Food, Family, and Festivities: How Christmas Nuts and Pecans Become Generational Traditions
When you’re a company that has specialized in the best Christmas nuts, pecans, baked goods, and holiday gifts since 1948, you have the honor of being a part of cherished family memories.
Holidays bring people together, and food is at the heart of those gatherings. But how exactly do nuts and pecans fit into the Christmas season? Let us count the ways!
From chestnuts roasting on an open fire to hand-cracking in-shell pecans, from serving nut-filled dessert staples like fruitcake, stollen, and pecan pie to gifting candied pecans and savory nut mixes to neighbors, friends, and loved ones, nuts and pecans truly take center stage during the holidays.
Sunnyland Celebrates Customer Legacies and Stories
At Sunnyland Farms, we’re proud to have been part of so many family traditions over the years. As we reflect on the season, we’re excited to share a few of our favorite customer Christmas memories—featuring nuts, pecans, gifting, and nostalgic holiday traditions.
“My father received pecans from Sunnyland Farms as a gift from a grateful patient in the 1950s, and our family became customers immediately. Sixty-five years later, I am still following the tradition established by my parents. I buy a homebox of large and small pieces, and after the holiday baking, they stay fresh in the freezer and usually last until fall. I also buy a homebox of English walnuts. One son keeps the Royal mixed nuts in his freezer, dispensing them into his car for snacking on the commute home. One time on a trip from Missouri to Florida, I detoured to visit the Farms in Albany, GA, and had a nice visit with the mother of the current owners.”
“My parents first sent us these many years ago. It was a mark of the holiday season when they arrived. I buy them now, carrying on the tradition.”
“Best cashews! Every year my grandma bought a tin for my dad at Christmas, and he would graciously share with us. She passed last year, so the kids are going to continue the tradition and surprise him with a tin. Thank you, Sunnyland Farms, for making the holidays so special!”
“The pistachios have become a family tradition at Christmas. Always delicious! Fast delivery too!”
“We have purchased these for many, many years to share with family & friends. Always a HIT, & would be sorely missed if not a part of our Christmas holidays!”
“It is a yearly tradition at our house. It is fun to choose our favs and also add something new to try. So glad your family adds to our family Holiday traditions.”
There is no better pecan available. The care with which this nut was handled from tree to tin is evident in the beauty of its appearance and the delicate perfection of its flavor. I am taken back to the best days of my childhood, the joys of my mother’s Christmas candy production and my dad’s ambrosia. The mammoth pecans now bring those special memories to my grandchildren as we gather for the holidays. Thank you, Sunnyland!
“I order the Shelled Pistachios for my family for the holidays and it has become a tradition. Always fresh. We absolutely love them.”
“We have been buying pecans and candies for many, many years. We first We received chocolate carousel gift tins from in-laws over 50 years ago. After they passed away we continued the tradition. Now we purchase gift bags for friends and neighbors. They all love chocolate pecan caramel clusters and I love how easy it is to shop. I'm lucky if I have any left for me.”
“Sunnyland Farms products can be bought with confidence as they are consistently of top quality and SO delicious! My mom started buying them for my husband for Christmas years ago and he absolutely loved them. I started the tradition again this year in her memory and he was very happy. Also very fast and careful shipping.”
“My family started with Sunnyland Farms decades ago (1960s) when Dad began baking fruitcakes. The walnuts and pecans were so superior to anything store bought that Mom switched to pecans for her Toll House cookies and I Iearned to make pecan pie. As well as the excellent product at appropriate prices, we were blown away by the customer service. One year, the squirrels chewed into the box to get to the walnuts. Dad wrote to Sunnyland, not to complain but as a testament to how fresh the nuts were. He was surprised and delighted to receive a fresh, free replacement package of walnuts. He started a family tradition that feeds his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.”
“I buy these regularly now. When my mother was a little girl in the 1940’s at Christmas time she and her father would go to the train station to pick up a delivery of a giant burlap bag of whole pecans her uncle from Georgia sent to them. She recalls helping to shell them and enjoying them in pecan finger cookies and jello salads and pecan pies. My mother carried on the holiday tradition by buying her kids Sunnyland pecans every year. Now that I’ve had these I’m spoiled because pecans from the store aren’t even close to tasting as fresh and flavorful as these pecans taste. And unlike my mother , I don’t have to shell them! I put them in my oatmeal and salads and desserts. In January when my holiday pecans run out I just order more and do so again throughout the so I always have them!”
“These pecan clusters are the best we’ve ever had, and have become a holiday tradition for our family. Always delightful!”
“My mother started buying the pecan clusters for Christmas gifts over 40 years ago and now I’m keeping her tradition going. The quality hasn’t changed . It’s the same as it was forty years ago. Don’t change a thing. My family looks forward to them every year.”
“Delicious! First time trying these and they were a big hit with the family (even those who said they didn't like fruitcake). I think these will become an annual tradition for us.”
“The gluten free fruitcake offered by Sunnyland Farms has reached new heights at our home. Since fruitcake is a non-negotiable as far as Yuletide quick breads and confections go, it takes quite a bit to "unseat" the usual family favorite. However, this delight has done it! It's back on our family table by specific request. Thank you to Sunnyland!”
“Your dates, stuffed with pecans, are such a delicacy! The whole family enjoyed every bite and this will be a Christmas tradition from now on!”
“My mom used to buy these and some other of your fine products for the holidays. But these were my favorites. I’m hoping to continue the tradition.”
“I have been ordering gifts from Sunnyland for many years. Everyone who receives them is absolutely delighted with the chocolates and nuts.”
“Everyone loves these delicious chocolate caramel pecan delights. Fine quality. Great holiday gifts.”
“Giving the above Mix to a friend at Christmas has become tradition. She loves them (as do I) and counts on receiving them as a gift. They're great!”
Savoring the Season – Holiday Baking Traditions
Holiday baking isn’t all about indulging in delicious treats; for many of our customers, it’s about preserving family legacies and honoring loved ones. We’re honored to help so many savor the season by celebrating recipes, memories, and the generations who’ve come before us.
“I make chocolate peanut clusters as part of my Christmas candy This tradition was passed from my Grandmother to my Mother to me. the one thing that I have noticed is that Spanish peanuts have become scarce and the quality has gone down over the years. This is the second year that I have ordered them from here and I will continue to do so solid 5!”
“Great, fresh pecans. They make the best pecan pies ever. A tradition in our family.”
“This is one of my greatest finds in a long time, black walnuts, this brings me back to childhood when I had to go into the forest to this black walnut tree to get the nuts for my grandmother, to make a nut cake for Christmas, and Thanksgiving. I just wanted to eat them.”
“I am a serious home baker and I do not order my pecans from anyone else! I have been a customer for many years. I remember how the pecans tasted fresh from grandparents’ tree. Sunnyland farms tastes just like them. They may seem expensive, but they freeze well and are nothing like grocery store pecans. I order them every year in November for my holiday baking.”
From all of us at Sunnyland Farms, we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.