From candy cane and gingerbread treats to community givebacks, it’s a jolly time in the green world

As traditions go, liquor advertisements in November and December often imply that you ought to gift booze to the ones you love come holiday occasions. The same goes for beer ads—grab these suds on your way to Christmas dinner at your Uncle Sammy’s, marketers might suggest.

Now that cannabis is becoming increasingly normalized, you can and should expect a lot of the same treatment. Of course, we’ve been thinking like this for years, recently recommending treats for the Thanksgiving crowd and prerolls to bring along too, but now that everybody else is catching up it’s becoming quite the party and we dig it. There’s a kind spirit in the air.

Product wise … 

We’re seeing several sweet riffs on peppermint and other cold-weather staples, like Insa’s Cranberry Drops, Peppermint Candy Cane dark chocolate bar, and Gingerbread Milk bar. They also have a Peppermint Mocha vape and, wait for it, Champagne Drops coming for New Year’s Eve. (We sampled an uninfused promo and hope they keep the flavor around permanently, they’re subtle and delicious).

As we write this, we’re also sipping on some THC–infused hot cocoa powder from Bubby’s Baked. Trust us, you need this milk-or-water soluble solution to your non-infused cocoa problems. “Made with royal Dutch cocoa and custom-formulated full-spectrum cannabis,” the extremely giftworthy bag “comes with 10 5mg servings easily dosed with a supplied spoon.”

Gift boxes … 

Are clearly an outstanding option if you have the means. Samplers are great for newbs who want to try things out as well as hardcore heads who hope to dive in at multiple levels. While supplies last, Cloud Cover Cannabis has a holiday box sold at High Profile x Budega locations (Dot and Rozzie) that includes three eighths of premium flower, three one-gram prerolls, a grinder, lighter, rolling papers, tray, and branded T-shirt for $225.

Giving back … 

Is of course as important if not more important than receiving, and several dispensaries are breaking off a portion of their profits for good causes or performing other community services throughout the holiday season.

CNA Stores (in Haverhill and Amesbury with Boston coming soon) is known for going over the top with giving back; as one example, their dispensary workers and managers shovel out seniors and vets through their Snow Angel program every winter. Currently, they’re asking customers to participate in a food drive by bringing a non-perishable canned good into the store, and also “supporting local nonprofit Lucy’s Love Bus throughout the month of December to help improve the quality of life of children with cancer within New England.”

Meanwhile, Ayr Wellness is running its second annual “12 Days of Giving” campaign in-store and online through Dec. 16, with “proceeds from the campaign will benefit those negatively impacted by cannabis prohibition.”

“Our partnership with Freedom Grow allows us to help brighten up the holiday season for those who are often overlooked in discussions about the harmful effects of prohibition—the families and children of offenders, many of whom have to scramble to make ends meet while their loved one is away,” Khari Edwards, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Ayr, said in a media statement. “Combining this with our support of Minorities for Medical Marijuana’s Project Clean Slate, which provides expungement and wrap-around services across the country, allows us to take a more holistic approach to advocacy this holiday season.”

You can find your local Ayr-owned dispensaries here.

Do you have anything to add to this list? How about a cannabis-themed NYE party? Please email us all and any info at ads@talkingjointsmemo.com. And don’t forget to sign up for our free cannabis newsletter at talkingjointsmemo.com.