I picked up a new jar of molasses today, along with another bag of sugar.  I had used the last of the molasses on the gingerbread cutout cookies I made for Thanksgiving.  So, with the exception of one more bag of pecans, my pantry is ready for Christmas cookie and quick-bread baking.  I like to buy most of my nuts and dried fruits (including candied ginger) from Trader Joes.  The prices are pretty good, and the inventory seems to turn over faster than at the regular grocery store. 

Some things you might want to make sure you have on hand:

Sugar (white, confectioners`, light brown, dark brown)

Flour

Oats

Baking powder and Baking soda (do you need to replace with fresh)

Salt

Vanilla and other extracts

Cinnamon

Ground ginger

Cloves / nutmeg / allspice / cardamom (if you use any of these)

Molasses

Corn syrup / cane syrup (I use Lyle`s Golden as I can`t get a good, southern brand here)

Nuts (for me, mostly pecans and sometimes almonds)

Chocolate (unsweetened and semi-sweet)

Dutch-process cocoa

Chocolate chips

Food coloring

Sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, and colored sugar for decorating

I make sure to keep the fridge stocked as I start baking:

Butter

Eggs

Cream

Milk