Hanukkah is ridiculously early this year-it begins two weeks after Thanksgiving. So, for those of you who want to get a jump on your shopping, here are eight days' worth of gifts that would make any food-lover very happy. (Note that all foods included are kosher.)

Lake Champlain Hanukkah Gelt
$8, lakechamplainchocolates.com

You gotta have gelt, right? But, while we all have happy childhood memories of the standard gold foil-covered coins, if you're a serious chocolate lover, it's time for an upgrade. Vermont chocolatier Lake Champlain Chocolates produces gelt that's a step above the waxy stuff. The all-natural, milk chocolate coins are made in small batches in the company's Burlington factory and are packaged in a blue box decorated with a menorah.

Challah Connection Rugelach
$39.99, challahconnection.com

Based in Westport, CT, The Challah Connection is a small company that specializes in freshly baked kosher treats such as challah, babka, and rugelach.

There's nothing wrong with a little competition -- especially when it comes to cookies! To ring in the season, we've rounded up the most popular holiday cookies submitted by MixingBowl.com and BHG.com members. View the slide show to see the winning recipes, as well as some tasty testimonials from users. Do you have a fave holiday sweet treat? Dish with us!

I love decorating my house for Christmas. But as much as I would love to just spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on decorations, this is an expensive time of year. Between gifts for the kids, family, teachers, and so on, my budget doesn't leave much room for new decorations.

Here are 5 cute Christmas decorating ideas for under $5. That way you can decorate your house without breaking the bank!

Candy Canes In Clear Glasses

Classic red and white candy canes set into clear glasses placed throughout your house add a little holiday cheer. Candy canes usually only cost $1 for a box of 12, so you can make several arrangements. Just use regular drinking glasses and place the candy canes in with their hooks facing the outside of the glass.

Tie Pretty Ribbon Into Bows

For under $2 a spool you can find really cute ribbon at discount and craft stores. Each spool has enough ribbon to make lots of bows. Just tie standard bows (like you tie your shoes) and place them all over the house.

Any one of these cookies is sure to win you a friend or two. But if you're like me, you might have a little trouble sharing them...

Related Recipes:

• deep well cookies

• chocolate crinkles

• chocolate chocolate mint chip cookies

• lemon butter cookies

• (mock) cranberry bliss bars

• coconut macaroons

Prevention is Key

We don't mean to be kill-joys during the most joyous time of the year, but the stats don't lie: According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 12,500 of you have to leave the company of your loved ones to rush to the emergency room due to holiday-related accidental injuries. Here are some common holiday dangers that are overlooked by distracted holiday revelers more often than you might think. Take a look, know the warning signs, and you'll be the first to know if you, your loved ones, or your pets are victims of a toxic Christmas.

If your sniffling and sneezing coincide with the arrival of your freshly cut Christmas tree, you could be reacting to skyrocketing mold spore counts. If you must have a real tree in your home, prevent allergic reactions for guests and loved ones by hosing your tree down, spraying it with a mold-resistant sealant like M-1 Sure Cote, and allowing it to dry before bringing it indoors.

On Monday, Siobhan Adcock wrote about the start of Holiday Cookie Season and which recipes she plans to try this year. Later that day, Siobhan shared some of her delicate and butter-y thumbprint cookies with the Epi staff (delicious) and naturally the conversation centered around our favorite cookie recipes and holiday baking memories. Someone brought up dragées and asked whether they are really edible? Dragées are perhaps more commonly known as those little silver balls used to add sparkle to cut-out wreathes and trees. My sister Alex and I have a long tradition of decorating Christmas cookies and we've never shied away from eating the little silver decorations (or the raw-egg-filled cookie dough), but are they safe? Are dragées really edible?

Poking around the internet, I found that just about every online source features some reference to the FDA recommendation that dragées are only for decoration and not to be consumed. And, after a Napa Valley lawyer filed several lawsuits

Everyone has a friend like this: She'll basically be impressed with anything from a big brand, so you may as well grant her a little label love - we found gifts she'll love for $100 and under.

See our fifth affordable find here.

marc jacobs totally turnlock pouch

Marc Jacobs' punchy blue Totally Turnlock Key Pouch ($68) is unmistakably Marc, and can double as a tiny makeup case to tote around in your handbag.

juicy couture charm bracelet

This charm bracelet ($90, was $180) from Juicy Couture is whimsically pretty - a great casual statement piece.

tiffany key charm

Tiffany's Key charms are the jewelry gift this holiday, and this tiny silver version ($100) is versatile enough to wear every day - and it comes in that blue box, which, lets be honest, is important.

Dior holiday eye palette

The Dior Holiday Collection Makeup Palette ($42) has all the glamour of Dior without the price tag - the shimmery, holiday-appropriate shadows come in a glossy black case with the signature D in metal.

Peruse our Sold Out Gift Guide for the hottest,

Every year we go through the same old gift giving process of finding that perfect something for friends and family...It's definitely a challenge depending on the person and gets expensive when you start adding up the list of people that you can't skip out on. So why not make some yourself? Get creative with these DIYs for the holidays!

Peppermint Bark

A step up from the normal candy cane!

Supplies:

12 oz. quality white chocolate, finely chopped

30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)

12 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Measuring cups, 
rubber spatula, 
sharp knife, 
aluminum foil
, cookie sheet

Packaging: Glass jar, ribbon, tag, ornament, etc.

Note: This recipe makes around 1-1/2 pounds.

5 Diseases You Could Have--Without Knowing It!

Procedure:

1. Line the cookie sheet with a 12" length of foil.