Skip the mall, hit the kitchen: Holiday cooking can help you get into the spirit of the season.

This time of year, cooking-whether it be for guests at our homes, gifts to others or for the ubiquitous office potluck-can easily seem like just another stressful activity to cram into our holiday calendars.      

But cooking for holiday events and gifts isn't supposed to feel like a chore. Cooking for friends, family and coworkers is a much better way to  share the true spirit of the holidays-one rooted in service to others and a sincere desire to please-than pulling out your credit card and going to town on Amazon.com.

In fact, sharing something delicious from your own kitchen can be so much more rewarding than giving your friends, family and coworkers yet another mass-produced knick-knack they may not even remember.

The key is to approach it as an opportunity to do something for someone else-not as a chore that must be dispensed with as efficiently as possible. Here's a list of five ways to make quality time in the kitchen a rewarding part of your holiday experience.

1.   Potlucks are a great time to share.

My office has a wonderful pot-luck, and I look forward to it every year as a chance to share wholesome food with my colleagues and take a moment away from the rat race to talk about everyone's holiday plans.

It's not always easy to figure out what to take, though. By the time I get to the signup sheet, it's usually full of various pasta salads, sweets and veggie and fruit trays.

When you're stumped, think back to holidays past. What foods make you immediately think Christmas? What flavors and aromas get you in a Christmas mood?

Call home and get an old recipe if you need to. When your fellow diners ask about your dish, you'll be able to share a story that could spark some interesting conversation about others' fondest holiday memories.

2.   Bake, don't buy.

Every year, there's a  struggle to figure out what to get the teachers, hairdressers, mechanics and other people who are an important part of various facets of our lives all year long.

Last year, I set aside an entire weekend to bake brownies from scratch, using good chocolate and the best recipes I could find.

I loaded the treats into brown paper boxes from a craft store and tied them all up with red and green ribbon. My "brown paper packages tied up with string" were warmly received, and I've continued to hear about them throughout the year.

Don't think you have to be an accomplished pastry chef or even a trained cook-I am neither of these--to make people happy with something that comes from your kitchen.

It may take a little trial and error, and it will take attention to detail, but by honing in on one specific recipe, you can create something that will send the message holiday gifts are supposed to send: I care about you, so I spent some time trying to create something you'd enjoy.

I'm still going through recipes trying to figure out what to make this year, but the possibilities are endless for gifts like these.

3. Get the kids involved.

The smell of Pillsbury's slice-and-bake sugar cookies will forever remind me of Christmas.

Each year, my mom, brother and I would make at least one batch of these things. We'd roll some out and use holiday cookie-cutters, and we'd decorate all of them with red and green sugar sprinkles in different patterns.

It was easy, fun and gave us a chance to be creative in the kitchen at a young age.

While I enjoy making dough from scratch as an adult, I still can't beat the Pillsbury dough's flavor for nostalgic value.

One taste and I think of home.

Whether you designate them decorators, cookie-cutters or wrapping-paper designers, find a way to get your kids in on the holiday fun in the kitchen. They'll remember it for years to come.

4. Make your kitchen a cheery place to be at Christmas time      

If you've spent the last few weeks working late nights at work,  fighting traffic around the mall and attending endless holiday gatherings, it might be hard to gather up the energy for a marathon cooking session.

So spend some time turning your kitchen into a peaceful, warm and cheerful escape from everything that stresses you out about this time of year.

Take your day planner up to the office, and clear out all the bills and mail.

Bring in a portable CD player and turn on some relaxing holiday tunes (I recommend Harry Connick Jr.'s Christmas albums.).

Light some candles, and bring in a poinsettia or some greenery. When you get to cooking, you'll have an oasis that's filled with the scents of your favorite holiday meals and treats.

5. Don't let the holiday spirit stop at your kitchen door.

Christmas is an important time to give thanks for having the means to cook for yourself and others.

It's also an important time to help those who aren't as fortunate.

Senior meals-on-wheels programs, soup kitchens for the homeless, area food banks and church pantries are just a few of the places to think about giving the gift of your time and resources to help someone who's not part of your immediate circle of friends and family.

Call your local area agency on aging and ask about opportunities to deliver meals to seniors who can't leave their homes. Call your local agency that helps the homeless and volunteer to work in their kitchen one night.

Or just call up a group you know is working hard to help those in need, and tell its staff you want to bring them a home-cooked meal. Call your friends, split up duties and make an event out of it.

The warmth you'll feel from this kind of sharing will linger long after you turn your oven off.