“What, you’re already thinking about Christmas?”

Yes.

And not because we want to switch on the lights early, bring out the tree or start humming Christmas songs months ahead of time.

We are thinking about Christmas because the best things – especially the delicious ones – need the right amount of time.

A carefully chosen gift cannot be improvised. A gourmet hamper is not simply a box filled with products. An artisan panettone does not magically appear on the shelf on the first day of December.

Behind it all are ideas, ingredients, doughs, long hours of proofing, packaging and skilled hands at work.

That is why, when it comes to Christmas gifting, it is never too early to begin.

The right gift begins with a question

Who is it for?

A friend with a sweet tooth, a family, your employees, your most loyal clients, or someone who lives far away and misses the flavours of Tuscany?

Every gift says something about the person who chooses it.

It can say “thank you”, “Merry Christmas”, “I was thinking of you” or “this year I want to give you something truly special”.

That is the loveliest part of Christmas gifting: there is no single solution that suits everyone. There is only the right one for the person receiving it.

Sometimes a packet of biscuits and a beautiful ribbon are all it takes. At other times, you need a generous hamper to open slowly and share over the holidays.

And then there are gifts that need to reach many different offices, shops or homes. In that case, starting early allows you to choose quantities, combinations and budgets without the pressure of a last-minute rush.

Biscuits: small gifts that instantly feel festive

Let us begin with our calling card: our biscuits.

They are easy to give, beautiful to look at, perfect for sharing and, above all, they disappear very quickly. Which, for a biscuit, is always an excellent sign.

Our Chocolate Biscuit with Big Chunks is the King of the collection. Soft, indulgent and instantly recognisable thanks to its generous pieces of chocolate, it is one of those gifts that is very hard to get wrong.

Then there are our Cantucci Toscani PGI with Almonds, for anyone who loves traditional flavours and may already have a glass of Vin Santo waiting for them.

For those looking for something fragrant and surprising, there are our Chocolate and Orange Biscuits, with soft cubes of slow-candied Italian orange peel, and our Lemon Biscuits, fresh, delicate and sunny even in the heart of winter.

And we must not forget our Tuscan Cookies: Addormentasocere, Cioccolalleri, Cocchi di Babbo and Ramerini. Thoroughly Tuscan names, colourful packs and recipes that bring together tradition and the everyday pleasure of a cookie.

Biscuits can be a thoughtful gift on their own or the starting point for a more generous selection.

A gift that is small only in size.

Gourmet hampers, each with a character of its own

Putting together a Christmas hamper is a little like setting a table.

You need to imagine who will sit down, which flavours they love and what might make the moment of opening it feel special.

You could begin with biscuits and add our cocoa and hazelnut spread with the crunchy crumb of our Chocolate Biscuit. Or choose Cantucci Toscani PGI, Panforte Margherita and a bottle of Vin Santo, creating a small journey through some of Tuscany’s most traditional flavours.

Anyone who enjoys moving between sweet and savoury can combine our bakery specialities with products selected in our botteghe – our shops in Quarrata and Pistoia: wines, preserves, cheeses, pasta and other delicious discoveries chosen through direct relationships with producers and artisans whose work we know.

In this way, a hamper stops being a simple collection of products.

It becomes a story.

It can be entirely Tuscan, created for the most dedicated sweet tooth, balanced between sweet and savoury, or focused on the most iconic flavours of Christmas.

Planning the contents in advance also makes it easier to find the right balance between what goes inside, the number of recipients and the available budget.

For businesses, this means being able to create different gifts for clients, employees and partners. For families, it means choosing something calmly, rather than something that looks as though it was bought five minutes before it was handed over.

The soft side of Christmas: our naturally leavened cakes

And then they arrive: the great stars of the festive table.

Artisan naturally leavened cakes cannot be rushed. They need time, care and sensitivity.

Ours begin with our family sourdough starter, safeguarded for more than eighty years. We do not use preservatives or artificially speed up fermentation: we allow the dough to follow its natural course, working with small, slow machines and respecting the needs of the flour and every other ingredient.

Our Classic Panettone is scented with butter, vanilla, raisins and candied fruit. Tall, sumptuous and beautifully balanced, it took third place at the 2021 Panettone World Cup and later entered Gambero Rosso’s top ten.

Our Glazed Panettone is the one we grew up with: lower in shape because it once had to fit into the same oven as the bread, rich with candied fruit and raisins, and topped with a glaze made with Piedmont Hazelnuts PGI, whole almonds and pearl sugar.

Our Chocolate Panettone is the most indulgent member of the family, with plenty of chocolate pieces throughout the dough and a generous topping of milk gianduja and dark chocolate.

Then there is Pandoro, the richness of simplicity. Just a few ingredients, more than 72 hours of proofing, four separate dough stages and fine vanilla pods. There is no candied fruit, cream or decoration to hide behind: only softness, butter, honey, vanilla and a process that leaves no room for error. In 2023, it was included in Gambero Rosso’s top ten artisan pandori.

Giving an artisan naturally leavened cake means bringing the scent of Christmas into someone’s home before the first slice has even been cut.

Panforte Margherita: small, rich and unmistakably Tuscan

It is not soft and has no desire to be.

Panforte Margherita is dense, spiced and packed with whole almonds and candied fruit. It takes up little room in the box, yet carries a very long history and a concentration of flavours that makes it instantly recognisable.

Ours is made by hand through three separate cooking stages. Inside are candied melon, orange, lemon and citron, together with ginger, honey, spices and whole almonds.

One of its most special ingredients is melon from the Etruscan Coast, which we slowly candy in our own bakery to preserve its softness, succulence and fragrance.

In 2020, Gambero Rosso placed our Panforte Margherita first in its ranking, describing it as a “masterpiece of craftsmanship”. In 2021, it was also included in the Top Italian Food guide, dedicated to Italy’s finest products.

A thin slice, a glass of Vin Santo, and the gift is ready to be enjoyed.

A feast for the eyes, too. At Christmas, perhaps twice over

A gift has to taste good.

But before it is even opened, it should make you want to discover what is inside.

Fratelli Lunardi gift boxes are designed to surprise, with colours, illustrations and an unmistakable visual identity. The small Xmas Box can hold biscuits, panforte and our spread; the larger one is designed for panettone, pandoro and even more generous combinations.

They are light, strong and easy to stack. The boxes are made from 80% recycled cardboard, while the cushioning uses 75% recycled paper, because a gift can be beautiful, delicious and kinder to the environment too.

For corporate projects, bespoke solutions can also be considered, from adding your logo to the label to creating dedicated sleeves, packaging and collaborations.

Our product and your brand.

What a pair!

Why think about it now?

Because time moves faster in December.

The days fill up with appointments, dinners, deadlines, orders to complete and people we suddenly remember we have not bought anything for.

Planning your Christmas gifting in advance means you can:

• choose products and combinations more calmly;
• set a clear budget;
• confirm quantities and delivery destinations;
• consider personalisation and dedicated packaging;
• organise deliveries;
• reserve artisan naturally leavened cakes in good time.

These products in particular follow production schedules and availability shaped by artisan methods. They are not rushed into production simply to make them last as long as possible: they are prepared in accordance with natural fermentation times and delivered according to the order schedule.

Thinking ahead does not take any of the magic away from Christmas.

Quite the opposite: it stops the magic from being replaced by a last-minute scramble.

Personal gifts and corporate Christmas gifting

Fratelli Lunardi specialities can be ordered as a personal gift, for the festive table or to thank the people who have shared a year of work with you.

For corporate Christmas gifting, our team can help you identify the most suitable solution based on the number of boxes, your budget, the products you would like to include and any personalisation.

Whether you need ten gifts or hundreds of parcels sent to different destinations, starting early makes it possible to create a more carefully considered project that is consistent with your company’s identity.

Because food is love, care and culture.

And when it is chosen well, it says far more than a simple “Merry Christmas”.

So, is it too early?

To eat panettone under a beach umbrella, perhaps.

To start thinking about the people you would like to give a moment of deliciousness to, absolutely not.

Biscuits, cookies, gourmet hampers, artisan naturally leavened cakes, Panforte Margherita and specialities selected in our botteghe: a Fratelli Lunardi Christmas can be small, large, traditional, surprising or completely bespoke.

But one thing is certain.

It will be beautiful to look at and delicious to open.

Discover our gift boxes and the Christmas selection in our online shop. For a corporate gifting project, write to regalistica@fratellilunardi.it, including the number of boxes required and your available budget.

It is not too early. This is the right time to start making Christmas happen.