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Text by Tina King

The high season of entertaining is upon us, when welcoming family and friends is at the heart of our many internal questions. Will we be hosts, will we be guests, what will we make, what will we bring? Sometimes an even better question is "Where can we meet and let the staff take care of everything?"

Whether we're gathering to cheer a football team, give thanks or exchange gifts, it's time to let warmth flow into our chilled bones and our open hearts.

If hosting is your game, Category One Gifts and Gourmet in Rockbrook Village is a happy place for browsing, plotting and planning your next affair. The rainbow-like row of Le Creuset cast iron cookware is enough to make a gourmet's heart skip a beat. You'll find knives worthy of a Food Network star and hosting accessories that are just plain fun. Who doesn't need hand-painted Herbie Husker wine goblets and snack trays? If you're not the one doing the cooking, the store has the perfect answer to the hostess gift quandary. Pick up a gift basket of yummy treats or kitchen gadgets so you don't arrive empty-handed.

Or bring dessert. Forget about making the perfect crust and instead make your biggest decision among more than 30 pie varieties at FarmHouse Cafe & Bakery. Will it be plain apple, apple crumb or Dutch apple pie? And while Thanksgiving means you must have pumpkin pie, no one would probably be sad to see a strawberry rhubarb or sour cream raisin pie on the table.

Whether making your home holiday-ready means pulling out a Christmas tree box or heading out to choose the real thing, you can at least add the scent of pine to your front door. Choosing the perfect wreath becomes an event at Santa's Woods near Blair. After a pretty country drive, enjoy complimentary hot chocolate or apple cider while you pick from 10- to 24-inch wreaths - or special-order one measuring up to 60 inches. Then choose from dozens of bows and other embellishments and maybe even swags for the porch. While the staff is putting it all together, you can rest on hay bales near the stove, browse the sales loft for crafts or chat with Santa. Outside, hayrack rides and Clydesdales wait to pull you to the Douglas fir and Scotch pines should you be tempted into the real deal.

In Omaha, no decorating blitz would be complete without more cocoa. Put on Mannheim Steamroller holiday music and soak up the season with the group's very popular cinnamon hot chocolate mix. We know you were thinking of putting it in a gift basket, but sometimes gift-giving begins at home.

When cabin fever hits and you need to entertain elsewhere, gather around the tall stone fireplace at the Zin Room. The low lighting, roaming crooners and famous smoked gouda mac and cheese will make it a night to remember.

For a nightcap, warm up your insides with a specialty drink. Charlie's on the Lake cheers patrons with the butterscotch schnapps of Indian Summer and the whiskey and whipped cream of Irish coffee. The restaurant has a whale of a martini selection, too.

Happy toasting.

IF YOU GO:

Category One Gifts and Gourmet

10922 Prairie Brook Road, Omaha

402.390.9684

www.categoryonegifts.com

FarmHouse Cafe & Bakery

3461 S. 84th St., Omaha

402.393.0640

www.farmhousecafe.com

Santa's Woods

3764 State Hwy 133, Blair

402.426.5250

www.santaswoods.com

Zin Room

316 S. 15th St., Omaha

402.991.0660

www.zinomaha.com

Charlie's on the Lake

4150 S. 144th St., Omaha

402.894.9411

www.charliesonthelake.net