After getting stuffed with turkey cover after November food magazine cover, I expected the same repetitive similarities on December issues. But there was no tree after tree after tree this month. Though I was pleasantly surprised by the variety, still it’s basically Bon Appétit magazine and everyone else.

Bon Appétit did it again. Remember that stunner of an August cover? This one may just be even better. The colors–deep reds, chocolate and ivory–and the composition are exquisite. And for long-time readers, if the Spiced Chocolate Torte wrapped in chocolate ribbons looks familiar, it’s a repeat of the December 1984 cover. Twenty-six years later, the recipe remains the magazine’s most requested.

Also separating itself from the rest of the pack was Food Network Magazine, though I think I like the gingerbread cookie cover more for the spread it relates to inside. Titled “Best Dressed,” it gives 10 different outfit variations for your gingerbread men and women using store-bought candies and treats like mints, jelly beans, M&M’s and Jolly Ranchers. Cookie and icing recipes are included too.

The rest of the December covers (at least the ones that looked seasonal) fell into three major categories: wreaths, cookies or trees.

That first group includes Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens. I do love Martha’s issue, but for my personal taste, her cover (the outside cover; there are technically three) is a little too metallic. Maybe it’s the deep pinks and the poinsettias, but Better Homes and Gardens’ cover reminds me of my mom–and you just can’t go against mom.

Then there are the cookie covers–Food & Wine, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade and Everyday Food. Honestly, none of the three really “wows” me. I appreciate the light blues in the masthead and the cookie pearls on the Food & Wine magazine cover, but it lacks a punch. Sandra Lee’s cover cookies (green, red and white) are festive enough, but predictable. And Everyday Food magazine’s pinks and reds are more suited to Valentine’s Day.

The most discreetly seasonal covers feature Christmas trees. Southern Living and Cooking With Paula Deen magazines’ cover holiday desserts are just barely illuminated by the expected white lights on the typical green trees behind them. In this category, Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine gets the kudos for the white trees decorated with silver ornaments (no lights) and gold headlines that give her December 2010/January 2011 cover a simple, yet elegant look.