The Absolute Best Holiday Treats You Should Be Buying From Trader Joe's This Year

The future is looking merry and bright, and it's all because it's the most wonderful time of the year. Of course, the most wonderful part of this wonderful time is all the delicious goodies we're about to stuff our faces with. Picture the scene: The fire is crackling, the tree is all lit up, and aromas of freshly baked fare are wafting into the room, completing the ultimate seasonal scene. Maybe you have visions of sugarplums dancing in your head or of the cookies you're about to make for Santa (and yourself, because let's be real). Our reasons for the season (and excitement) are all the limited offerings courtesy of Trader Joe's.

Oh, Christmas treats. Oh, Christmas treats. Trader Joe's hasn't earned their cult following for nothing. They keep drawing us back in with their never-ending releases of seasonal goodies, and this year, they will be having us staying fa-la-la-la-la-full with the sheer number of available products. It's time to whip out the stretchy pants. While not all treats are created equal, we've done the heavy lifting for you. Here are the absolute best holiday treats you should be buying from Trader Joe's this year. 

Before we can add some jolly to our holly, we have the opportunity to bask in the glory of mild temperatures and gawk at nature's colorful way of changing the seasons ... because, it's fall, y'all. Game day is upon us, and the time is now to mingle with friends and family and, of course, eat all the things. Don't be that guy who shows up to the tailgate with the same boring old snacks, like Doritos and pretzels. Instead, you, too, can be a champion (of the snack table at least) with Trader Joe's Fall Leaf Tortilla Chips.

Available in a 14-ounce bag, these autumn-colored chips are the next-level football snack you've been hoping for. In the shape of fall leaves, they are made from yellow and white corn tortillas. They're perfect on the own, but they also pair well with a longtime Trader Joe's favorite of ours and basically anyone that has ever set foot in the store, their Cowboy Caviar salsa. This is one thing we have no problem rooting for. 

If there was an official candy of the holiday season, you could bet your bottom hard-earned dollar that it would be the candy cane. With nearly two billion candy canes produced in the United States annually, it's no surprise that it's the top-selling non-chocolate candy during the month of December. With purported origins in 17th-century Germany, the treat is now enjoyed worldwide and in a wide variety of flavors. (May we suggest the Starburst green apple version?) If candy canes are one of your four main food groups during the season, you're going to love this inventive presentation of the treat. 

Trader Joe's has created the ultimate mashup of our shining holiday treat combined with our favorite year-round sweet. Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's Ice Cream has become the instant holiday classic you never knew you needed in your life. It's made up of a classic cookies n' cream ice cream base with swirls of peppermint ice cream. And the best part? It's loaded with huge chunks of actual Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, the hard-to-get seasonal cookie. Be sure to be in the mood for mint, as this ice cream is heavy on the peppermint flavor. 

If candy canes are the official snack of the season, then we're declaring the official beverage of choice to be hot cocoa. After hitting the slopes, or by fireside cozied up in a blanket, hot chocolate is a warm, rich, sippable dose of sugar. According to The Spruce Eats, drinking chocolate was something the Maya came up with in Mexico around 500 BC. Although it probably looked a bit different back then, the drink eventually made its way to Europe in the early 1500s, where they indulged in it cold. Thanks to the Spanish, who decided to both heat and sweeten it up, we have the hot chocolate we know and love today.

We would bet that the ancient Maya would turn their heads in disbelief if they saw how far the beverage they created has come. Trader Joe's Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoon is the ultimate cooking experiment. With adorable packaging and an inexpensive price tag, you simply place this spoon in a warm cup of milk and stir. The result is a perfectly blended cup of milk and dark chocolate, way better than those nasty packets of powdered mess they try to pass off as the real thing. Trader Joe's even provides a few mini marshmallows to throw on top. Sold in a gift box sex adorned with silver ribbon, this is an easy item to pick up on your way to wowing the next dinner party. 

The holidays are all about the family gathering together and carrying on traditions year after year. One of our favorites is congregating around the kitchen to bake and decorate cookies. Times are tough, and our schedules are even tougher, so we're glad Trader Joe's has taken the heavy lifting out of this tradition. We're always down to embrace less time working and more time having fun.

Trader Joe's Decorate Your Own Holiday Ornaments Cookie Kits come complete with eight premade sugar cookies in a variety of holiday-themed shapes, like presents, snowmen, and even a little Christmas tree. No icing in the pantry, no problem. Priced at $5.99, the kit comes with red, green, and white icing, as well as sprinkles and candy beads. So basically, the only limit is your imagination. The metaphorical icing on the cake is that this hybrid treat/festive art piece is a DIY lover's activity sure to entertain everyone. All work and no reward? Not here. You get to feast on the fruits of your labor! 

Satisfying everyone on your gift list can prove to be quite the difficult challenge. What to get the person who has everything? We say one can never have enough snacks. While Trader Joe's does offer a pretty stellar Danish Butter Cookie Tin, we prefer to class things up a bit with their Belgian Cookie Collection. Sold in a keepsake tin, the box features 12 different types of cookies, many covered in premium Belgian chocolate. When Belgium is attached to chocolate, you just know it's going to be good. After all, they may not have invented it, but they have certainly perfected the art of chocolate making.

According to Trader Joe's, this whopping 35.2-ounce collection is made exclusively for them by a premier bakery in a small Belgian town with a centuries-long track record for excellent baked goods. The cookies themselves are crumbly perfection that are brought to the next level with the Belgian-style chocolate. Priced at only $9.99, even the Grinch wouldn't turn down over two pounds of this delectable goodness. 

If it hasn't become abundantly clear already, Trader Joe's is all about the sweets and not so much the savory during the season (although their holiday Fig Goat Cheese Log is pretty legit). According to Insider, one of several cookie products offered by Trader Joe's worth buying are their Dark Chocolate Stars. With a base of fun and festively star-shaped shortbread cookies, these bites of joy are covered in a rich dark chocolate with colorful nonpareils. 

It has been a popular Trader Joe's product for over ten years. No need to count the stars — this package comes complete with one entire pound of these treats. While unassuming in nature, there's a reason this rather simple item has been a staple in many a holiday pantry. Shine bright at your next holiday party with a product that is sure to leave everyone satiated and satisfied. According to Trader Joe's, the star-covered box of cookies has remained at the same bargain price of $3.99 since its introduction in 2007. 

We saved the best (and cutest) for last on our list. This one is almost too good-looking to eat. You can frequently find us throughout the holiday season curled up under the covers with a nice, piping hot cup of cocoa. Our warmest holiday wishes have come to fruition with this creation from the true geniuses at Trader Joe's. Peace on Earth can be achieved once again when you place their Hot Cocoa Snowman in a mug of hot milk and sit back. 

Before your eyes, the snowman will melt away, releasing white chocolate goodness, milk chocolate drops, and mini marshmallows. Once it's all melted, you simply stir, and voila: The satisfying process leaves you with a cup of sweet, slightly rich hot chocolate. Get your TikTok and camera phones ready for this one. The fun is in watching the snowman bob around until it begins to melt into the milk. While Neiman Marcus is selling their version at the comparatively absurd price of $32, the Trader Joe's version will set you back only $1.99 per totally adorbs snowman. You can have your jollies without breaking the bank. May the force be with you in snagging one of your own because this little guy is very popular!