Yes, we can talk about the equal parts joy and stress this month brings. I often refer to it as the season in which I need to give a lot of gifts. Gia plugs in the basement refrigerator in anticipation of the family that descends on her, always, always bearing Proustian dishes and treats that bring childhood Christmas memories flooding back.

There are clever ways to up the fun quotient and lower the pressure. I do bake days, in which friends and their families gather in my kitchen and bake… and bake and bake. At the end of the day, everyone leaves with an armload of edible gifts for giving. The gang also puts aside a large bundle of gifts for the less fortunate.

Gia hosts the traditional Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, in which there are that many dishes on the menu, all featuring fish.