I enjoy looking through this catalog whenever it's delivered. This was my first order, a dessert being used for Christmas. I was given the choice of shipping dates, which I requested to be delayed by a week or so just because I thought it would be fresher. However, the item shipped immediately and arrived earlier than anticipated. Freshness was not in fact a problem because the cookies were shrink-wrapped and not going to spoil, I just had to find a safe place to keep it for two weeks so it would not get knocked around and disassemble. I look forward to possibly ordering something in the future, as the items all look unbelievable.