Perhaps you’re finally travelling home for an unhindered, Covid test-free trip to see friends and family over the festive season, and want to take something uniquely Luxembourgish with you.
Maybe you prefer your gifts to be sustainable and bought from local businesses rather than shipped in by Amazon?
Either way, here is our list of uniquely Luxembourgish gifts to surprise friends and family wherever you spend your Yuletide.
Artful Luxembourg
The Grand Duchy has a wealth of artists and photographers who capture Luxembourg in all its glory.
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Pick up an iconic Ben Carter print of the red bridge, the cobbled streets, Place Guillaume or Vianden Castle. Alternatively, several photographers have produced stunning images of Luxembourg’s landscape, nature, architecture and city life.
Jigsaws of famous Luxembourgish views and landmarks
Photo: Alfonso Salgueiro
Check out the limited edition prints available from Christophe van Biesen, Alfonso Salgueiro, and Photo Dudau. You can also buy these photographs as calendars for 2023, and Christmas cards, but perhaps more originally, Dudau and Salgueiro both produce their photos as jigsaws.
The latter packages them in cute tin boxes and has four puzzles – Vianden Castle under snow, the Upper Sûre lake, Bourscheid Castle rising from the fog, or Luxembourg City, frozen in time. Depending on how much of a puzzle fiend you are, or if you’re buying it for a small child, you can choose from five sizes: 30, 110, 252, 500 or 1,000 pieces. Dudau sells 1,000 piece puzzles of Vianden, Kirchberg, Mullerthal and the city.
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The Great Luxembourgish bake-off
Forget Pru and Paul, local chef Anne Faber is something of a national celebrity and with good reason. Her cookbook “Flavours of home”, has 65 recipes including Luxembourgish dishes, but also vegetarian delights and sweet treats.
Anne’s Luxembourg-shaped cookie cutters make a great stocking filler
Photo: Anne Faber
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You can watch her prepare the dishes in her kitchen by scanning the QR codes with each recipe.
If your family or friends don’t really know much about this country, send them a little bit of the Grand Duchy in the form of a Luxembourg-shaped cookie cutter.
Fancy chocolates
Founded in 1964, Oberweis are the official supplier of chocolate to the Grand Ducal family, and you can buy beautiful gift box collections, including a box (of gourmand bars) decorated with an illustration of Luxembourg City. They also sell ideal stocking fillers including festive mugs filled with treats, and marzipan and chocolate Saint Nicolas figures.
You can pick up some fancy chocolates, including chocolate spoons at the Chocolate House Luxembourg. The other historically famous chocolate-maker, Namur, uses centuries-old recipes passed down through six generations to create festive marzipan, truffles and other delights. For something a bit more artisan, try Chocolaterie Genaveh in Steinfort and their Luxembourg Edition gift box adorned in red, white and blue.
The spirit of Christmas
Luxembourg’s famous Crémant makes for a sparkling gift Photo: Domaine Vinsmoselle
What says Luxembourg more than a glass of Crémant, which is handy as you can pick up a case directly from Bernard Massard or Poll Fabaire. At the former, you can even personalise your label with a picture or message.
Luxembourg’s Eaux de vie will put some colour in your cheeks on a cold winter night. Often produced from Mirabelle plums or Neelch pears cultivated locally, a bottle of this strong stuff makes an unusual gift for those who like their alcohol 40% proof and above.
Varieties include Nössdrëpp (nuts), and Pere Blanc, made from a secret blend of plants from a 100-year old recipe. Mellis produces Luxembourgish honey schnapps or Hunnegdrëpp working with local beekeepers and mixing herbs to create a new version of this well-known local liqueur. The outfit also produces honey brandy and beer.
For a digestive, try Elixir de Mondorf, made from 30 different plants, or you can taste Cassero (blackcurrant liqueur) and buy a bottle at the distillery at Beaufort Castle.
Look for the “Eau de Vie” Marque National Luxembourg on the bottle. Online suppliers include Pitz-Schweitzer and Othon Schmitt, or you can buy directly from the distilleries including the artisanal Distillerie Adam in Kehlen. This website brings together smaller distillers.
If gin is more your thing, then you could buy a WortShop box containing three gins – natural, red fruits and spices, created by the Diedenacker distillery, with labels and a signed booklet from artist Florence Hoffman, containing three dishes based around each gin created by Michelin-starred chef Cyril Molard.
Opyus gin is produced locally in Luxembourg in small batches using native plants. It comes in dry gin, sloe gin, navy strength (57%) and coffee gin liqueur.
Classic presents
Forget Rolex, the Grand Ducal family prefer Schroeder timepieces. Founded in 1887, the family’s main shop is on the Grand Rue, but their elegant watches and high-quality craftsmanship can also be found in Paris. Signature watches are updated regularly but for something truly special check out this pocket-watch, a work of art in its own right.
If you want to remember Luxembourg every time you drink your tea or coffee, then world-famous ceramic manufacturers, Villeroy & Boch, produce a Luxembourg mug featuring the Golden Lady, as part of their Cities of the World range. They also have a Christmas range as part of their collector’s items.
A pepper mill with the laser signature of Tony Tintinger, former chef at Restaurant Clairefontaine
Photo: Anouk Antony
The WortShop has a great selection of high-end gifts, sourced locally, including a pepper and salt mill from Tony Tintinger (former chef at Restaurant Clairefontaine), a selection of unusual fountain pens, fashion accessories, decorations, figurines, paintings and sculptures.
Made in Luxembourg
Artisan workshops across the Grand Duchy stock some of the country’s most authentic gifts from pottery, beeswax products and honey, to decorative knick knacks and wool blankets. The Upper Sûre region is the place to visit workshops, learn about local crafts and pick up a bargain gift. Schmaach Ëm de Séi a méi, a cafe and a shop in Esch-sur-Sûre sells handicrafts from across the region, or you will find a list of local producers here.
The Luxembourg House concept store has a vast array of products that are all “made in Luxembourg” and cater to all budgets. Items include art and decoration, gastronomy, textiles, stationery and numerous gift ideas. You can also browse online with Letzshop and see a whole host of local suppliers and plenty of gift ideas in the Luxembourgish products section.
A tasty present: choose from a variety of mustards and mayonnaises
Photo: Pierre Matgé
Alternatively pick up a pot of Made in Luxembourg mustard as a culinary treat for your family back home. Varieties include the original, strong, bio, traditional and mustard with beer or Riesling. If you’re not a mustard lover, check out their mayonnaise, ketchup, Andalouse and BBQ sauces.
Light the dark nights
Yep, this is the season for naked flames, creating a lovely winter glow inside your house. If you long for a relaxing aura and aroma, scented candles are ideal, and make a nice gift or stocking filler. L’Atelier Virginie has a workshop in Helmsange creating hand-poured, soy, rapeseed and beeswax candles with the Made in Luxembourg label. Unusual perfumes include Butterfly garden and cut grass, with winter smells such as chocolate and orange.
Unfortunately The Luxembourg Chandler is not able to take new orders before Christmas, but you can still buy their hand-poured soy and vegan-friendly candles, which come in scents such as lavendar, fresh cotton and the smell of Christmas, at the Randschelter Adventsmaart on 3 December.
Curl up with a book and a brew
Books make wonderful gifts, because you never forget who gave you one.
Luxembourg’s Black Fountain Press publishes local English-language authors, including science fiction meets psychological thriller Irresistible Blending by Canadian Mary Carey, or I’m having a Knippchen by Jeffrey Palms, which gives an American view of Luxembourgish culture.
For a bit of history, delve into Marguerite Thill-Somin-Nicholson’s book Surviving the Nazi occupation of Luxembourg or Andrew Reid’s Luxembourg: The Clog-Shaped Duchy, a chronological history of Luxembourg from the Celts to the present day. You can purchase books directly from Black Fountain Press and for other authors try Librairie Alinea on Rue Beaumont in town.
You can also pick up poetry books from local residents Wendy Winn, who penned Train of Thought (all written on or inspired by train commutes), and James Leader, whose book of poems High Talk was launched at the Walfer Bicherdeeg this year. Both are available at Ernster.
Lavender, camomile and lemon balm tea
Photo: Kate Greenwood/Botanika
If you want a warm mug of tea to go with that book, look no further than Botanika in Hobscheid, which produces a calming herbal tea with lavender, camomile, and lemon balm. They also sell edible flowers (fresh and dried), herbs and other organic products grown on site. For organic tea and coffee, head to La Maison du Thé in Huldange.
If you want to try an Eislek tea blend, together with a whole host of local products from food delicacies and soaps and scents, to locally brewed wine and other unusual alcoholic drinks, try Wanderscheid in town at 4 Rue du Fossé. They can put together a special hamper of local products if you want to give it as a gift. They also sell Bamkuch, a Luxembourgish cake shaped like a tree, cut into pieces and covered in chocolate.
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