"I've spent the last 12 months turning over a lot of clouds in search of silver linings to find enough delightful food to rave about this holiday season.

"It has been harder than expected because, even after seven years of looking for holiday gifts online, I still encounter some problems ordering. More than once after logging on, I had to telephone to ask questions that a Web site left unanaswered, a step that some holiday shoppers won't take.

"But even if you have to make a follow-up call, each product described here is quite special. The cost of shipping, which keeps going up, may give you pause, at least until you factor in the value of your time and the high cost of gasoline.

"Take a lot of lobster meat mixed with mayo and stuff it in buttered, toasted hot dog rolls: summer on the New England coast, delivered from the Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company of Cundy's Harbor, Maine. Tell the lucky recipients to add a little more mayo, a bit of finely chopped celery and a splash of lemon juice, and they will have the best old-fashioned lobster rollsever, with almost no effort."