I've got the "Hallelujah Chorus" raging through my head. Thanks to a shopping trip to the 99 Ranch Market (it's a new Asian supermarket that replaced the shuttered Fiesta on Blalock at the Katy Freeway), I have found my holiday gift of the season.

Every year I think and search, search and think for some odd but wonderful gift for my small circle of foodie friends. Something unique in flavor, reasonable in price and defiantly special.

Oh sure, there is plenty of cool stuff on the shelves around town, but usually the cost is prohibitive. And I want something offbeat. So almost every year I wind up, once again, late one night, in my kitchen cooking something at the last minute —usually basil (homegrown of course – that opal basil cooks down to a magenta color of stellar quality) jelly or an assortment of wondrous cookies.

But hallelujah, not this year.

I will be gloriously free of kitchen duty when it comes to the gift-giving department. This year I'm giving Pat Chun’s (sweetened) vinegar sauce to my friends.

Doesn’t sound too exciting but, trust me, it is the essence of Christmas. It's (very) sweetened rice wine vinegar infused with orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, cloves — the stuff smells like Christmas memories. Even the label celebrates the season with its orange, red, gold and hot pink colors set quite nicely against the dark, caramel-colored vinegar.

I found it in two sizes: The 600 milliliter bottle costs a bit under $6; the "Big Daddy," a giant-sized 3.65 liter bottle, goes for $35. The "Big Daddy" had me really excited because between the bottle and the red netting sat a thin recipe brochure. But my hopes were dashed when I discovered the recipes are printed only in Chinese.

The cashier tried to tell me through gestures that the vinegar is great when rubbed on feet or shoulders. I was bemused, thinking it had some medicinal qualities. Taking note of my quizzical look, she oinked.

I understood — finally. Pat Chun vinegar sauce is great on pig’s feet or shoulder.

That got me thinking, reduction sauce for pork tenders? Hmmmm. Maybe even as a marinade for Asian-style short ribs.

I’ve already tried it in salad dressings – amazing.

Coleslaw — great.

Potato Salad — terrific, though the color is a bit odd.

So ecstatic was I at finding a flavor sensation of such marvel and frankly, for so cheap, I shared a bottle with my pal Al Marcus, who is known as "the bacon man" to Farmers Market-goers. I was a tad bit nervous about the reaction of my recipients, so Al was my guinea pig.

He took one sniff and his eyes rolled back.

“Ah, Christmas,” he sighed.

He took a slug from the bottle right in the middle of the parking lot and said, “Oh I gotta do some candied bacon with this.”

Al got it. The scent, the flavor, the essence of Christmas.

Seeing his reaction, I got that hallelujah feeling all over again.