I don't gift baked goods, but am the cookie provider for the two places we go on Christmas eve and Christmas day. I personally don't care for baked goods after they have been frozen so I do my baking the last week or so before Christmas so they are absolutely fresh. Crisp cookies will keep longer so I bake them first and the bars and soft cookies are not baked until the 22nd or 23rd. I know that it is hectic that last week, but it works for me since I am in the kitchen cooking anyway.