Martha Stewart Recipe Box, $11
It’s an extra sweet hostess gift if you put your favorite recipe in before you wrap it up.

from Macys.com

Taylor’s Gold Pears, $24 for 6
Organic pears said to “ruin you for all other pears”. I’d rather 6 of these than a whole gift basket. Quality over quantity and all that.

from Frog Hollow Farm

Brown Mini Gable Boxes, $4 for 6
Bake up a variety of cookies and pack them in these cute mini boxes from Bake it Pretty (also available in silver and full-size). Your mom will love them!

from BakeItPretty.com

Cafetiere Cosy in Breakfast Orange, $20
I’ve wanted a French Press cozy for a while but I didn’t know if they even existed so I went Etsy-hunting. This is the coolest find. It’s organic! It’s orange! It’s hand knit! It’s from Scotland! Can it be any more perfect? I think not.

from Etsy’s Snow Drops and Daisies

Round 3.5 Quart French Oven, $185
Dear Santa, I’ll take this in red, orange or yellow, but the red is my favorite. Love, Amber

from Le Creuset

Earbuds, $10
An excellent stocking stuffer or little Hanukkah gift. I always keep a spare pair just in case (there’s nothing worse than being on the subway without), but I haven’t needed to use them in over two years – these SkullCandy ones last a long time.

from SkullCandy

Leather Briefcase, $519
I love the motto for this bag: “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.” That’s probably true – it’s guaranteed for 100 years. This is what my friend Gavin had to say about it: “…just look at it! It’s the kind of bag Indiana Jones would use. This bag could kick Jack Bauer’s bag’s ass any day.”

True.

from the Saddleback Leather Company

Personalized Pencils, $9 for a dozen
You can be geeky and get them printed with your Twitter handle.

(More styles and multiple lines available, too.)

from ExplicitlyYoursPencils.com

Baked, $20 and Salty Sweets, $14
I’m recommending these books together because I think the pair of them would make one great gift.

Baked is actually a store here in Brooklyn, and the guys who own it are a little younger and hipper than the average baker. They’ve taken traditional treats and spiced them up with modern twists.

Salty Sweets is devoted to the concept of salt and sugar is the greatest combo ever.  I heard the author, Christie Matheson, on the Faith Middleton Show and was drooling by the end of the episode.

Salt Essentials Collection, $101
Yes, it’s a hundred bucks worth of salt. But it’s salt from around the world. Either you’re a foodie or you don’t get it. You can also buy the salts individually – check out the website for descriptions.

from Dean & Deluca