BEST SWISS GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Transform your beloved mountain views into sharp memories! Did you explore the Swiss mountains over summer, and you are still obsessed about those beautiful views? Do you love the mountain range backdrop with the Mont Blanc when you are walking by Lac Léman? Panorama Knife is a Swiss-made knife with the serrated edges of the blade representing the mountain sceneries of Switzerland. They have knives of several Swiss regions, and of course, also a Lac Léman version! Whether it is a bread knife, cheese knife or a universal knife you are looking for, these special knives will make you remember the beautiful  mountains of Geneva and  allow you to gift your daily Geneva view to someone else.

The Panorama knife can be found in many shops in Geneva, such as Globus and Pfister, as well as smaller boutique shops. For the full list of their retailers, check out their website:  www.panoramaknife.ch

Eating fondue is not just adding a ready-made bag of cheese to melt in your fondue pot. There are actually lots of different ways to eat a Swiss Fondue! The company Helvetiq has a great recipe book featuring no less than 52 different fondue recipes! Fondue with pesto, with chilli or curry and pineapple, enough to make every fondue lover’s mouth water!

Helvetiq can also shed a light on different Swiss breads. National breads, cantonal bread varieties and seasonal breads such as the cute little bread men that you see at bakeries in Geneva during December, ‘le bonhomme de St. Nicolas’, or ‘Grittibänz’ in the German part of Switzerland. In the Swiss bread book you will learn all about different breads and how to make them at home.

Helvetiq has many other Swiss-themed products and they offer them in lots of different languages. They also have games for your Swiss themed winter evenings. We like the Matterhorn game where you should be the first competitor to reach the top of the most iconic Swiss peak.

Check out all of Helvetiq’s products in their online shop: www.helvetiq.com

This small Swiss company hand-stamps antique silver-plated spoons and other cutlery, which makes perfect gifts for your loved ones, or for yourself, to turn your memories into a special keepsake… The Loving Spoon has a whole range of Swiss themed spoons, and you could also personalise your own spoons for special occasions such as the birth of a baby, a wedding, or, to remember your own Swiss travels. The spoons are all up-cycled, pre-loved pieces found in antique shops or flea markets. They are cleaned, restored and hand-stamped with short quotes, such as: ‘The On the Go Spoon’, or your own favorite poem or text. Since we are all enjoying more ‘take-away’ meals supporting local restaurants in 2020, as well as eating outside during picnics, why not use a beautiful Loving Spoon to make your Geneva memories special!

Find your perfect match, or personalise your gift here: thelovingspoon.net

A good box of chocolates is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of gifts from Switzerland! Sweetzerland is a premium chocolate shop in Geneva where every piece of chocolate is handcrafted with passion in their workshop in town.

Sweetzerland combines local Swiss hay milk and salt crystals from the Alps, with the finest cocoa from all around the world found through ethical sourcing.

You will find beautiful gift boxes containing truffles & pralines, chocolate almonds, chocolate slabs, chocolate bars, and more. The good news is that Sweetzerland ships within Switzerland for free, and can also ship your box internationally to a lot of countries, which means there is no excuse not to gift your family Swiss chocolate this year.

Sweetzerland has a boutique shop on Rue du Mont-Blanc 5 in Geneva, or, check out their shop online, where you can also find more information on which countries they ship to:

www.sweetzerland.net

Bergli has been publishing books on Switzerland and Swiss culture since 1988! Their books cover the diversity, rich history and cultural attitudes and values of the Swiss, and their interactions with international people living in Switzerland.

There are many interesting titles at Bergli to spark curiosity. Books such as ‘The Naked Swiss’,  ‘A nation behind 10 myths’, or ‘Swisstory’, about the untold, bloody  history of Switzerland.

Our favorite picks at Bergli are the cool ‘Wild Swimming in Switzerland ‘guide, the ‘Switzerland Cartoon Survival Guide’, and ‘Swiss Cooking’ by Helvetic Kitchen.

Check out all the beautiful books on Switzerland and Swiss culture on Bergli’s webshop:

www.bergli.ch

A nice bottle of Swiss wine is a good gift to bring for when we are allowed to eat with friends again, or to bring home to your family if you are allowed to visit. Geneva has many local wine producers and local wines are easily found at the supermarkets or at  Manor and Globus department stores in Geneva.

We recently discovered a small company which up-cycles bottles of wine that had been consumed and discarded in Switzerland! Glass Upcycled repurposes these wine bottles into really cool looking glass tumblers! So if you’re looking for an eco-friendly gift, then make sure to check out these beautiful glasses: www.glass-upcycled.com

If you are looking for more inspiration, also check out the ‘Support Your Local Shopping Guide’ on Let’s Explore: SUPPORT YOUR LOCALS SWISS SHOPPING GUIDE!

Make sure you send your packages in time, as the Swiss Post is also very busy helping Santa, like every year. Children in Switzerland can post a letter to Santa, by simply writing: Santa, North Pole, or Santa, Rocher de Naye, on the envelope, and they will get a reply! Santa’s helpers at Swiss Post reply in all the national languages, plus in English…

Your child can post his or her letter in any regular mailbox, or in a special one such as the one in Carouge, pictured in the photograph alongside. Don’t forget to add your address as a sender!