A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.  ~ Unknown

Hugs are a wonderful gift. But sometimes it’s not enough to give a hug (well, really, its always enough to hug a girlfriend–trust us on this). Finding a gift for a gal pal can sometimes be the easiest thing in the world (after all you know each other so well!). But sometimes, finding the right gift is next to impossible.

Guest blogger LYNN STEINBERG has great ideas about finding great food gifts. Which girlfriends would these be great gifts for?

Food has a special way of connecting girlfriends. It brings us together, helps us reminisce, encourages us to experiment, and cements the bonds of lifelong and new-found best buds.

For me foods have always made great gifts. Whether it is a friend’s birthday, the birth of a child, a new home, or just girls’ night, there’s always a tasty treat to make the celebration that much more…delicious!

Although I’m known in my group as the ultimate gift giver, one of my favorite food-gift memories is when one of my closet friends from college gave me a present. It’s actually part of the inspiration for my business.

In 2001, my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I moved away from New York City so he could attend business school in North Carolina. It was an exciting time in my life, but scary as I was leaving behind great friends and the fun and experiences that New York City has to offer a young girl in her mid-twenties. Within 18 months, I was married and pregnant with my first child. Although I was so happy in my personal life, I started to feel even more separated from my friendships and experiences I left behind in New York.

Even though I am not officially Jewish, many of my friends growing up were, and they always joked that I was trapped inside a Jewish body because of my love of bagels, lox, sour pickles, pickled herring, and other traditional Jewish foods. Leaving my favorite foods behind was one of the hardest things about leaving New York—Chapel Hill, N.C., is not known for its Jewish Delis.

With that being said, I will never forget the day one of my maids of honor, Brooke, shipped me a food gift of Full Sour Pickles from New York. It was one of those moments I truly will never forget. It was one of the best gifts I ever received because it solidified that even though our lives were changing, Brooke really knew me and knew what would make me happy. Even though we aren’t as close as were 11 years ago, it is one of those memories that remind you who your lifelong friends really are despite how often you talk to or see them.

Today, I find a reason to send a food gift to all my friends whenever I can! Who doesn’t love to get something they can sink their teeth into?!

Here are some of my favorite edible presents to help you be the best gift giver in your group of girlfriends:

• When shopping for a bride-to-be, food is a perfect addition to an item off her registry. Buying a set of pots? Complete a date-night package with fresh lobsters straight from Maine.
• Pregnant? Order her some Pickles and Peanut Butter ice cream to satisfy her daily cravings.
• For your college roommate’s birthday, send soup from the ski resort town where your group of friends went on Spring Break.
• For a girlfriend going through a hard time, send a bouquet of cake pops to let her know you’re thinking about her.
• When it’s girls’ night in, bring delicious cookies made specifically to complement that big bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

LYNN STEINBERG started Goodies For Gifts as a food review blog. As it built in popularity and she realized people were increasingly looking for food to give as presents, she expanded it into an online resource. Today, Goodies For Gifts is the first and only website providing consumers a free resource to find, buy, and share unique edible “goodies” to give as gifts. Visit it now at www.goodiesforgifts.com.

What are your favorite food gifts to give and receive?

More ways we celebrate food and female friends:

• First Annual Wine Sisterhood Gathering – Amazing ‘blend’ of wine and women in Napa
• Caffeinated Happiness – Coffee-inspired Girlfriend Gifts
• The Great Cookie Onslaught – The Faux Diet Queen talks treats and temptations

p.s. We  love food (especially when combined with friends!) so much that we have these Pinterest Pinboards:

• Always Time for Wine – From wine gifts to our trip to Napa with the Wine Sisterhood
• For our Foodie Friends – Recipes and yummy ideas we so want to cook and taste!
• Sweets & Treats - Tasty treats for us and our dessert-loving girlfriends
• Breakfast & Brunch – Breakfast inspiration that makes us happy
• Chocolate & Girlfriends – It’s a good combination!

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!)

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