A Warm Wish February Newsletter, Gift Giving Tips, Gift of the Month, Specials & Deals
Welcome to A Warm Wish
It's February and Love is in the Air! February is
National Heart Month. In addition to pouring out your
love to that special someone, don't forget to take a
look at your own heart, and heart health. The American
Heart Association has great information available to
help you keep your heart healthy. This month is our
local Heart Associations Go Red for Women Luncheon and
we are excited to work with them to create wonderful
designs with donated items for their silent auction at
the event. Speaking of heart health, we have our new
Healthy Happy Gourmet gifts available. Delicious and
healthy these are great gifts! Of course we have
wonderful Valentine gifts, some are meant to heat up the
romance, some to pamper the one you love, and our new
Chocolate Luxury is the best way to indulge your
favorite chocolate lover.
History of Valentines Day
The History of Valentines Day
While some believe that Valentine's Day is
celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate
the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial --
which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others
claim that the Christian church may have decided to
celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of
February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations
of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome,
February was the official beginning of spring and
was considered a time for purification. Houses were
ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then
sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt
throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began
at the ides of February, February 15, was a
fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman
god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders
Romulus and Remus.
Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum.
Gifting 101 - Gift Giving Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year has a great history. In other traditions, by
this time in the year, most resolutions - made on December 31 - have
been subtly forgotten and placed in a cupboard marked "maybe next
year." However, all hope is not lost, as there's a second chance to
start afresh with the celebration of Chinese New Year on February
7th.
The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, swathed in
traditions and rituals.
The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in
fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognized as
the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days.
Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New
Year (similar to a Western Christmas), when people start buying
presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up
gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are
cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck,
and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually
red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and
couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed
on them.
The eve of the New
Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation
creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed
in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of
seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies
include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (or ho
xi), for all things good, raw fish salad or yu sheng to bring good
luck and prosperity, Fai-hai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like
seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi)
signifying a long-lost good wish for a family. It's usual to wear
something red as this color is meant to ward off evil spirits - but
black and white are out, as these are associated with mourning.
After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing cards, board
games or watching TV programs dedicated to the occasion. At
midnight, the sky is lit up by fireworks.
On the day itself, an ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red
Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children
and unmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then the family begins
to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and
then their neighbors. Like the Western saying "let bygones be
bygones," at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily cast aside.
The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which
is a celebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows.
Although celebrations of the Chinese New Year vary, the underlying
message is one of peace and happiness for family members and
friends.
February Gift Medley of the Month
Heaven for any chocolate lover, this gift is filled with
a variety of fine luxury chocolates. These two red
faux leather boxes are stacked to give the best view of
this incredible selection. We start off with a box of 6
Fruit Ganache Truffles, fruit purees folding in fresh
cream and butter centers and enrobed in milk and dark
chocolate, flavors include: Strawberry, Tangelo, Lemon,
Pear, Coconut and Passion Fruit. We add chocolate
covered dried cherries, 2 gourmet chocolate bars; one in
milk chocolate and one in dark, 2 Chocolate biscotti
wedges(scrumptious wedges of flavored chocolate with
sprinkles of crispy biscotti) in dark chocolate and mint
chocolate, a 2 oz box of glace coated orange slices
dipped in premium dark chocolate, a decadent drumstick
pretzel in chocolate fudge brownie, a 4 oz Swiss
Chocolate Liqueur Cake, and finally a variety of warm
chocolate beverages, including Bellagio Chocolate
Truffle Cocoa (a true liquid chocolate bar, rich
bittersweet dark chocolate for the truest of chocolate
connoisseurs), Serenity Chocolate Dream Chai Mix and
Bellagio Sipping Chocolate (This delicious, decadent
chocolate dessert has a velvety-smooth finish and is
made with pure ingredients, including 100% pure cocoa
powder and chocolate liqueur). This elegant gift is the
perfect luxury for the chocolate lover that you want to
impress.
Vendor Spotlight
Torn Ranch, nestled between San Francisco and Napa Valley, is a manufacturer and purveyor of gourmet specialty foods. We handcraft the finest chocolates and baked goods, and use the famous dried fruits and nuts from California’s lush, fertile valleys. For over 30 years, Torn Ranch has been providing only the best in premium quality foods and fine gifts.
Visit Torn Ranch
The humble beginnings at Torn Ranch originated as a retail store located in Marin County. The gourmet specialty store was renowned for its Jumbo Cashews. As a warm welcome, the owner would place a jumbo cashew in each customers hands. Eventually, due to the expanding demand in the wholesale specialty market, the Torn Ranch retail store was closed to specialize in wholesale.
Today, Torn Ranch is a leader and guiding innovator in the gourmet industry. We maintain our unparalleled commitment to the highest standard for product quality, gift design and customer service. Our kitchens host the nut roastery and the bakery, where our famous Mashuga Nuts and Gigi Biscotti are made fresh daily. Our artisans produce exquisite truffles, uniquely infused chocolates, and other chocolate goods in our factory. We also recently acquired Zozo Beans and Mochadot, to add to our diverse assortment of goods.
A Warm Wish featured Web sites
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Specials and Deals
February Calendar
Newsletter Archive
A Warm Wish Newsletter January 2008 Full Story
A Warm Wish Newsletter February 2008 Full Story
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