With of the arrival of November comes planning for holiday gatherings. In my family, it wouldn't quite feel like the holidays without a platter of goodness from one of our favorite stores.

Meat and cheese platters, jams, spreads and chocolates are a common sight on kitchen islands and family snacking stations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Hickory Farms stores have been cranking out gourmet gift baskets for American festivities for close to 60 years. The Twin Falls location at the Magic Valley Mall is open for holiday gift buying.

As it has for years, the store sits between J.C. Penny and GNC. A co-worker of mine returned from her lunch break last week more than excited to share the news that they had opened. I recently came across a Hickory Farms YouTube video that demonstrates how to put together the perfect, aesthetically pleasing holiday platter.

I can't recall a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering among family and friends that didn't include some sort of Hickory Farms basket. I could eat one of those gourmet cheese balls in a single sitting, which wouldn't go over well with my family at all. An assorted gift package from the store is one of those few gifts you could buy just about anybody and they'd be happy to receive it.

Mall hours are 10 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Saturday, and 10 AM to 6 PM Sundays. Some stores keep modified hours. You may want to carry a mask with you just in case some stores are enforcing COVID-19 safety protocols.

READ MORE: Inspiring Stories From the Coronavirus Pandemic

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