Searle, a chain of high-end boutiques in New York, is phoning husbands and grandmothers to tell them about the $478 silk dresses and $298 velvet scarves their loved ones have put on their "Dear Searle" lists. Bluemercury, a chain of 26 beauty boutiques, is inviting customers in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Princeton, N.J., among other places, to provide names of relatives and friends the store can call to suggest gifts.

Online retailer Net-a-Porter.com, which sells women's designer clothes and accessories, has gone a step further, offering videos that are emailed to husbands and boyfriends, telling them what the sender wants. First, the sender fills out a questionnaire, in which they pick from a list of pet names for the recipient, ranging from "Honey Bunny" to "Hot Stuff" to "Boo Boo." They can also select descriptors of the potential gift-giver, such as "macho" or "commanding."

Then an email is sent to the designated recipient, featuring a flirtatious blond woman called "Santa's Helper." She advises the viewer that "It's time we had a serious talk, Honey Bunny" (or whatever the selected endearment). The helper says the sender is "lucky, isn't she, to have a man like you?" and highlights a gift the sender has picked out, sometimes providing a link to her wish list. "Let's face it," the virtual helper says, "if she's happy, you're happy."

Hey, Honey Bunny, Stores Know What Your Wife Wants [WSJ]

"Open loop" cards that you can use everywhere—usually issued by credit card companies or national mall chains—tend to be the ones that will cost money, both in activation and maintenance fees. However, if you find a discount program (like American Express's "Especially for..." cards), you can bundle some potential savings on particular items that the recipient is likely to purchase. (That's a lot of ifs, but the opportunity for savings is there.) The fees can change year by year, so don't go by past experience if you're a returning customer—for example, Discover Card used to ship its gift cards free, but in 2006 added a shipping and handling charge of between $3-7.

Online cards are frequently restricted to online purchases, in case you're thinking of buying one for someone who doesn't shop online.

The following states have laws that forbid expiration dates on gift cards, but since banks fall under federal jurisdiction, they may be able to override any state laws and still restrict the gift cards they issue. Again, be sure you check the fine print if you're worried that the recipient might take a long time to redeem the card.

For example, in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and Nevada, cards cannot expire. Other states put limits on expiration; for example, cards can't expire within the first two years of issuance. To find out how your state treats gift cards, check with your state's consumer protection department.

Here's a detailed chart of many retailer cards available, along with details on fees and expiration dates. There's also tabs on the chart to switch to views of credit cards and malls. Or check out this chart for information on what various retailers are offering in the way of e-cards this year.

"2007 Gift Card Study: Tops for holidays" [Bankrate]
(Photo: Getty)

First, fire up the spreadsheet and list everyone you can think of that you might want to give a gift to.

"Beside each person on your list, categorize them as an A, B, or C recipient. The A-list includes the people you must buy a gift for, such as parents, significant others, and children. The Bs are other close family and friends and the Cs are friends, colleagues and those who merit a gift for their hard work helping you in one form or another. Everyone else goes on the holiday card list."

Spending is one area where we should all strive to be below average, especially if our income is below average or money is tight. Clearly, the amount you decide to spend should be representative of your income. One percent of your annual income is a good upper limit to set on holiday gift spending because there will be other costs such as travel during this time that will further strain your budget. For example, a family with an annual income of $60,000 should limit their gift budget to $600.

Funny, he doesn't mention anything about saving money by re-gifting. Maybe he equates that with kiting checks or something.

"Personal Finance 101 with H. Swint Friday" [The Caller-Times]