Get one of a kind Christmas gifts directly from Latin America and captivate everyone’s attention this year.

Twinkle lights, the unmistakable scents of cinnamon and pine wafting in the air and a general joyful spirit… Christmas is right around the corner! It’s time to start buying presents for everyone. That means family, friends, colleagues and that unexpected guest that might ring the doorbell at the last second!

To help you navigate this shopping season, here are some ideas for Christmas gifts with a tropical touch:

Exotic tables

These are gift ideas for that person who loves decor, and surprising guests with unexpected home accessories!

Although green is one of the season’s color –along with red and gold– you don’t have to limit it only to December. Take a cue from the exuberant vegetation of Latin America give a set of hand-painted wooden placemats. Anyone can combine them with cloth napkins in bright monochromatic hues like orange or the ever classic white, to create visual contrast.

Unique high-end pieces like hand painted wooden servers are ideal Christmas gifts too, especially for the most experienced entertainers of your group. These not only can liven up any dinner table, but you will be remembered throughout the year every time they use them.

You can also give Christmas gifts with tropical vibes with some hand-painted calabash shell fruits! Everyone loves their vibrant colors and glossy finish.

Pinches of flavor

If you are part of the foodie movement, treat your friends with samples of regional spices. From Mexican vanilla, star anise, Brazilian pepper to a variety of hot chilies, the possibilities are endless.

Also, you can gather some iconic ingredients such as toasted coffee beans from Colombia, fresh cocoa powder from Venezuela and dried tropical fruits. Artisanal jams and bottles of rum or white liquor (like cocuy or tequila) are also great choices to give original Christmas gifts with a tropical touch.

A style tip: Little mason jars are still on trend, so fill up three or four with your favorite spices and put them inside a hand weaved palm leaf bag to create a wonderful present.

Hardcovers

Yes, we live in the digital era, but books still have an irresistible charm. Select titles like One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez; The House of The Spirits by acclaimed Chilean writer Isabel Allende, or Argentinean author Julio Cortázar’s Rayuela. These are the perfect Christmas gifts for those friends who would love to wander through Macondo’s streets or simply explore a bit of magic realism.    

Fashionable Christmas gifts

Accessories always make great Christmas gifts for daughters, girlfriends, sisters, nieces, moms, wives or mother-in-laws. Follow the latest fashion trends by choosing a couple of handcrafted authentic leather and thread bracelets and please even the most difficult female members of your family.  

The people you’re gifting have more boho-chic sensibilities? Then some leather bracelets in both vibrant and earthy colors or handmade necklaces will be perfect!

Keep it natural

Over the last few months, mini plants in terracotta or ceramic pots have become hugely popular.

If you don’t want to gift the ubiquitous succulents or cacti, swap them for unique tropical flowers instead! Choose among colorful orchids, bird of paradise flowers, Amazon lilies or the iconic “papagayo” or “mata de pascua“, a Latin American Christmas plant known as poinsettia in the US, with dazzling red leaves.

Make it more personal by adding a handwritten card with the name and origin, as well as some 101 gardening instructions.

An extra tip: Wrap all your Christmas gifts in beautiful paper with tiny metallic details. Also, do not forget a sizable bow or curly ribbon!