Gettting ready to start baking today.
Every year I make Magic Bars, Danish Butter Cookies (my step-grandmother came over from Denmark in her early 20's and I make her recipe), peanut butter blossoms, mini brownie cupcakes w/either pecans or caramel Hershey Kisses stuck upside down on the top, and oatmeal raspberry bars. Also Chex Mix.
I make peppermint bark, chocolate covered toffee, turtles, peanut butter cups, fudge and spiced almonds and pecans.
For Christmas Eve I make creme brulee, New York cheesecake w/raspberry Chambord sauce and Creme de Menthe cheesecake (though last year I made both into cupcake size instead of big ones and also made chocolate chip too, and will again this year), mini pecan pies and mini mincemeat pies w/ B&B in them.
Several years ago, instead of going out and buying gifts for our friends and the secretaries, office manager and broker at my office....I started making up gift bags of goodies. It works out well, as I don't struggle trying to figure out what to get them, and it keeps the cost pretty much the same for each, and it isn't something they get from someone else. Also, we get to have all the different stuff, too, but not so much that we are eating it for weeks!
I buy those patterned cellophane bags at Dollar Tree and put a half dozen of cookies and candy, and then put them into a big gift bag. I will also make either Spice Tea mix that I put into the little 8oz Christmas plastic containers (also Dollar Tree) or will get several different kinds of hot cocoa mix packets and give a "sample" of 1 of each that I tie with a ribbon and put in the bag too.
Those that come on Christmas Eve, take home some of the desserts, and I also make chicken soup that I have frozen and they get a big container of it with a bag of noodles to add when they fix it. I made the soup a couple of weeks ago. I made broccoli cheese soup the other night though, and froze some, in quart containers, and I may give them a choice this year.
Over the years, they've all become very "sub-tle" ...."what are you baking for Christmas this year, Deb?"