The holiday season kind of snuck up on me this year… I guess when you live in L.A. where it’s still 80 degrees out every other day, it’s easy to forget that the Winter Wonderland season is just around the corner.

Though I do somewhat miss the promise of a White Christmas, eggnog lattes, ginger cookies and pine-scented candles  go a long way towards making you feel all warm, fuzzy and festive no matter the temperature.

Speaking of warm-fuzzies, here are my favorite under $50 gifts for those people in your life who have a tendency to go on and on about the differences between Vietnamese and Korintje cinnamon …

A year long subscription to Lucky Peach – $28.

Once you’ve ascertained that your giftee doesn’t already have one, a year of this quarterly magazine is a no brainer. Erudite and endlessly entertaining, LP is packed with some of the best writing on food you’ll find anywhere nowadays. While you’re at it, might as well get yourself one too, since your foodie friend will inevitably try to corner you at the next get together to discuss that new Harold McGee piece she just read…

Bear Paws – $12.95 on Amazon

While I’m ever skeptical of As Seen on TV kitchen gadgets, these babies have received the thumbs up from the ultimate kitchen nerds at America’s Test Kitchen. The hubby swears by them and we use them for everything, from shredding pork to holding roast chicken in place for carving. Also, extra points for being American made.

The Ringer Chainmail scrubber – $15.99 on Amazon

This thing is a godsend for my cast iron and enamel cookware.  It works way better than your run-of-the-mill scrubby sponge, is easy to clean and won’t fall apart. Give the gift of easier clean up this season, and position yourself for more dinner invitations  to come next year.

Nordic Ware Bundt pans – $36 at Sur La Table 

You guys, I only got on the Bundt bandwagon a few months ago, and I can’t believe what i’d been missing all my life. The caramelized crust that forms where the batter hits the pan renders frosting unnecessary, making scratching that 10pm-on-a-Wednesday baking itch much easier. They come in all kinds of shapes – you could even be all seasonally appropriate and cop one of these:

Le Creuset Stoneware 22 oz baking dish – $30

The perfect gift for the folks who throw Instagram-ready “casual” dinner parties, complete with perfectly haphazard wild flower center pieces and artfully mismatched vintage tableware… and those who envy them.