A dozen treats to add sparkle to your holidays 

From simple to decadent, here are 12 culinary delights to surprise you and yours in the lead-up to the new year, compiled by Globe food critic Devra First. Think of it as a mini Advent calendar, or a festive scavenger hunt. Each offering is a break from the holiday hustle. 

The 2025 buy local gift guide 

Looking for a nice gift under $25 for the dog walker or a co-worker? Want to bring a little something for the host of a holiday gathering you’re looking forward to? Have a little bigger budget for your bestie or favorite cousin? This list has you covered with items from New England shops and makers, ranging in price from $7 to $95.

► November 18-19: Globe Summit brings award-winning journalism to life. We’ll have conversations with Onion CEO Ben Collins, Ben of Ben & Jerry’s, novelist Elin Hilderbrand + more. TICKETS HERE.

PERSPECTIVE

Snow removal for pet-sitting? Welcome to the barter economy.

Globe video producer Jenna Perlman struck a deal with a co-worker in the Globe’s office kitchen. The pair agreed to trade handmade goods — a mug in exchange for a wood-carved spoon. The impulse to trade one thing for another may be as old as time, but it’s finding a way back into society in a time of economic uncertainty, Perlman writes. 

CONNECTIONS

Pressing duty

Her father hated the taste of pasteurized orange juice, and fostered in her a love of fresh squeezed OJ, Chandra Bozelko writes. After a mysterious condition caused him to move into a nursing home, she took up the job of pressing citrus halves, pouring the juice into a metal bottle, and driving it the 15 miles to him, a trip that often took one hour. But on one visit, Bozelko left remorseful. 

MISS CONDUCT CLASSICS

Hard sell
What to do when a friend asks you to support their business endeavors, but you’ve had enough. Miss Conduct offers her two cents.

LOVE LETTERS

Go the distance
Is it up to the partner with a car or the partner in the city to make the journey out of town for a date? Meredith shares her ideas.

Submit your relationship questions. And check out the Love Letters podcast here.

DINNER WITH CUPID

“By the time we reached the table, I felt disarmed entirely.” Will this pop music lover and opera singing be in harmony?

Go on an in-person or virtual blind date. We'll pick up the tab. Fill out an application.

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