Christmas Shoppers: Help is on the way!

Dave Barry's 2006 Gift Guide is here! The Miami Herald humor columnist offers his perspective on this season's most intriguing gift ideas from a motorized cooler on wheels, to personalized toilet paper ...

DAVE BARRY'S ANNUAL GIFT GUIDE

What's behind Santa's Ho-Ho-Ho

Holiday gift-giving is a tradition that dates back roughly 2,006 years, to when the Three Wise Men went to Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the Baby Jesus. Of course the next day the Virgin Mary returned these items for store credit, because she was a low-income mother with a newborn, and as the old saying goes, ''You can't diaper a baby with frankincense.''

But it was too late: The Three Wise Men had started a tradition. And in keeping with that tradition, this holiday season millions of people will spend billions of dollars to buy gifts that their friends and loved ones do not need.


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Another printing of this gift guide at the Star-Telegram