You guys! There are just 12 days to go until Christmas, and I don't know about you, but things have been pretty hectic around here -- on top of the usual Christmas shopping, I've been lucky enough to have friends in town who I rarely see, visiting from Mexico, Denmark, and the U.K. I've been doing lots of baking -- gingerbread, homemade hot chocolate, recipes to follow! -- and I'm looking forward to a much needed break from my current job. All things considered, the weeks leading up to The Best Day of the Year have been darn pretty nice. In the spirit of Christmas giving, I wanted to share a few of my pre-Christmas traditions and activities I've been busy with (spoiler: they're nearly all food related, but you could've guessed that, right?!) For those of you also living in the Eternal City, consider these my suggestions, and for those of you elsewhere, here's a glimpse at the holiday season here in my adopted home. P.S, photo credit for the above photo goes to the lovely Sheza Tariq!

MERCATO MONTI

Located in the Monti neighborhood (not far from the Coliseum) Mercato Monti is my first stop when I start my Christmas shopping, and should be yours too. In keeping with the artsy hipster vibe of the neighborhood, the market is full of artisans and vendors selling everything from jewelry to scarves to dresses to jackets, not to mention bags, T-shirts, and vintage sunglasses, plus my favorite, the book lamp, a lamp with a bizarre looking light bulb made out of a secondhand book (see below!) If all the shopping makes you work up an appetite, do as I do and stop at Zia Rosetta around the corner for some of the best sandwiches in Rome.

Address: Via Leonina 46
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 to 20:00
Phone number: 3381952379

Photo credit for above photo goes to MercatoMonti.

PACIOTTI SALUMERIA

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the best gift is an edible gift, and since my family deserves nothing but the best, Paciotti -- a family run specialty food store -- has been part of my holiday ritual for as long as I've been in Rome. There is no better place to stock up on cheese, balsamic vinegar, wine, limoncello, or olive oil to bring back to my family in the states, and Paciotti will vacuum pack the cheese for you, no problem. My 96 year old grandfather makes out particularly well in this, with enough Parmesan to last him months. Bonus: the staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, and free samples are likely. Remember: don't bother buying prosciutto or any other kinds of salumi to bring back home with you, as it cannot leave the country and will be confiscated at the airport (I learned this the hard way).

Address: Via Marcantonio Bragadin 51
Phone number: 0639733646
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7:30-20:30

NERO VANIGLIA

Christmas in Italy is simultaneous with panettone, a traditional sweet bread studded with raisins and candied fruit and topped with sugar and almonds. Panettone requires a lengthy preparation process leading up to the actual baking, and I've not yet found the time or concentration to attempt it. No matter -- Nero Vaniglia in Garbatella makes incredibly delicious from scratch panettone, which you can buy whole, or in a mini version, or just by the slice. If you're not in to panettone, no worries - the bakery has all sorts of pasticcini (little pastries) like tiramisu, mont blanc, and croquembouche, small enough to guarantee that you can try more than a few. Bonus points for the cucina a vista, or open style kitchen where you can see whatever head baker and owner Giorgia Grillo is whipping up -- when we stopped by, she was working on homemade cornetti.

Address: Circonvallazione Ostiense 201
Phone number: 065780306
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 6:00-2:00. Sundays: 7:00-20:00.

BISCOTTIFICIO INNOCENTI

It’s not Christmas without Christmas cookies! Gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies (holiday staples in the U.S) aren't really a thing here, but I can't say I miss them much, because I have Biscottificio Innocenti. Located in the picturesque, postcard-like neighborhood of Trastevere, this family run cookie shop has staying power, having been run now by four generations of women. They bake up the best cookies in the capital, everything from delicate sandwich cookies (filled with Nutella or jam) to super lemon-y limoncini to feather-light meringues to vanilla cookies dipped in bittersweet chocolate. The cookies at the top of my Christmas list, however, are brutti ma buoni, crispy, chewy, meringue and hazelnut cookies that don't look like much (the name translates to "ugly but good") but are downright divine. If you go around Christmastime, you'll also find torrone (nougat with hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachio!) and the traditional homemade panettone. Picture credit for this one goes to Biscottificio Innocenti themselves -- thanks guys!

Address: Via della Luca 21
Phone number: 065803926
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8:00-20:00. Sunday: 9:30-14:00.

LA BOTTEGA DEL CIOCCOLATO

This holiday season, I highly, highly recommend you pay a visit La Bottega del Cioccolato, a tiny chocolate shop located again in Rome's Monti neighborhood. The chocolate assortment here is extensive and impressive -- my favorites are the white chocolate/pistachio chocolates and the hazelnutty cremino -- and a box of these makes a (delicious) gift for colleagues and friends alike, not to mention the perfect hostess gift at your many holiday parties. That being said, you could also do as I do and buy a little bag of assorted chocolates to eat as you stroll through Monti, an early Christmas gift to yourself. Bonus: if you want to eat your chocolate and drink it too, the Bottega sells fantastically rich, deeply dark hot chocolate as well, not for the faint of heart.

Address: Via Leonina 82
Phone number: 064821473Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:30-19:30

ST. PETER'S BASILICA

A walk around St. Peter's never gets old, no matter how long you've been living in Rome, but I must say its particularly special around Christmas, when the albero di natale (Christmas tree) and presepe (Nativity scene) are up. Illuminated against the basilica, its a sight to behold, and if this doesn't get you feeling Christmas-y, well, I don't know what will.