A Lunar New Year Gifting Checklist

Lunar New Year gifting fails in predictable ways: too late, too uniform, or too much of one thing nobody eats. This is the checklist we would work through ourselves.

Order earlier than feels necessary

Everything festive is made in batches, and the popular items sell through in the fortnight before the holiday. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable. The week before is not.

Work out your headcount first

Split it into three groups, because they need different things:

• Households you visit. One gift-packaged tin each. This is where gift packaging earns its cost — you are handing it over directly.
• Your own open house. Larger tins, no packaging. Nobody sees the box; they see the plate.
• Office and neighbours. A platter or a treasure mix covers more people per item than a single-flavour tin.

Cover three textures, not three flavours

A table that is all soft baked goods gets boring quickly. The reliable spread is one buttery tart, one crisp or nutty cookie, and one fruit-and-nut item. Something like a florentine cookie does double duty — crisp and nutty at once.

Do not forget the people who do not eat sweets

There is at least one at every gathering. A fruit and nut mix or a plain platter is the item they will actually take, and it is the item that runs out first at tables that have one.

Gift packaging: when it is worth it

Gift packaging on our tins is an option on the same product page, not a separate product, so you can see exactly what the upgrade costs before choosing. It is worth it when the tin is being handed to someone. It is not worth it for anything going onto your own table.

A workable default order

For a household hosting once and visiting four or five others: two large tins for the table, four to five gift-packaged tins to carry, and one platter or treasure mix as the safe option. Adjust upward for the number of guests, not the number of days.