I probably could have posted this on the Grandparent Thread, but this morning I shopped online with oldest GD on the Boden website. She will be 5 in a few weeks and her little sister will turn 2 in not quite a month. DIL suggested matching holiday outfits for birthday and this is what oldest GD & I picked out. 20% promotion going now on everything on Boden site.https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/festive-advent-calendar-dress-rockabilly-red/sty-g3613-red?_br_psugg_q=advent+dress
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So far I have bought a pair of college-branded socks and a dog advent calendar for my pup! 24 treats for her and 24 days of smiles for me. 
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Where did you get the dog one?
Trader Joeās stocks Dog and Cat Advent Calendars seasonally. I have not seen them out in the stores yet, but they are pretty reasonable in price around $7.
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Just saw a dog advent calendar at our Costco! 
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I feel sort of ridiculous that Iām ordering so much Bonne Maman but this morning I order 2 of the 8 pack - one as a Christmas gift for my son who is so hard to buy for at Christmas but who loves breakfast and one to send to my niece whose bday is today and her party had to be cancelled cause her mom has Covid (niece is 41).
Time for Bonne Maman to sponsor CC!!
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I generally start my holiday shopping when the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is going on. I didnāt buy much this year, but did get a sweatshirt and sweatpants someone was admiring.
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I am totally getting the Lego one for my DD!
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Me too! For my college aged daughter we have just done the chocolate one every year that I can remember. We have upgraded to better chocolate as the years have gone on. She brings it to school with her after Thanksgiving and then packs it to come home with her for break. Itās one of her favorite traditions and she eats her chocolate first thing every morning.
The last couple years Iāve gotten the dog a calendar from Trader Joes with dog treats. He waits for my daughter to get up and they have their treats together every morning.
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I have picked up a few little things for my daughter. When she was home a few days before heading back to school we went shopping and I went back and picked up a few items she pointed out later.
One thing I have gotten her a few times that she liked as a college student was subscription boxes that were sent to school. Twice we did different snacks boxes that were delivered monthly (once it was health snacks and once it was snacks from different countries). We also did a jewelry subscription her freshman year from Pura Vida. They have a bracelet āclubā and a jewelry club (necklaces, rings, etc). I think their prices have gone up but she liked getting a little care package every month!
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My mom used to ābakeā our Christmas gifts! We always came home from the holidays at her house with a freezer full of goodness. To this day, I very fondly remember the Christmas of 32 (small) bear claws. I would take one out of the freezer each Sunday and have as part of breakfast. Kind of hard to think of another gift Iāve ever received that lasted and brightened days as much. I miss her even moreā¦
(The sad part for me was that some portion of the family decided that it wasnāt a ārealā gift if it wasnāt purchased at a store. I made sure that mom knew that for my part of the family tree, we preferred the home baked goodies!)
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Just got back from Costco. Lindt chocolate calendars are in stock for $17.99. They had beer and wine calendars as well. The dog advent calendar looked cute. They also had Lego advent calendars - Harry Potter, Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy for $34.99
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Nice! That is the dog calendar I saw at our Costco.
Ok this idea is a little odd, I admit, but since I am aiming for more consumable gifts, I am gifting nut butters in stockings this year. They can be sweetened, or not. I am giving pecan butter, pistachio butter, and chai flavored almond butter. Thereās also a pistachio spread from Italy thatās a green version of Nutella, minus the palm oil.
I covet the white chocolate hazelnut spread too, but have resisted so far. All on Amazon.
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Not a fan in particular of nut butters but we have some really good spice mixes that weāve thought about making up and gifting. But those nut butters are really differentāIād definitely try those!
Yikes! Wish I hadnāt seen that. Now of course I have to order one
Seriously, butter is all the rage right now! 
is having its moment!
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I just came across this post on my Nextdoor feed. Thought it was apropos here.
MUST READ Vive Bonne Maman!!!
Costco carries this jam and I felt that this story needed to be shared!!
The incident took place in a supermarket in New Jersey. The tweet is by Michael Perino @ProfessorPerino
āAt the supermarket today, I found a small, elderly woman standing in front of a high shelf holding @BonneMamanUS preserves. She was having trouble finding the flavor she wanted because the jars were set back on the shelf.
She couldnāt read the labels. She could barely reach them. I offered to help.
After I handed her the raspberry preserves, she thanked me, paused, and then asked, āDo you know why I buy this brand?ā
I laughed and replied, āBecause it tastes good?ā
āYes, it tastes good.ā She paused again. āI am a Holocaust survivor.ā
This was not the conversation I expected on a Sunday grocery run. āDuring the war, the family that owns the company hid my family in Paris. So now I always buy it. And whenever I go to the store, my grandkids remind me, āBubbe, donāt forget to buy the jelly.āā
I told her that that was the best reason I ever heard to buy any companyās product. And then we both smiled behind our masks and went our separate ways.ā
Someone else on Twitter looked into the story and indeed, the town that Andros Company, the makers of Bonne Maman, comes from, hid and saved Jewish families in WW2. It was called Biars sur Cere, which then had about 800 villagers.
From an article, āYou have to understand what it was like then. There were posters on the walls, from the Nazis and from the collaborators, and they said that if you are found to help a Jew, a freemason, a communist, a socialist, or a pervert, you will be shot on sight.ā Despite the great danger in which helping them put the villagers in, still they kept the children safe.ā
A good reason to buy Bonne Maman products. And a poignant reminder that when we look out for each other it can change lives, and that there are good and selfless people in the world.
Vive Bonne Maman! 
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Good to know, I eat Bonne Maman everyday, mostly cherry flavor.
Iā read this a few months ago- perhaps on my nextdoor group as well-forgot about it though so thx for posting.