Jess Rotter

Editors’ Picks Plus the coffeemakers, Yeti hard coolers, and spa treatments our editors loved this month. DECEMBER, OF COURSE, is the time for shopping, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of buying gifts for friends and family from what feels like the infinite scroll of consumer options. Don’t overthink it: The best presents (in this writer’s opinion, at least) are beautiful, functional, straightforward, and fun.

THE PACE OF travel, spurred by the coming holidays, becomes increasingly frenetic, I am more grateful than ever for hotels that feel like an oasis of calm. Having spent so much of the past few months bouncing from place to place and haunting various airport lounges around the world, the pleasure of a beautiful hotel room and a super-comfortable bed have come to feel like one of life’s greatest joys.

’TIS THE SEASON to dine. For me, this month is always a toss-up between eating at home or dining out. If you’ve been tasked with holiday meal preparation, you’ll want to take every opportunity to escape your kitchen — and those pesky dishes that just won’t wash themselves. But is there anything cozier than a quiet meal at home on a cold night?