Which do you prefer: giving or getting? One doesn't necessarily cancel out the other, but you can learn a lot about your inner Santa (or Grinch) by determining which, for you, is more fun.
That's where this year's Holiday Guide comes in.
Our "Shop & Stop" excursions take you from Tarpon Springs to Seminole Heights — everywhere but the malls — to find gifts you won't find anywhere else. It'll be up to you to decide whether to give 'em up or keep 'em for yourself.
If conspicuous consumption is not your thing (or even if it is), look for the words "Give Here" to find deserving local charities that could use your help.
And if you love the idea of something for nothing, enter our "Treasure Trail" contest. Throughout the Guide you'll find photos of gifts from all of the neighborhoods in "Shop & Stop." If you can tell us the name of the shop where the gift can be found, e-mail [email protected]. Enter as many times as you like, and make guesses on as many items as you like. For every correct answer, you'll be entered into a drawing for a valuable prize from the Weekly Planet. We'll keep the contest going throughout the holidays, and winners will be announced before the Christmas/ Chanukah/Kwanzaa triple-whammy weekend of Dec. 24-26.
But that's not all. The Guide gives you all you need to know about holiday movies, the best of the box sets, and tech gifts that aren't iPods or Xboxes. We've got a full list of holiday happenings from Thanksgiving to the New Year. And if you're just a little sick and tired of giving, getting and the whole damn thing, check for the mark of the Un-Santa — three stories about avoiding, delaying or scamming your way through the entire holiday season.
Cheers!
David Warner, editor