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I'm Italian and we always had panettone for the holidays. I didn't like it as a kid, but then tried it again as an adult and now I love it. We like to have it in the moring with coffee.. and of course it's always there on the table when we toast the new year with Asti. Oh we have it for Christmas too, along with the rest of the desserts. For prolonged freshness, make sure you keep it sealed in the plastic bag that it comes in after you open it. Merry Christmas.

I'm a pandoro girl.

I grew up with panettone, which may be part of the reason I like it so much, but there are a lot of different brands, which means that quality ranges from dreadful to fantastic. I shouldn't think that the ones at Trader Joe would be particularly good; they're definitely not supposed to be dry.

Love it! I'm Argentinian and it's a big deal there. it wouldn't be Christmas without it. My uncle used to strategically stockpile it during Christmas so he could eat it for most of the year.

Although I've never had it myself, I'd say that the still wrapped one that's been sitting in the office all week leans towards the fruitcake column...

I LOOOOVE panettone!

It is not Christmas without Panetone...when I was little my Nonna's brother would send one to us from Italy and I loved having something come from so far away. I look forward to it every year. It is great toasted with butter or in a bread pudding. For me, it so much more than just the Panetone itself--it is what is says about my family, our traditions, etc.

mmmmmmmmmm. Panetone and my toaster will make beautiful music together this year for the full week after christmas. butter some days, cream cheese others...oh the joy, the rapture.

I love fruitcake but hated how dry this abomination was when I bought one at, I think, Trader Joe last year. I hate dry and crumbly bread. Hopefully it's really moist fresh-baked; otherwise, no thanks.

Panettone yay, for me -- Even the boxed ones can be nice, if you don't mind soaking it with spiced rum. :)

(And for the curious: Keep the panettone wrapped, add about a cup or so of rum, let it soak in. You'll want to wait about a week, turning it once a day to make sure it soaks evenly.)

Ah. The old Pannettone debate. Thanks to our proximity to Italy, here in Malta we feel the full force of the Christmas PT onslaught. I LOVE it. In all its myriad forms. We get the basic sort plus a host of different varieties. One of the most sumptuous in a Baci branded one! The best best best come from Milan (traditional home of the PT) and I always try to get those. As with all things - pay a little more and you get quality... make sure you get "Tre Marie" brand - you will be in PT heaven.

I'll join in the chorus of fond praise: actually, make that 4 votes, because we all love it. There are different versions, tho, so if someone winds up with an inferior version, I'd agree bread pudding is the way to go. (We can't throw anything away.)

Simply toasted and buttered - divine.