Chocolate and chocolate-covered things seem to be more prevalent at Christmas than any other time of year, except maybe Easter. Candy and popular food gifts like chocolate-dipped pretzels call for large quantities of chocolate, which first has to chopped fine and melted.
This can get tedious and messy, so if you're using a lot of chocolate this season, try Callebaut's Callets. These are pellets of high quality chocolate that can be poured into a pan and melted. This might sound like a minor time saver, but if you've ever chopped enough chocolate for a few hundred candies, you'll appreciate it.
Available online in bulk quantities through Your Chocolate Shop. They carry semisweet, milk, and white chocolate Callets.
I also like to use the E.Guittard pistoles from Fresh Direct. They come in 4 different cocoa percentages too.