Putting together a festival gift box

A gift box has a harder job than a tin for the house. It gets carried, handed over, and opened in front of people.

Pick for travel first

Dry sweets — barfi, kaju katli, kalakand — hold their shape through a journey. Syrup-based sweets travel badly in a box and belong in a sealed tin instead. Mixing the two in one open box is how you arrive with a mess.

Contrast beats variety

Three or four kinds that look and taste different are better than eight that blur together. Something nutty, something milky, something with a bit of chew.

Think about the receiving household

A box that cannot be finished in two or three days becomes a burden. For a small family, a well-chosen 500 g assortment lands better than a large box that half goes to waste.

Say when it was made

If you are gifting, mention the day it was made and that it wants refrigeration once opened. It is a small thing that decides whether the sweet is enjoyed or forgotten in a cupboard.