuse to wear stretchy pants is just around the corner – Thanksgiving! Whether you’re heading home to see mom and dad, doing a potluck with friends, or (gulp) meeting the in-laws for the first time, a hostess gift is a great way to say thank you for the countless hours of hard work. Instead of going for a bland ol’ bottle of wine, my aim for the week is to give you a few more creative luxuries with which to surprise the chef in the family.

My suggestion for today comes from Canada’s own Fruits & Passion. With so many bath stores pulling you left, right, and centre it’s nice to support a homegrown company every once in awhile. Especially one that smells as good as F&P does! Beyond their lovely line of standard bath products, Fruits & Passion really stands alone in the development of their Cucina line of kitchen-related products, aka a perfect tie-in for the Thanksgiving meal maker you’re gifting.

There are two main elements to the Cucina line – hand care products to keep fingers soft and supple and biodegradable cleaning products, both of which are infused with Italian culinary influences from olive oil to lime zest. All of the products are packaged with a bit of a rustic, culinary feel so they’ll fit right in with any kitchen pantry. I could point you in the direction of specific products, but really anything from the Cucina collection will make a kitchen-bound lad or lassie plenty happy.

I personally dig the practicality of the antibacterial hand solution and the deodorizing kitchen spray, but I’m also keen on the glorious smelling line of candles and diffusers they offer. For the record, pink pepper is pretty much my favourite scent these days (it’s in two of my perfumes) so be sure to take a whiff of the Pink Pepper and Anise fragrance for olfactory nirvana!

Finally in the uber good news department, right now there is a sale going on at Fruits & Passion wherein if you buy one Cucina product, you can pick up a second item for half price! So if you’ve got multiple dinners to attend this weekend, or if you want to slip something extra in for yourself, now is the time to buy some Cucina goodies. I also think Cucina products are also great go-to gifts for Secret Santas, stocking stuffers, houseguest occasions, and tokens of appreciation when you’re simply saying thank you, so consider stocking up while the sale is on.