Healthy holiday gift picks

Tis the day before Christmas Eve — probably the busiest day of all, when a lot of people are in a mad rush to do their last-minute shopping.  Every year, I swear I wouldn’t do any last-minute shopping for gifts, but every year, I end up dashing to the mall before closing time because there’s always somebody I forgot to buy something for. Once upon a Christmas, gift giving wasn’t as complicated as it is now. There was a time when most everybody was buying fruitcake for somebody.  And the fruitcake got passed around (read: recycled) from the receiver to the next receiver, it sometimes ended up in the hands of the original giver. Now, that takes the cake!

There was a time when people were giving scented candles. They sure came in handy during brownouts, when you had an instant not-too-romantic dinner by candlelight at home.

Feed your skin: Healthy Options offers a variety of products for stressed holiday skin, to make it glow.

Oh, well, this year, my top Christmas gift picks are some healthy products (for my health-conscious relatives and friends  who are determined to turn a new leaf and give peas and alfalfa a chance) from Healthy Options, a leading all-natural products store, as follows: a boxful of savory snacks/treats like Popchips Potato Chips Sour Cream & Onion, Gluten-free Sam Mills Pretzel Sticks, Granola Bars, and sugar-free cookie butter, and all-natural beverages.

Feel the magic of Christmas with the magic gift box options, such as Frosty’s Cool Christmas Box laden with light and delicious foodstuff to warm the cockles of your heart on a nippy Christmas morning.

Then there’s Rudolph’s Childhood Favorites Christmas Box that includes fun and classic favorites like healthy chips, sparkling juice (for those who steer clear of alcohol), animal cookies (great for the little ones), and a lot more.

A popular down-to-earth natural food brand, based in Brea, California, is Cadia whose firm belief is that “food should be enjoyed and even celebrated for the simple pleasures it offers.” Simply enjoy it via a wide variety of grocery items — healthy chips, applesauce, tomato sauce, olive oil, gluten-free breakfast bars, gluten-free pasta, gluten-free pretzels, low-glycemic butter, organic fruits, etc.

Put a glow on the receiver’s face with sparkling juices (non-alcohol) in such refreshing flavors as gold apple, blood orange, peach, strawberry, wild berry. To toast the New Year, there are fine choices of organic wines such as Nuevo Mundo Reserva Organic Wine, Organic Vintners Rosso Organic Wine and more.

So light, so right: Frosty’s Cool Christmas Box from Healthy Options offers sumptuous healthy snacks that are best enjoyed in this chilly holiday weather.

And what’s in that Little Red Box?  It’s a lovely gift set that includes EO Breath Spray + Mongo Kiss Lip Balm in Honey Vanilla, peppermint, pomegranate, or unflavored flavors.

By the way, the heartwarming, nice Christmas artwork on the boxes was done by the creative young kids from the non-stock non-profit organization Kythe Foundation, which is committed to caring for children with chronic illnesses, particularly cancer.

Indeed, these are gifts that keep on giving.

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To select your Christmas Magic Gift Box,  log on to http://www.healthyoptions.com.ph/christmas. Order online, or visit the nearest Healthy Options branch.