Hot Tamale

The Date: Thursday, December 23
The Delivery: New vegan frozen meals from Tandoor Chef, a non-vegan book, and seitan and tamales from Upton's Naturals
Staff Pick: The Chorizo-style Seitan Tamale con Molé

The DL: Tamales are totally in right now—at least at the VNHQ—and these chorizo-style tamales are making our mouths water. We can't wait to try them! This is the final post until the New Year due to the fact that we're closing up shop until January 3, including the VegNews Store (although, you can still place orders, which will be shipped out in the new year). Happy Holidays!

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

The Date: Wednesday, December 22
The Delivery: Pinto and black bean chips, a dozen mini cinnamon rolls, and another copy of Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Staff Pick: The mini cinnamon rolls from Cinnaholic

The DL: VegNews contributor Polly Walter stopped by the VNHQ today, and to our delight, brought this gorgeous box of cinnamon rolls. Nothing could have made us happier! Thank you, Polly, and now excuse us while we devour these miniature treats.

Beauty Care & Books

The Date: Tuesday, December 21
The Delivery: Three mostly vegan books, and new beauty products from John Masters Organics
Staff Pick: The Bare Unscented Body Lotion from John Masters

The DL: We're now seeing cold weather nearly everywhere in the US, and this means dry skin. We here at the VNHQ do not like dry skin, so we were happy to see this all-natural, unscented lotion arrive. Here's to healthy skin!

New Vegan Book

The Date: Monday, December 20
The Delivery: A new cookbook galley and gift cards from Cinnaholic
Staff Pick: Veganize This! by Jen Shagrin

The DL: Pow! That's what the cover of Veganize This!: 200 Animal-Free Recipes for People Who Love to Eat says to us. What can we say? We like a book with moxie. This is just the galley for this cookbook, which is slated to hit shelves in February, and we're excited to see the finished product.

Holiday Marshmallows

The Date: Friday, December 18

The Delivery: An incredible gift basket from Sweet & Sara

Staff Pick: The whole basket is amazing, but these adorable reindeer marshmallows have our hearts.

The DL: Happy Holidays to us! The darling Sara Sohn from Sweet & Sara sent the office this huge basket of goodies including rocky road bark, three favors of biscotti, and our favorite reindeer marshmallows. Happy kick-off-to-the weekend, indeed. We're going to go out on a limb and assume that a great deal of you will be attending or hosting some sort of holiday party this weekend, so be sure to check out VegNews.com for full coverage on holiday parties, such as Vegan Holiday Drinks, Easy Party Eats, and Handmade Holiday Decorating.

Wholesome Chow and Love Bars

The Date: Thursday, December 17

The Delivery: A lovely gift basket from Wholesome Chow, and a couple of brand-new Love Bar chocolate bars

Staff Pick: How can we resist the adorable gift package?

The DL: Ah, chocolate and baking. Since we officially turned on the holiday background music at VNHQ and we've had poinsettias on our desks for a couple of weeks now, this adorable gift from Wholesome Chow couldn't have come at a better time. The package contains two cake mixes, coffee extract, and the cutest little whisk you've ever seen—pretty much the perfect gift! Are you still looking for gifts but running out of both time and money? Elizabeth Castoria's guest post on Savvy Abby features her top three gift suggestions, on the cheap!

VegNews Magazines

The Date: Wednesday, December 16

The Delivery: Our stunning January+February 2011 issue
Staff Pick: The issues!

The DL: We asked you who would be the lovely face of the first VegNews of 2011, and those of you who picked Kris Carr can now commence your gloating. We'll be patting ourselves on the backs along with you—our hard work paid off in this fantastic issue. This baby ships out to subscribers in the next week (available on newsstands January 1), and is filled with all things healthy, wintry, delicious, and—especially in the case of our cover gal—inspiring! Need we gently remind you once again how amazing it is to be a subscriber and find the magazine in your mailbox before those poor people who have to wait for the newsstand copies? Buy a subscription today! Oh, and since you're dying to peek into the pages of this new issue, order yourself an advanced copy in the VegNews Store.

Drink Skinny

The Date: Tuesday, December 15

The Delivery: Drink Skinny Margarita Mix
Staff Pick: Margarita Mix made with agave nectar? Yes, please!

The DL: More often than not, drink mixes aren't exactly pictures of health, but this mix from Drink Skinny contains 40 percent lime and lemon juices, organic agave nectar, stevia, and nothing else (until, of course, you add the tequila!). Yup, we're sold. Pair this stuff with the VN guide for Easy Party Eats, and you have yourself a party. Cheers!

Sjaak's Stock

The Date: Monday, December 13

The Delivery: Sjaak's Organic Peanut Butter Bites
Staff Pick: Delicious peanut butter bites!

The DL: Did you know we sell these insanely delicious Sjaak's bites in the VegNews Store? If you still need to buy some gifts for the holidays, head on over to the VN Store. Holiday cards, peppermint-scented candles, the VegNews Holiday eCookbook, Go Vegan 2011 calendars and more await for all your gifting needs!

Rose Moisturizer

The Date: Friday, December 9

The Delivery: Organic moisturizer
Staff Pick: Organic Rose Moisturizer from MuLondon

The DL: This time of year, as the weather chills, we inevitably suffer from moisture-starved hands. Thus, we are more-than-happy to test out this new hand-made organic skin care from MuLondon, which smells reminiscent of summer. It's always a good idea to take some time out for pampering during the frenetic holiday season, so if you need us, we'll be taking tips from VegNews' Holiday Stress-Busters and enjoying everything the winter holidays have to offer. Happy weekend, everyone!

Appetite for Reduction and Vegan Etsy

The Date: Thursday, December 8
The Delivery: Appetite for Reduction, and a vegan craft sample bag from Vegan Etsy
Staff Pick: Appetite for Reduction

The DL: Today's shipment had as oohing and aahing with delight, as adorable handmade creations from Vegan Etsy (looking for holiday gifts? Vegan Etsy and the VegNews Store have you covered!) shared real estate with a fresh-off-the-press copy of PPK superstar Isa Chandra Moskowitz' new cookbook, packed with recipes that promise to not do as much damage on your waistline as the normal holiday standards. Today's This Just In might as well just be your ultimate holiday shopping guide. You're welcome!

Juice and Sweets

The Date: Wednesday, December 7
The Delivery: Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Chip Bars, Sweet Potato Brownies, and Carrot Cake from Cafe Indigo, and juices from Genesis.
Staff Pick: The baked sweets from Cafe Indigo.

The DL: December is here, the holidays are impending, and anyone in their right mind has a craving for baked goods. Imagine our delight, then, to receive a massive shipment from Cafe Indigo of its whoopie bars, chocolate chip bars, brownies, and carrot cake. Yes, please! Speaking of delightful baked goods, do you live in the San Francisco Bay Area? VegNews is co-sponsoring the Holiday SF Vegan Bakesale, to be held December 18, and we would love it if you would be willing to either bake or just come down to the sale and stock up on delicious vegan baked goods!

Sweets and a Garden

The Date: Tuesday, December 7

The Delivery: Candy from JJ's Sweets, and an UrBin Grower urban gardening kit from Nature's Footprint Inc

Staff Pick: JJ's Sweets hard candies and caramel

The DL: Some days, such as today, we have exciting shipments that include everything from an urban garden to vegan coconut milk caramel. While we can't wait to set up the garden on our new offices' patio, JJ's Sweets had us at caramel. We kind of have a thing for caramel, as evidenced in our current November+December Veggie Awards issue, which boasts a drool-worthy caramel feature including both sweet and savory recipes of the caramelized sugar kind. If only we could grow caramel in our UrBin Grower; all would be right in the world!

Bold Native and Waterfall Dance

The Date: Monday, December 6

The Delivery: Bold Native DVD, and Waterfall Dance by Andrew Quinn

Staff Pick: Bold Native

The DL: We received another copy of the Bold Native DVD today, and the few of us who have not yet seen a screening are more than excited to take it in. While Bold Native might not be the coziest of films to curl up in bed to watch, it's certainly an inspiring portrait of animal-rights activism. Looking for a lighter solution to Holiday woes? VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still has your back with her 10 Holiday stress-busting tips.

More Copies of Whitewash

The Date: Friday, December 3

The Delivery: Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow's Milk and Your Health by Joseph Keon

Staff Pick: The book of course!

The DL: Ah, Friday. A day to look forward to a relaxing weekend ahead, lounging around, snacking, and reading a good book. Now that we got some more copies in of Whitewash, more than one VegNews staffer can bring one home to read, most likely in bed, as the forecast this weekend is for rain, rain, and more rain. Have a good weekend, everyone!

It's the Holiday Season!

The Date: Thursday, December 2

The Delivery: Gorgeous poinsettias!

Staff Pick: Our new office decorations of the red and festive kind.

The DL: Do you know what transforms us from "It's too early and cold"-scrooge to "Oh my goodness, the holidays are here"-happy? Coming into the VNHQ on a cold San Francisco morning and finding each of our desks adorned with very pretty poinsettias, courtesy of VegNews Publisher, Joseph Connelly. Do you know what makes that day even better? When Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig shares her VegNews Macaroni & Cheese for lunch, and then we have Frankie's delicious chocolate-covered nuts and dates for dessert.

Tamales, Wheat Roast, a Book, and Utter Deliciousness

The Date: Wednesday, December 1

The Delivery: Tamales and a Wheat Roast from White Mountain Foods, Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow's Milk and Your Health by Joseph Keon, and scrumptious treats for the VN staff (that's us!) from beloved member of the VegNews family, Frankie McGee

Staff Pick: Frankie's amazing treats!

The DL: We're feeling pretty spoiled today. Vegan tamales? Check. A John Robbins-endorsed book on the truth about the detrimental health effects of cow's milk? Yup. Chocolate-covered, cashew cheese-filled dates?! Yes, please! Frankie is the VNHQ fairy godmother, and these perfectly ripe fresh dates filled with tangy cashew cheese covered in decadent dark chocolate might be a contender for best This Just In score of the year. They are also perfect Holiday treats, much like the entire contents of our VegNews Holiday eCookbook and our Holiday Cookie eCollection, available for a special package price of $10 in the VegNews Store.