The Best Christmas Gifts Include Navel Oranges

Navel oranges are the perfect gifts to give your friends and family at Christmas time. Navel oranges are healthy, sweet and delicious. Navel oranges are appropriate for everyone, even people who have special diets or health conditions, so you can safely give them even to people you may not know well. But the best reason to give Christmas gifts that include navel oranges is because it’s part of a centuries old Christmas tradition that you can share in and teach your kids about, so that they can learn more about the history of Christmas celebrations and the role of citrus fruit in holiday celebrations.

Oranges have been associated with Christmas since the late Middle Ages. During that time getting items like citrus fruit and spices and other items that were not native to the European continent meant that explorers and traders has to go on long and very dangerous journeys to get those items from India and China. Because it was so difficult and expensive to send traders to buy these items the cost of the items once they made it back to Europe was often higher than most people could afford. Oranges were considered a very luxurious item, especially in the winter, since most people didn’t eat any fresh fruit from the end of the summer until the spring. Because people didn’t have any access to fresh fruit they often would get sick because they weren’t getting enough Vitamin C and other vitamins. Since Christmas was a time when people wanted to give their loved ones gifts that they couldn’t get any other time of the year oranges became a highly prized Christmas gift. Often people would save up money for an entire year so that they could afford to buy oranges for their kids and their families as Christmas gifts. The healthy fruit was placed in the stockings and shoes of the kids while they slept so that the fruit would be a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Ever since that time navel oranges have been associated with Christmas in one way or another. Many people still put navel oranges in Christmas stockings. Others hide oranges in between the branches of the Christmas tree or underneath the tree for people to find. So this year share in a rich Christmas tradition with thousands of years of history by putting navel oranges in the Christmas stockings or giving citrus fruit baskets with navel oranges to your friends and family members.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

Shop Now