As my boys get older, my Christmas list gets shorter. Basically all they ask for is cash. I still get them little things to fill their stockings, but, gladly, I don’t have to look for the latest toys or games.

So instead of shopping, this year I decided I would focus more on my holiday baking. For years I made Christmas cookies to hand out as gifts for co-workers, neighbors, friends and family. I had the best time shopping for cookie containers each year. I’ve used trays, platters, baskets, jars and boxes.

Once I had the kids, my time around the holidays became very limited, and I didn’t always get around to the baking. But now that the kids are grown, I’m looking forward to pulling out my KitchenAid and filling the house with the smells of sweet treats.

My favorites are: Martha Stewart’s chocolate chip cookies and butter pecan cookies. I also make cranberry sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles and my family’s favorite butter cookies. The butter cookies are from my husband’s grandmother’s recipe. She taught me how to make these cookies when Dennis and I first got married. She and I spent many hours in her cozy kitchen. I always looked especially forward to the holidays when we would get together for our holiday baking. We would spend the day in her kitchen baking and talking. Then we would make dinner for the whole family, and after dinner we’d bring out our day’s sweet efforts.

This week in Sunday’s Journal-World ads, I noticed a few options for packaging this year’s treats. World Market has some paper baking accessories and gift tins starting at $1.99. These boxes look great and no need to wrap in cellophane. Also at World Market, the holiday jars starting at $3.99 are very cute.

Walgreens’ ad features Christmas tins and containers priced at two for $3. Also worth mentioning is the 12-ounce package of Nestle Toll House Morsels for $1.79.

I’ll be posting my favorite cookie recipes on Shop Talk over the next few weeks. Please feel free to share some of yours.