As the festive season approaches, many parents and gift-givers are looking beyond traditional advent calendars and standard selection boxes, embracing new, creative chocolate treat trends. These unique gifting ideas range from elaborately pre-designed deluxe boxes to personalized, cost-effective DIY chocolate hampers and bouquets, promising a special treat for children and loved ones alike.

One such popular trend involves impressive fold-out chocolate boxes, championed by businesswoman Diane Webster through her online sweet shop, 'My Kind of Flowers.' These “amazing” boxes, which have garnered praise from mums worldwide and inspired others to replicate the idea, contain four distinct layers brimming with an assortment of chocolate bars and sweets. The selection includes popular choices such as Double Deckers, Crunchie bars, Fudge, Twisted, Freddos, Milky Way bars, and Kinder treats. Furthermore, a small box nestled in the center holds delicious selection box chocolates, ensuring a delightful surprise. For those with a preference for sweets, the boxes are also stocked with Refreshers, WHAM bars, Chewits, Skittles, Drumsticks, and Vimto.

Diane Webster began taking Christmas orders months in advance due to high demand, emphasizing the need for pre-orders and a deposit. She also offers gluten-free versions of her acclaimed boxes. Each deluxe box is priced at £45, plus a £5 postage fee. Diane shared that she launched her business in April, seeking an activity to “keep busy” after tragically losing her eldest daughter three years prior. With her youngest daughter now 16 and more time available, she is fulfilling a long-held dream of owning a sweet shop. Social media users have enthusiastically praised her creations, with many describing them as their “dream present” and expressing how “brilliant” and “amazing” they are. Many have also been inspired to try making similar boxes themselves, with Diane even suggesting Amazon as a source for the boxes.

Complementing the pre-made options, a burgeoning DIY trend allows individuals to craft their own personalized chocolate hampers and bouquets, offering a budget-friendly alternative to traditional selection boxes. This hack not only saves money but also provides a fun, creative project for gifting. Social media users like Hawkyard and Zarartisticflows have shared tutorials demonstrating various approaches to these homemade gifts.

For a DIY chocolate hamper, materials typically include a cake dummy (a piece of styrofoam shaped like a cake), a cake board, double-sided tape, and a selection of chocolates. To maximize savings, multi-packs of chocolate bars or a handful of sweets from larger boxes can be utilized. Hawkyard's method involves wrapping double-sided tape around the circumference of the styrofoam to secure smaller Kinder bars around the sides, then attaching Ferrero Rocher chocolates to the top. A finishing touch can be a decorative ribbon, such as a gold or red velvet bow. Another example showcased a display featuring KitKats and mini Biscoff packets, with the option to combine all chocolates for a larger, impressive gift.

Alternatively, the chocolate bouquet concept, as demonstrated by Zarartisticflows, involves attaching individual chocolate bars like KitKat and Dairy Milk to wooden sticks. These are then arranged in a bouquet display by inserting them into a rectangular piece of styrofoam, which has been wrapped in brown paper. The final aesthetic can be enhanced with homemade crepe paper flowers and festive decorative paper. Both DIY methods allow for a highly personal touch, enabling givers to select the recipient's favorite treats and ensuring no unwanted bars are left behind. The reusability of styrofoam also makes this a sustainable gifting option for various occasions beyond Christmas.

These innovative chocolate gifting trends, whether bought from a dedicated artisan or crafted with personal care, offer exciting and memorable ways to celebrate the festive season, moving beyond the conventional to provide truly special sweet surprises.