The Swiss Colony {Review + Giveaway}

As much as I love Halloween, I am more than a little happy that it is done and over with, why you ask?  Well, because I love the holiday season, so much in fact, that I have a hard time waiting until Thanksgiving to start decorating!  Since I can’t get away with decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, I have to find other ways of getting festive and none are more fun or more yummy than The Swiss Colony. 

The Swiss Colony is a company that I have loved for years; known for their excellent quality and timeless appeal, Swiss Colony is a staple for many of us during the holidays and year round.  I remember snagging my moms Swiss Colony catalog when I was younger and drooling over the Petits Fours and cheese and sausage gift baskets.  Though much has changed since then for Swiss Colony (adding a website for one) much has stayed the same, including their amazing selection of gift baskets and yummy treats!  For those of you have not had the privilege of getting to know Swiss Colony, let me be the first to introduce you! From the Swiss Colony website:

Tucked in the hills of beautiful Monroe, Wisconsin, The Swiss Colony began in the entrepreneurial spirit of a young Ray Kubly. A smart, enterprising student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ray wrote up an advertising campaign that detailed a business that sold cheese by mail.
After graduating, Ray took his class project and began to mold it into reality from the basement of his home in Monroe. In 1926, he mailed out handbills, which he himself designed and stamped, that advertised cuts of Wisconsin-made bulk cheeses. As orders came in, he cut the huge wheels of cheese into pieces, and wrapped and shipped them. In his first year of business, he sold all 50 packages of cheese that he had prepared.

Through the 1940s and 50s, interest in the company increased, and so did its size and profits. In 1954, Ray Kubly incorporated The Swiss Colony from the enterprise begun in his basement. Through all these years, Ray worked a regular day job outside The Swiss Colony until 1961, when he was finally able to focus full–time on his own company. Since then, The Swiss Colony and its affiliated businesses have grown by leaps and bounds, from cheese and food gifts to general merchandise encompassing several different brands.

I recently had the chance to review something from The Swiss Colony and let me just say that diet was not a word in my vocabulary for a few days!  We received the Jolly Wink Santa Cake for our review.  Now when I tell you that I literally had to stop a fight from breaking out in the middle of my kitchen over this cake, I am completely serious.  Both of my oldest daughter earned themselves a time-out arguing over who was going to get the first piece of cake (kid you not ladies and gentlemen) and in case you’re wondering, I got the first piece sometimes it is SO cool being mom!  Anyway when the cake arrived our adorably yummy Santa was packed up nice and tight so nothing happened during shipping and aside from a small crack on the surface of the cake, all was well.

Here’s a description of the cake from The Swiss Colony website:

Our skilled pastry elves fluff him up with layer upon layer of tender white cake and frothy chocolate butter creme. Then they carefully dress him all over with coats of luscious Swiss creme. Fine details are applied by hand with icing, and his famous whiskers are whipped up with delectable frosting. A visit from this St. Nick will surely be an unforgettable feast of joys.

 

Our Jolly Wink Santa Cake fresh out of the box! 

The inside of the Jolly Wink Santa Cake…yummy, yum, yum!

We had absolutely no problem enjoying this cake, though the girls were a little confused by the “icing” but when I tried to explain that it wasn't really icing they were too busy eating to pay any attention to me, so I guess their confusion was short lived.  I have to say that for someone who thoroughly enjoys petit fours as much as I do…this cake was just as luxurious and amazing!  If you’re looking for the perfect edible gift this holiday season, The Swiss Colony is sure to have it so make sure you check them out in our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide…The Swiss Colony is also listed in our Holidays Made Easy Guide as a great hostess gift idea! I also wanted to let you guys know about a sweepstakes that The Swiss Colony has going on right now…12 Tasty Gifts of Christmas Sweepstakes!  Here’s some more information about the sweepstakes:

12 DAYS OF PRIZE GIVING VALUED AT OVER $2,600!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas On Us!

From November 1 – December 11, 2010, you can enter to win in our “12 Tasty Gifts of Christmas” Sweepstakes. Each day from December 1 to December 12, we’ll select one winner of an unforgettably delicious Swiss Colony food gift plus a valuable Gift Certificate worth plenty more irresistible Swiss Colony treats. Sumptuous, hand-decorated pastries made in our very own Bakery could be yours FREE!
Faithful friends like you have helped make The Swiss Colony a shining star through the years. So we’d like to show our thanks with sweepstakes prizes that celebrate the spirit of sharing!
 
And here is their super yummy prize list!

Buy it!

You can purchase the Jolly Wink Santa Cake and all of the other yummy treats mention (plus tons more) online at SwissColony.com! 

I also have a very yummy prize for one of my lovely (and I hope hungry) readers!  The Swiss Colony is giving one of my readers their choice of any item on their website ($30 or less)!  How’s that for putting you in the holiday spirit?

Win it:  Mandatory Entry!

To enter this giveaway please visit The Swiss Colony and have a look around, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which item(s) you’d like to try!  This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are allowed!

Extra Entries

Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!

1 Extra Entry Each
Comment on any non-giveaway post
Enter any (or all) of the other giveaways on MIBR (please leave the name of the other giveaway(s) entered in your comment).

2 Extra Entries Each
Follow MIBR on GFC
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3 Extra Entries Each
“Like” MIBR on Facebook
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Comment on The Swiss Colony’s Facebook wall telling them “Misadventures in Baby Raising sent me!”
Tweet this giveaway (3x per day per length of giveaway) don’t forget to include @Allie_23 in your Tweets
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5 Extra Entries
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post!

This giveaway ends on November 18, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.  One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in a separate winner’s post.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize; failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting his prize and me choosing a new winner.