Gannett News Service Two patrons sit and chat in the cafe at Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters in Bushnell’s Basin, near Pittsford, N.Y. Their coffee products are carried locally at The Olde World Cafe and Twin Tiers Antique Plaza, both in Corning.

Just call me shopping girl! I love this season for its shopping opportunities, its twinkling decorated stores, its store employees in great customer service moods and for its available merchandise.

When I was younger, my presents were all in the “necessary” category. “What does he/she need?” was always my question. Those days are gone and I decided that when my present was opened on Christmas, I wanted a really wide-eyed, surprised, pleased and “I won’t be returning this gift, nor re-gifting it” response from the recipient.

Therefore, my gifts are food-related. The definition of food-related gifts is mine and probably not universal. These gifts do not necessarily have to be edible, although they might be. If they are edible, they might not be homemade. Mostly they are memorable gifts that the giftee will perhaps not buy for himself or herself.

The process is yearlong. I pour over catalogs and tear pages as items interest me. I shop when in town and when on the road. I search the Internet. I enjoy the process of tasting the foods and testing the gadgets. I read the books. I visit the antique shops. No store is left ignored.

For those of you without this shopping passion and still hungry for Christmas ideas, edible or not, perhaps frivolous, but promising fun, I present this year’s Pat Dugan Top 6 List for food-related gifts.
Enjoy a Foodly Christmas this year!

Pat’s Top 6

1. Neiman Marcus just has to have the best looking “exclusive” cookie gifts around. A strictly chick gift is the Fashion Cookie Collection of hand-cut/hand-decorated sugar cookies by Eleni’s of New York City. Ten ounces of iced shoes and purses — I love them! Call 888/888-4757 and ask for item 57E from the holiday catalog. Price $75, plus shipping. That’s a whopping $8 per cookie. Or search Eleni’s cookies on the Neiman Marcus Web site, www.neimanmarcus.com.

2. The most frivolous animal-lover gift I found this season is also in the Neiman catalog. It is another exclusive, this one from your favorite Fido and personalized with his/her name (up to seven letters). The Gingerbread Doghouse is brightly colored and cutely decorated. What golden retriever, lab, Shih Tzu, poodle, chihuahua, pug, beagle, terrier, German shepherd, boxer or dachshund family pet would not adore watching their owner devour this $85 tasty treat? Beyond your budget? It’s still worth a chuckle checking out item 143C online.

3. Coffee makes for trendy conversation and down-home gifting. Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters, located on the banks of the Erie Canal in Bushnell’s Basin, N.Y. (near Pittsford) and in its new roasting facility in Farmington, N.Y., has developed several coffees that will be well-received by anyone on your list who loves coffee and takes pride in the Finger Lakes. Canandaigua Blend is “full bodied with sparkling acidity”; Seneca Blend, like its namesake, is its deepest and darkest blend; and the Lakes Blend, is a medium body coffee, well-balanced with full aroma. Price per pound is $10.75. Order online at www.fingerlakescoffee.com or purchase at The Olde World Cafe and Twin Tiers Antique Plaza, both on Market Street in Corning.

4. I always recommend that aspiring cooks buy, use and even grow their own fresh culinary herbs. Garden in a Bag is a no-fuss, low-cost windowsill garden gifting answer. Wishing Fish of Santa Monica, Calif. (www.wishingfish.com or toll-free 877/785-3914) ships organic chives, basil, oregano, and Italian parsley seeds in waterproof bags filled with soil, complete with a pictured label. Each Garden In A Bag costs $8. The giftee simply snips open the bag, mixes the soil and seeds and adds water — fingers crossed for a perfect Christmas gift recipe.

5. Edible gift tags or place cards? Oh yes! Byrd Cookie Company, a Savannah, Ga., tradition established in 1924 by Ben Byrd Sr. and still run by the third- and fourth-generation Byrds, offers six Christmas-themed shortbread cookies decorated with confectionary ink, even providing a confectionary ink pen allowing more personalized messages. Reasonably priced at $15.95, the reusable tin includes six label seals to re-seal individually wrapped cookies. Cool cookies even Santa might enjoy! Call 800/291-2973 or go online at www.byrdcookiecompany.com.

6. Pepper grinders are an essential kitchen gadget. William Bounds Ltd. of Torrance, Calif., sells a line of pepper mills called Pep Art designed by Robert Wilhelm. They are so good-looking, they belong in the dining room. The company claims a “precise grind every time.” More importantly, there are styles and colors to fit anyone’s decor — short ones, tall ones, stainless, acrylic, ceramic and hand-painted art deco with a wide range of prices. Call 800/473-0504 for information or check www.williamboundsltd.com/ or other discount sites.