We can feel it. The season is poised for takeoff.  We’ve got the holiday wind beneath our wings.

Start your non-stop shopping blitz by combining two of our favorite things; chocolate and pearls. A source sent us the e-mail from Walter Bauman Jewelers promising a terrific discount on a sweet surprise; a chocolate pearl necklace!  Plus, they are giving away a free pair of chocolate cultured freshwater pearl earrings with every jewelry purchase this weekend. See www.walterbauman.com for store hours and locations.  

If you are looking for handcrafted holiday decorations, the historic Van Vleck House & Gardens (www.vanvleck.org) in Montclair is the place to be. The annual Deck the Halls festival is this Thursday-Saturday, with local artists putting their wreaths, topiaries and other Christmas-y things up for silent auction (to benefit maintenance of Van Vleck’s gardens and its educational programs). Admission, $5.

You can also see vintage decorations in another historic home, the Physick Estate, which kicks off Cape May’s holiday season with “An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions Through the Years.”  On Saturday at 7 pm. Santa will throw the switch to light the Christmas tree and the thousands of twinkling lights adorning the estate. More info at www.capemaymac.org.

A different version of a traditional holiday show will be performed by the Alborada dance company on Sunday. It’s called Sueño de una Niña—A Spanish Nutcracker, and brings to the stage Spanish Christmas traditions through dances that include Goyescas, Verdiales, and Flamenco.  Show starts at 3 pm at the Richard Marasco Performing Arts Center in Monroe Twp. Admission, $12–$14. www.alboradadance.org.

You can warm up your palette for Thanksgiving with a Taste of Rahway (www.rcpnj.org/) on Friday.  There are sample offerings from at least 30 food establishments from Union County, as well as wine, beer, and aperitif-tasting stations. Food and presentation will be evaluated by judges including chef David Drake. It’s 6:30–9:30 pm at Rahway Recreation Center, at West Milton Ave and City Hall Plaza (732-396-3545). $40 at the door.

There are even activities for those who think the week before Thanksgiving is too early to start Christmas. Saturday at 2 p.m, at the Tuckerton Historical Museum (www.tuckertonlehhs.org)   in Little Egg Harbor, they’ll celebrate Veterans Day by serving the kind of lunch Americas ate during World War I.

Finally, our friends at the Community Food Bank e-mailed to remind us the annual turkey drive is underway this weekend.  You can drop off frozen turkeys, and canned goods at locations throughout the state.  Go to www.njfoodbank.org for locations.

Take a deep breath. The season is just starting.