'Tis the Season

Here are my recommended gifts for the season:

-- Charity gift certificates. Literally the gift for the person who has everything. You give the recipient a certificate he or she can use to give a charity of the recipient's choice. My favorite provider is Seattle's Tisbest (www.tisbest.org).

-- Books. The bookselling industry (and, by extension, the book publishing industry) is in trouble. Buying from independent bookstores is good, but even giants like Barnes & Noble and Borders are suffering.

-- DVDs/Blu-Rays. Video sellers are also in trouble. Blu-ray discs are an especially appropriate gift for folks who have PS3s or one of the blu-ray players that have gone way down in price.