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I once asked my grandchildren, “What were the first Christmas gifts?” And one of them showed she was on the right track….up to a point. The answer she gave was, “The first Christmas gifts were given by the wise men, and they gave to the Baby Jesus, ‘Gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh.’” Out of the mouth of babes.

If talking politics at Thanksgiving is not enough to get you removed from the guest list for holidays in December, here's some gift ideas that will ensure you won't get invited back next year. Ever find yourself in a position to need to buy a gift for someone you just don't like? Perhaps an in-law, or obstinate niece or nephew? Or, just looking to avoid terrible gifts? TechRepublic assembled the worst possible gift ideas—products that you can give to people that serve as the holiday equivalent of "Here, it's your problem now." In other words, the digital equivalent of buying...

CORONA: Stinky strategy punishes package pilferers Corona-area residents are setting out prop packages filled with poo to prevent pilfering. They say mail thieves are getting out of control in their neighborhoods. Fed up with thieves stealing their precious packages, Corona-area residents have banded together to teach them a smelly lesson. "They're calling it a movement," said Michaela Roekle, who set a box of her own out a few days ago. In a prop package with a fake address label attached, Roekle placed a special gift from her son, Braven, and dog, Midnight. It's sat on her stoop Tuesday, waiting for...

Alcohol Voted 'Worst' Christmas Gift The results of a recent poll by review and research organisation Consumer Reports have revealed alcohol is considered the "worst" gift to receive at Christmas. The Consumer Reports National Research Center designed a survey to explore "general sentiment and shopping behaviours" for the 2015 winter holiday season. Out of the 1,300 US residents polled - statistically weighted so that respondents in the survey were demographically and geographically representative of the US population - spirits such as vodka, rum and whisky received the highest number of votes for 'worst gift', with 20% listing booze as the...

Puff 'n' Fluff Dog Dryer The holidays are here, and-in the words of the heartwarming classic Andy Williams holiday tune we will hear so many times that by mid-December we will want to stuff figgy pudding into our ears - "it's the most wonderful time of the year." And it truly is, for many reasons. It's a time of good will, when people we barely know extend heartfelt season's greetings to us, often in the form of convenient envelopes with the words SEASONS GREETINGS printed right on them that we can use to give these people their holiday tips. It's...

People who want to buy Christmas gifts, without having to confront the crowds at the local shopping mall (or shopping maul) can take a load off their feet by buying books or movies on the Internet, while sitting in the comfort of their own homes. In addition to old standbys like gorgeous coffee table books of Ansel Adams' scenic photographs or the collected works of Shakespeare -- or of "Calvin and Hobbes" comics -- there are also many thought-provoking books on current events or on history. People who already seem to have everything may not have DVDs of the latest...

Parents are threatening legal action against a Southern California school district after their six-year-old son was told he could not pass out candy canes with religious messages taped to them because "Jesus is not allowed in school." Isaiah Martinez, a six-year-old student at Merced Elementary School in West Covina, Calif., arrived to school on Dec. 13, planning to pass out candy canes with religious messages to his fellow students in celebration of the upcoming Christmas season. After the boy's teacher consulted with the school principal, he reportedly told the student that he could not pass out the religious messages because...

Going into the shopping season, any ideas for Christmas gifts that inspire patriotism -- for kids 6-12 years?

Games are a natural part of life. Think about it. Even in nature, pups, cubs and kittens play, practice and sharpen the skills they will use as adults. Littermates will tumble around, with fake growls and go in for a “kill” with a pretend bite to the neck. The puppy on his back, knows he’s lost the game. Throughout history, there were games that displayed strength, stamina and skills in every culture. Today, those who can play games to display their strength, stamina and skill are given multi-million dollar contracts– and we pay big bucks to watch them. However, though...

It was a typical conversation between mother and son, just a few weeks before Christmas—and it went something like this, “I’ve got the boys covered, so what do I get for little Miss Corrine?” said I. To which he replied, “Geez mom, you raised six girls, it shouldn’t be hard for you to figure out. She’s a girl. Buy her girl stuff.” But it’s not that easy. There are all kinds of girls, which means there are lots of different flavors of “girl stuff.” Corrine is four, and has two cousins the same age. They are all girly-girls and not...

One report said the bombs were packed with nails Two people have died in twin explosions at shops in the city of Iligan in the southern Philippines. At least 47 people were injured - two critically - in the blasts, which went off minutes apart in two shops packed with Christmas shoppers. Police have blamed "terrorists" for the bombs, and Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Iligan is on the island of Mindanao, which has an active Muslim insurgency. There have been sporadic clashes between government troops and rebels fighting for self rule...

a weakening economy this holiday season, there are signs that many of the discounts will stick around through the end of the year. That means shoppers seeking a TV could have several extra weeks of lower-than-usual prices to find the right deal. The Black Friday discounts will be even heftier, according to estimates. A 32-inch LCD TV will be discounted 54% to an estimated $399 in limited quantities on Black Friday from an average $875 in October, according to iSuppli. If those prices don't spur sales over Thanksgiving weekend, Ms. Patel says, many of the discounts will continue in December....

10. Have Your Wife Fight Your Battles for You: The John Edwards Military Strategy Handbook 9. The 2008 National Organization of Women Swimsuit Calendar 8. “Hillary Clinton’s Dramatic Readings of the 10 Greatest Speeches in American History” Two-Disc Set 7. The Dennis Kucinich Unidentified Frying Object Vegetarian Hibachi Grill 6. A Home Visit by the Ron Paul Blimp 5. The Collected Works of Neil Kinnock edited by Joe Biden 4. Anything That Contains the Words “Universal” and “Comprehensive” or That Claims to be “For the Children” 3. Five Hundred Shares of New York Times Common Stock 2. Free Membership in...

Washington, D.C. (October 18, 2007) -- An HD DVD player could be available for the new low price of $199 this holiday season. Internet message boards are buzzing with the possibility after a Wal-Mart employee posted an upcoming store notice about a $199 Toshiba HD DVD player. The price has not been confirmed by Wal-Mart or Toshiba, but the drop would not be surprising. Toshiba's entry-level player is now $299, but industry analysts have forecast that a sub-$200 player is likely for the holidays. Additionally, Blu-ray manufacturers are expected to lower the price on its players. Sony's Blu-ray player is...

A Merry Claremont Christmas Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays. While you're there, curl up with one of these fine books...   Tom Karako Director of Programs, the Claremont Institute  The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style, by Nicholas Antongiavanni  Few books may be called original. The Suit is a rare exception. Rarer still, because it has the virtue of being read on many levels, providing bona fide instruction for men's dress, a careful commentary on Machiavelli by one who knows him well, and, finally, managing to be extraordinarily funny. This little work allows the...

Tesco condemned over pole dancing game marketed as toy by COLIN FERNANDEZ Last updated at 00:02am on 24th October 2006 Reader comments (0) Mother of two Karen Gallimore was searching for Christmas gifts for her two daughters, Laura 10, and Sarah, 11, when she came across the 'toy' HeadlinesMen who use mobile phones face increased risk of infertility Women entrepreneurs set to overtake men by 2010 Huge queues as 'faulty' cash machine gives out double money Crazy weather sees banana and olive crops in England Elderly patient drags herself upstairs after 999 services ban heavy lifting Faith schools face orders...

Best known the world over for the group that bears his name, Carlos Santana has been reinventing and reshaping the landscape of the known universe's musical culture for close to four decades. Multiple Grammy award-winning Santana moves beyond his infectious rhythms of Latin, R&B, and jazz musical creations - to bring you his newest creations - fragrance.

Share your list of loot. :-) What did you get this year? Did you love it? Hate it? What are you going to do with it if you hated it? Throw it out? Return it to the store? Give it away as a gift next year to some unsuspecting person? As for me....I got 25 dollars in cash, which I promptly used to buy myself a couple of DVD's on eBay ("Bowfinger" starring Steve Martin, and the John Carpenter horror flick: "The Fog") Yes, that's all I got for Christmas....25 dollars in cash. It's an improvement from last years Christmas....