After reading my last post about holiday traditions and Hickory Farms–in which I confess that husband accidentally ate the contents of the gift box meant for me, my dear and generous friends showed up at my home recently with a replacement.

They had–very excitedly on a Friday night–shopped at the Hickory Farms store in the Bridgewater Mall (in New Jersey) for the perfect gift to bring to our last-minute holiday get-together. So last weekend, we celebrated our mix of holiday traditions at our New York City apartment, together with our children, good food, and a great deal of joy.

My friends picked out the Warm & Hearty Welcome gift box–just one of many Hickory Farms food gifts that are perfect for any budget. I am happy to report that my favorite item, the Summer Sausage, is included in this gift. (The Hickory Farms Summer Sausage won the 2011 Masters of Taste Gold Medal for Superior Taste and is the number one sausage in America. Oh yeah.)

And as we all enjoyed the Christmas tree, the menorah being lit for the first night of Hanukkah, our fake (but fabulous) fireplace, we expressed our gratitude for our most treasured gifts: our healthy, happy families and the opportunity to be with our friends and loved ones.

In this same spirit of appreciation, Hickory Farms partners with Operation Gratitude, a national organization that creates care packages for our troops and their families. There are eight Hickory Farms products, including the Home for the Holidays gift basket, that ship free to military APO and FPO addresses.

Hickory Farms began a partnership with Share Our Strength in 2008 and has since donated close to two million dollars. To help fight child hunger this holiday season, Hickory Farms will donate five dollars to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign for each Party Planner gift box sold. One in five children in this country is hungry; this campaign is ending child hunger by working to ensure all children have access to nutritious food where they play, learn, and live.

The Party Planner gift box

For more than 60 years, Hickory Farms has been providing holiday shoppers with beautiful and delicious gift options. Not only do you get freshness and value with Hickory Farms’ holiday treats–but you are sharing quality gifts that truly celebrate this season of giving.

Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a sample of the product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms.