Giving: Lets you show someone how much you care. When you find that one “perfect” gift for someone, you are ecstatic to see their reaction.

On the other hand, you then have to find the same perfect novelty for everyone else in your family or circle of friends, or else it might seem like you were playing favorites.

Receiving: Umm, hello? Free sh*t. Perfect opportunity to ask your parents for stuff you want but can’t afford on your own.

However, if you get a hand-knitted sweater from Nona with giant snowmen on the front, it’s not like you can return it, exactly. So you better perfect your gritted-teeth-smile and thank you.

Giving: You can use it as an excuse to buy something you want that’s still shareable. It’s like killing two birds with one stone: see a top you love? Buy it for your roommate, and borrow it every chance you get. Or, get your boyfriend a pair of hot concert tickets – obviously, you’ll be his date.

The downside? You will blow your cover if you buy your dad Britney’s new Circus CD.

Receiving: You get to see how much people love you, because they clearly want to shower you with gifts! And they might surprise you by being uber-creative and getting you the gift you never realized you wanted, but now can’t live without (my roommate wins that title this year).

The cons? If you didn’t buy a gift, or just threw something together, you will look tacky when the other party gives you the best present ever. Who knew getting wonderful presents could be so hard?

Giving: You can flaunt your creativity as a shopper, as well as the fact that you know your recipient so well that you’ve found the best gift, ever.

Unfortunately, this will burn a hole in your wallet, and if you cant’ find the perfect gift for everyone on your list, you’re still bound to succumb to mindless giftcard swapping.

Receiving: No matter what, it’s still free items. And with the economy in its present state, we can all use free stuff.

Just be careful – trying to be economical and regift any of your received goods can be detrimental if you regift the wrong thing to the wrong person. It might be better to just suck it up and sell your new Oster on Craigslist.

Student political party promises more sex.

Need some help with tuition? Get a sponsor!

Biggest fashion Do’s and Don’ts of 2008

Everyone’s dropping out of Fashion Week.

Still looking for the perfect gift? How about ScarJo’s snot??

We covet Bobbi Brown’s new party collection.

December break is here. Time to recharge!

In case you were wondering, a breakdown explaining why Robert Pattinson is so hot. (“Cuz he just is” wasn’t good enough.)

The Black Friday shopping ground is a war zone and the only way to get what you want is to make sure that you KNOW what you want before you get there. So here’s a list of fun (and useful!) tech gadgets that you can and should get your paws on this holiday season.

1) Blu-ray player

So it’s been a year and we all know that HD players are pretty much dead. They lost the war in the heir to the DVD empire. Blue-ray movies are just sharper, have better sound and are all around sweeter. The Sony PS3 has a sweet Blu-ray player included in its package, which means you get 2 new toys in one. And Wal-mart has a pretty sweet deal on them, so that’s two toys for the price of one very cheap one.

2) Game Bundle packs

Speaking of the PS3, this holiday season is the perfect time time to upgrade to the next gen (or at this point, this gen) game systems. The hard to find Wii is in stock everywhere, and both PS3 and XBox 360 have dropped their prices. Many vendors or running specials for Black Friday where you can get not only the system, but a selection of games for a good price. Try Game Stop for the ultimate bundle deals.

3) GPS System

Everyone gets lost sometime. A GPS is a good gift for anyone that you know who drives; it’ll come in handy. Right now you can get one on the cheap and pack it up for the holiday. Pep Boys is running a special on them.

4) New Cell Phone

Everyone complains about their phone. (Ok, well at least I do.) The holiday season is the perfect time to get that special someone (or yourself!) a new one. So it’s not exactly a gift that you can put away for later, but if you get it then your boy will no longer be able to use the excuse that his busted phone dropped your call again.

5) Camcorder

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is priceless. Tomorrow a camcorder can be an easy pick-up for the aggressive shopper. Afterall, it is the perfect gift for anyone. There are deals on these everywhere, so pick one up for the roomie. Or, better yet, pick one up for you so you can tape the roomie next time she does her drunk dance.

6) Laptop

Either your current one has finally given up on you, or you’ve found that your desktop just isn’t portable enough. Either way a new laptop is a steal on Black Friday. It may not be name brand, but it’ll let you finish those last minute papers on the fly. Or just take notes in class (and by take notes I mean go on Facebook).

The most important thing to remember on Black Friday is to find out what you want first. Go grab some circulars TONIGHT and map out your plan of attack. Chances are the store is going to be overrun with people and, much like the battles of old, all the action will be over in 15 minutes or less. At the end of that 15 minutes you want to be standing in line with your hard earned booty, not wondering the aisle with nothing to show for your hard work but bags under your eyes.

Good luck!

And let us tell ya; with CC on your side, geek has never looked so chic.]

So the holidays are coming up and you can’t decide what to give the loved ones in your life. Or probably more accurately, what you want (I want a new TV… just sayin’). One of the hot items this season is a camera. It’s the perfect gift (aside from that TV I mentioned earlier): it’s not too expensive, everyone loves em, and it’s extremely handy. But, as always, it’s always a good idea to know who you’re shopping for.

The Casual Photographer

These are the friends and family that only take pictures at gatherings and vacations. For memories. Their shots aren’t always great and more often than not it’s some group picture. A sub division of this group is the “caught you doing something stupid” photographer.

For these people I suggest a light weight and sturdy camera. They don’t want to bother with something bulky and heavy,nor do they need a bunch of special features. They’re more about point and click. Sturdy because, well, it’s going to be tossed around, thrown into bags, shoved into pockets and all manner of things. That little guy will need to be able to take a hit.

I would recommend this Kodak Easyshare. It’s EASY, as the name implies, and is more focused on the fun of photography.

The Hobbyist

This the person you know who wants you to stand in a certain ray of light, or pose just so. They walk around with their camera taking shots of nature and society. Maybe they’re art students and these are just future studies for them. For whatever reasons, they’re looking for more in a shot than a memory.

These people will need a little better quality of camera. They need a clearer, crisper picture. More mega pixels. More zoom and light options.

Something more like this Canon would work better for this set.

The Professional

Stop right there. You can’t buy a camera for them on your budget, and if it’s for you, you might want to sacrifice a little on what you want. In any case if you’re still looking to give a gift, then have you thought about accessories?

From Digital picture frames to extra printer ink the list is endless. Make a little bundle pack.

In any case these are just suggestions to get you started. Look around the fliers to find things of comparable quality. A different brand might be way cheaper (especially with the season) and have all the same qualities. Happy shopping!