Christmas Fruits

WALLINGFORD, CT-- Inspired by the beauty of long-stemmed roses, Edible Arrangements Berry Chocolate Roses are a clever alternative to traditional Valentine's Day gifts. Featuring gourmet chocolate covered strawberries arranged on stem-shaped skewers, Berry Chocolate Roses mark the newest fresh fruit arrangement to debut from Edible Arrangements, the pioneer and leader in hand-sculpted, fresh-fruit displays and chocolate-dipped fruit. Each hand-dipped chocolate-covered strawberry bouquet is arranged in a signature red box -- making it a beautiful, delicious and unique gift solution for the holiday.

"Valentine's Day is not just about your sweetheart," said Steve Thomas, Vice President of Marketing for Edible Arrangements. "Whether surprising mom or sharing our Berry Chocolate Roses with a friend, the delicious combination of fresh strawberries and gourmet chocolate is a fun and delicious gift for those looking for a unique and fresh idea this holiday."

Arranged by the dozen, Edible Arrangements Berry Chocolate Roses are available in semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate varieties, or a combination of both. Signature Berry Chocolate Roses boxes start at $49.

Edible Arrangements also offers a variety of fresh fruit bouquets that are guaranteed to deliver happiness this Valentine's Day and beyond.

Featured arrangements include:

-- Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Mixed Toppings - One dozen fresh strawberries hand-dipped in gourmet chocolate. This assortment will include a variety of flavors such as semi-sweet chocolate, coconut and almonds ($39).

-- Valentine's Day Berry Chocolate Bouquet® - A perfect combination of fruit & chocolate, this mouth-watering arrangement is filled with fresh strawberries, gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple daisies and hearts. Arrangements are available in an assortment of sizes ($69, $99, $129, $159, $209).

Edible Arrangements bouquets are made-to-order to ensure freshness; no preservatives or sweeteners are used. The artistically designed fresh fruit bouquets are arranged in a designer container and delivered fresh or available for pick-up at one of more than 900 Edible Arrangements locations worldwide.

Ordering from Edible Arrangements is quick, simple and a surefire way to deliver happiness. Assortments are available via a toll-free number at 1-877-DO-FRUIT, or online at www.EdibleArrangements.com.

Edible Arrangements International, Inc. is the leading purveyor of delicious, high quality, artistically designed fresh fruit arrangements that are a practical and healthy gift delivering happiness no matter the season. Founded in 1999 in East Haven, Conn. by Tariq Farid, Edible Arrangements earned the 48th spot on Entrepreneur's 2009 Franchise 500® ranking. Edible Arrangements has more than 900 operating locations worldwide and is rapidly expanding with franchises across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and throughout the United Arab Emirates. Customers may order arrangements by telephone 1-877-DO-FRUIT, at one of the company's retail stores, or online at www.EdibleArrangements.com.

This story is by my neighbor, Betty who I helped with her Christmas shopping last year:

I used to think online shopping was for workaholics. To me workaholics are people who would rather sit at a desk and work than see their families. In my opinion, gifts should be bought after careful consideration. I go to every store there is for the item I want to buy. I interview the sales person, sometimes I even ask fellow shoppers for their opinion. You can just imagine how important it is for me to find the perfect gift for everyone. And for years I thought the perfect gift could only be found after many long visits and tours of every shopping center that fell within an hour’s drive. I was mistaken. I came to realize the reality behind online shopping this year.

I’m a substitute teacher at the local elementary. I work a few hours a week but this winter, one of the teachers went on maternity leave and I was called in for an extended period of time. I was working the whole week and my hours were longer too. Add to that the fact that I have three kids all under twelve, and I found myself behind in my Christmas shopping. I was late with dinner most nights and the laundry was piling up. I suddenly realized how wrong my definition of workaholics had been. Here I was, sitting late at night checking notebooks while my kids didn’t have someone to tuck them in. I would easily have traded work to be with them but that wasn’t an option.

So after a stressful month like this during which I got no shopping done, I went to see my neighbor. She had been a career woman since day one. She had two little kids of her own and yet the Christmas gifts we got from her were always wonderful. She was just as dedicated to her family as she was with work and I wondered how she did it. The answer was online shopping.

I didn’t believe her at first. It seemed impossible that her gifts could actually be the result of the ‘internet’. It took her two hours to convince me to try it and I did. Since I was new at the online shopping thing and very behind in my Christmas shopping she told me not to waste time browsing and directed me to some of her favorite sites. Her picks were excellent particularly this one site about unique Christmas gifts.

I liked their suggestion about fruit baskets for Christmas. The baskets they featured weren’t the usual wicker baskets with fruit in them. They were these arrangements of fruits cut and arranged in to flowers. They were assembled in special ceramic containers shaped like a snowman or a sleigh. I loved them. They became my favorite in seconds. As I began sending them out to everyone who lived out of state I found myself receiving thank you notes. I had never gotten any thank you notes before when I shopped till my feet were sore. It felt wonderful to know my gifts had brought so much joy. I have kept every single thank you note in an antic jewelry box. I proudly admit that I shop online.

I’m impervious. Nothing on earth makes me sick. I don’t catch the flu from people. I don’t even get headaches. Diseases fear me. I’m one person whose medical cost the President doesn’t need to worry about. Well, he wouldn’t need to worry me if diseases were all that could harm a person. There is also this thing called breaking bones; a fracture in medical terms. After twenty-seven years of impeccable health, I fractured my right little toe. Usually I don’t even remember I have a right toe but now, that toe is all I think about because it won’t let me go Christmas shopping. Apparently it might get stepped on during the holiday rush. So I’m stuck doing my Christmas shopping online like a tech junkie. Someone please tell me what is the point behind the 2X button on my mouse? Why would I bother to move my finger that far in the first place?

Since I can’t go Christmas shopping, I can’t choose my wrapping paper. I don’t trust anyone else’s choice. I always buy my own wrapping paper. I know it makes me come off as a bit of a ‘control freak’ but this mode is only when I’m getting gifts for Christmas. The reason is I love Christmas and I love getting people gifts. My Christmas gifts say a lot about who I am and how I feel about the person I’m getting a gift for. A lot of thought and consideration needs to go in to my gifts. If it didn’t matter, people all over the world could tie a bunch of candy canes together and be done with it.

So my problem begins with my right toe and ends with me not having too much success with online shopping. I mean I find good stuff but I don’t like the packaging and the wrapping. If you have someone wrap a gift online, it costs a lot of money. I don’t know how my mom does it but since I’m out of ideas and sick of royal blue banners flashing ‘Unique Christmas Gifts’ at me, I took a crash course in online Christmas shopping. It isn’t the easiest thing when you look at it but my mom has a method called her ‘Traditional gift’ selection. She has a few good sites picked out where every year they bring in really good and affordable stuff to add to their gift suggestion list.

My mom got me hooked on to a few of them. They had some great stuff but only one managed to solve my wrapping problems. It was this site featuring Christmas fruit baskets. Usually I don’t think fruit baskets are an appropriate Christmas gift but these fruit baskets for Christmas were a completely different story. The site featured fruit cut and arranged to look like flowers in special Christmas containers. They were edible bouquets. The greatest thing about them was that they didn’t need to be wrapped. I would save money and my gift would still look great. Mom’s been sending these to people she knew from high school and from work and they’ve always been loved so I’m definitely going with them.