Sugar High (1)

It doesn't feel like the holidays until the smell of freshly baked cookies wafts in from mom's kitchen. At Cleveland Heights' Luna Bakery and Cafe, chef and owner Bridget Thibeault lets us bring home that tasty nostalgia minus the mess and baking time with her sugar cookies ($1.50-$2.50 each). Using a simple combination of butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and eggs, she bakes about 1,000 cookies each December in a variety of festive sizes, designs and colors, such as cheery snowflakes and bundled up snowmen. "I grew up always making cookies, all different kinds, and giving them to my relatives," she says. Now she's passing the holiday spirit on to others, selling her cookies individually or packaging them as presents or party favors. "I think it's something people are looking for, whether they're celebrating the holiday or not," she says. "It's nice to have something festive." 2482 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-231-8585, lunabakerycafe.com