A FEW WEEKS AGO—as October was coming to a close—our Twitter feed revealed that our friends on the East Coast were experiencing the first snowfall of the season. Out here in California, with the temperatures in the 70s, folks were still wearing shorts and flip-flops.

Without any seasonal signs, it’s espe-
cially easy for the holidays to sneak up
on us. But regardless of where you live,
it’s not uncommon to get a bit frazzled
around this time of the year (Should we
throw a party or not? What to get or make
for the person who seems to have every-
thing? How much to budget for gifts?).
To help combat that feeling of being
overwhelmed, we decided to assemble a
Winter Gift Guide—a digital supplement
to our print magazine.