We’re talking the complete “Twilight Saga” box set, for starters. Also: a pile of “Team Jacob” buttons. A Bella-themed Barbie doll. A 16-month (?) Twilight calendar. And best of all, a bookmark stamped with the smouldering eyes of Edward himself.

What happened? Amazon scanned my shopping history and cranked out some recommendations—in this case, all based on a few ill-advised minutes of “Twilight” shopping.

Just to be clear, I don’t have anything against “Twilight.” (Hey, I thought the first “Twilight” movie was pretty good; the others, not so much.)

That said, I’d rather not have my Amazon home page plastered with “I Heart Edward Cullen” buttons whenever my cursor gets too close to a “Twilight” book.

Related: How to keep Google from saving your searches in your Web history

Well, good news: Not only can you view your browsing history as Amazon sees it, you can also nix any individual items you may have looked at—or stop Amazon from tracking your browsing habits altogether, at least as far as recommending new products is concerned.

Here’s what you do:

• Visit Amazon.com, then click the Your Account link in the top-right corner of the page. (In case you’re wondering, no—you don’t need to be logged in to your Amazon account to follow the Your Account link. More on that in a moment.)


Want to keep Amazon from recommending products based on your shopping habits? Just click the "Turn off browsing history" link.

• Scroll down to the Personalization section (it’s all the way at the bottom), then click the “View and edit your browsing history” link under the “Personalized Content” heading.
• You’ll now see a long list of recent items you’ve viewed on Amazon, complete with “Delete this item” links next to each entry. Don’t want Amazon to remember those Edward Cullen bookmarks you looked at? Just click the “Delete this item” link. You can also wipe your browsing slate clear by clicking the “Delete all items” button in the left column.
• Want to turn off your Amazon browsing history? Go to the “Your Account” page, click the “Your Browser History Settings” under “Personalized Content,” then click the “Turn browsing history off” button.

Oh, and one thing to keep in mind: Your Amazon browsing history is tied to your web browser, not your Amazon.com account. That means if your turn your Amazon browsing history off in Safari, switch to another web browser and then return to Amazon, you’ll have to turn off your Amazon browsing history all over again.

Bonus tip

 
Just because you turn off your Amazon browsing history doesn’t mean Amazon isn’t watching your surfing habits anymore. Like other companies that deal in online advertisements, Amazon deposits a “cookie” on your browser that tracks your surfing for the purpose of serving up personalized ads.

Don’t want to be tracked anymore? Click “Your Account” in the top-right corner of any Amazon.com page, click the “Your Advertising Preferences” link under “Personalized Content,” then click the “Do Not Personalize Ads from Amazon for this Internet Browser” setting.

Have more questions about online shopping, browsing, or privacy? Post ’em in the comments below.

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That’s the idea behind Pinterest, a red-hot social-networking craze that’s actually showing some staying power.

Once you’ve joined Pinterest, you too can pin your favorite products, curate your own online pinboards, and discover a treasure trove of nifty things pinned by fellow Pinterest members.

So, ready to start pinning? Here’s a few tips to get you started with Pinterest, beginning with…

1. Ask your friends for an invite

You still need an invitation before you can sign up for Pinterest, but don’t worry; Pinterest invites are easy to come by. Any current Pinterest user can hand out invites to their friends, so ask around or post a request on Facebook.

Still no luck? Drop me a line and I’ll send you one.

Related: Listen to our podcast about Pinterest!

2. Add the “Pin It” button to your browser, and start pinning

There’s no better way to get the hang of Pinterest than to jump right in and start pinning—and the easiest way to pin products, pictures, or just about anything else online is to add the official “Pin It” button to your web browser.

See something on the web you want to pin? Just click the "Pin It" button on your browser.

Just visit this page once you’re logged in, then drag the “Pin It” button into your browser’s “favorites” bar (or, in Internet Explorer, right-click the button and select “Add to Favorites”).

Next, try this: visit your favorite blog or online retailer, find something you really, really want to buy, and click your new “Pin It” button.

Once you do, Pinterest will scan the webpage for product images and let you pick the best one; then, a window will appear with the photo you selected, a pull-down menu that lists all your Pinterest boards (just pick “Products I Love” for now), and a space for a description. Write a few words (like, “Now this I gotta get!”), and click “Pin It.”

And just like that, you’ve posted your first pin!

3. Create boards for your pins

What good is a pin without a board to pin it on, right?

If you’re just getting started with Pinterest, you’ll find that you’ve already got a half-dozen boards ready to go: “Products I Love,” “Neighborhood Finds,” “My Style,” “For the Home,” “Places I’d Like to Go,” and “Favorite Places and Spaces.” That’s a good start, but don’t be afraid to strike out and create some boards of your own.

You can create as many virtual "pinboards" as you like. (I still have some work to do, obviously.)

For example, I’m constantly on the lookout for new and classic Blu-ray movies to buy, so I just created a new Pinterest board—”better on blu”—devoted to the Blu-ray discs on my wish list.

Are you more interested in fashion, or gardening? How about some goodies for the kitchen—or some recipies you want to try? Board-friendly topics, all.

A few other clever examples I found on Pinterest: “Small things that work very well,” “DIY” (“do it yourself”), “Fitness,” “Everything awesome,” “Let’s find the BEST quotes of all time and put them here!”, and “I do” (think wedding ideas).

4. Follow some strangers

Unlike, say, Facebook, there’s nothing private about Pinterest. (Some would argue there’s nothing private about Facebook, either, but that’s another story.)

When you pin a snazzy-looking pair of shoes on Pinterest, the whole world (or the whole world on Pinterest, anyway) will see it—and that’s the whole point.

Indeed, only about half the fun of Pinterest is pinning your favorite products; the other half is discovering (and “repinning,” if you choose) new products, especially those pinned by complete (but hopefully like-minded) strangers.

Don’t be afraid to follow someone on Pinterest who you’ve never met. No, you won’t freak them out; in fact, they might just follow you back if they like your style. To follow someone on Pinterest, click their name on one of their pins; then, on the following page, click the red “Follow All” button.

Want to browse Pinterest from your iPhone, or even pin an iPhone photo? No problem.

Another option: rather than following all of someone else’s pins, you can follow one or more of their specific Pinterest boards instead. Again, just click a Pinterest user’s name, then click “Follow” on the boards you’d like to keep tabs on. You can also click the name of a board from a single pin and click the red “Follow” button.

5. Pin photos from your iPhone

Pinterest has its own free iPhone app, good for browsing pins on the go or—even better—pinning photos you’ve taken with the iPhone’s camera. Just snap a picture, add a caption, select one of your boards, and click the “Pin It” button. Done! (There’s still no official Pinterest app for Android phones, unfortunately—or at least, not yet.)

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Billing itself as an online “try-before-you-buy destination” for the latest a greatest gadgets, Ybuy has been around for a few months but is only now emerging from public beta, according to TechCrunch.

The premise is simple, and somewhat enticing. Once you sign up, Ybuy will send you a gadget a month, along with a prepaid return shipping label. (And yes, shipping is free both ways.)

Ybuy's catalog of try-before-you-buy gadgets is small, but enticing.

After 30 days of tinkering with your monthly Ybuy gadget, you have two options: either a) clean it, pack it up, slap the shipping label onto the box and hand it over to UPS, or b) keep it and pay the standard retail price, minus your monthly $25 Ybuy subscription fee.

If the system sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Netflix’s movies-by-mail subscriptions—except with Ybuy, you’re getting gadgets rather than discs, and you can’t keep the loaned gadgets indefinitely.

Also, the number of items in Ybuy’s try-before-you-buy catalog is on the small side—just 30, to be exact.

That said, we’re talking some pretty enticing gear here, including the iPad 2, the new Kindle Fire tablet, the Xbox 360 game console and its motion-sensing “Kinect” camera, the Roomba 562 “Pet Series” floor-sweeping robot, the Wi-Fi-enabled, Facebook- and Twitter-friendly Body Scale by Withings, the gorgeous Jawbone Jambox wireless speaker, and a Sous Vide water oven. Sorry, no phones—or at least, not yet.

For its part, Ybuy claims it has a “team of specialists, product testers, and tastemakers” who determine which “best-in-class” gadgets to offer to members. And hey—if you’re not feeling inspired, you can always opt out for a month, or cancel your membership. (Members pay their dues monthly, by the way, rather than in an annual lump sum as I’d initially suspected.)

All in all, very interesting—and so far, I’m having a hard time finding any deal-breaking ifs, ands, or buts. The one caveat is that for now, Ybuy is still invite-only; you’ll be prompted to request an invitation the first time you visit the site. (I’m still waiting for an invite myself.)

It’ll also be interesting to see whether certain items in Ybuy’s catalog—like, say, the iPad 2 or the Roomba—end up with a long waiting list.

So, what do you think: would you cough up $25 a month to try the latest gadgets at home?

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Well, good news: there’s still time to leave something under the tree—a digital something, anyway—even if you’ve waited until the last yawning moment.

1. Send a gift card
What is it about unwrapping an iTunes gift card that’s more fun than just getting a $20 bill? Good question. Anyway, e-tailers from Apple and Amazon to Target and Walmart offer digital gift cards that you can personalize and print out, send via email, or even post on a lucky someone’s Facebook wall. Check out my list of 10-tech minded gift card ideas.

2. Gift a smartphone app
Got an iPhone or Android fanatic on your list? Why not gift them an app or two. Sending an iPhone or iPad app as a gift is easy on iTunes, and while you can’t gift apps from Google’s Android Market, you can always email a gift certificate for Amazon’s Android appstore. Click here for the details.

3. Gift a game
If you’re shopping for a video gamer, you’re in luck. You can instantly send a purchased game as a gift through Steam, an online storefront that specializes in downloadable games for PCs and Macs. Another nifty option is OnLive, an innovative new service that streams high-end PC games to just about any desktop or laptop (and even some tablets) over a small software client. Or, how about this: a gift certificate for GameFly, a Netflix-like service that rents game discs for Xbox 360, PS3, and other video game consoles through the mail.

4. Give some music
You can gift individual songs, albums, or even entire box sets though iTunes or Amazon’s MP3 store for instant digital delivery. Just find the tracks you want to give, and select “Gift This Album” or “Gift This Song” from the drop-down menu in the case of iTunes, or click the “Give album or song as gift” button on Amazon.

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Note: Prices reflect current online discounts as well as list prices.

AppleCore cable organizer 3-pack combo ($10)

Just wrap your earbud cables around this cute little cord organizer, and you’ll never have to untangle them again. Perfect for anyone who keeps their wired smartphone headset stuffed in a purse or pocket.

Kensington Virtuoso Stylus ($10)

Rather not tap on your touchscreen phone with your fingertips? Try this touchscreen-friendly stylus, which works on any smartphone or tablet with a “capacitive” touch-enabled display.

Belkin Conserve Power Switch ($7)

Believe it or not, you’ve got vampires lurking in your home—that is, DVRs, computers, home theater receivers, and other gadgets that suck power out of your electrical outlets, even when they appear to be turned off. But with the flip of a switch, this power-saving gizmo will help cut down on your electricity bill.

Wingstand keyboard clips ($15)

Here’s a clever way to use your iPhone or iPad with a wireless keyboard. These plastic Wingstand clips snap onto the back of an Apple Bluetook keyboard, propping up your iDevice at precisely the right angle.

iWatchz wrist strap for iPod Nano 4G ($20)

Turn the bite-sized iPod Nano into a music-playing, touchscreen wristwatch with the help of this silicone and stainless-steel wrist band, which boasts opening for the Nano’s volume and sleep/wake buttons.

Verso Clip-On Reading Light for Kindle ($19)

Putting a Kindle under the tree for your favorite bookworm? If so, you might want to tuck one of these clip-on reading lights in her Christmas stocking, seeing as the Kindle’s non-backlit display doesn’t exactly shine in the dead of night.

X-Mini II Capsule Speaker ($20)

This little ball of fire will let you crank your mobile tunes wherever you go; just plug it into a 3.5mm headset jack (standard on most phones, tablets, and MP3 players) and press “play.”

Tuneband for iPhone 4/4S ($20)

Take your iPhone along for your morning run with this sporty Velcro armband case, which comes with a pair of protective, peel-off films for the front and back of your precious handset.

Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader ($12.50)

Juggling a hodge-podge of incompatible flash-memory cards? This versatile memory-card reader plus into your system’s USB port and can handle just about any format, from Compact Flash cards to Sony’s proprietary Memory Sticks.

WMA + MP3 Player Sunglasses 2GB ($20)

This pair of MP3-playing shades is simply too cool for school—and at $20, it’s on sale for an eye-popping $130 off its original $150 asking price.

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Amazon

What can you get? Just about anything under the sun, ranging from books and MP3s to gadgets and clothing, not to mention the Amazon Kindle e-reader
Gift card denominations: Anywhere from 15 cents to $2,000
Number of designs: 35
Delivered by: Physical mail, email, Facebook, or printed out

Barnes & Noble

What can you get? Books, DVDs, gadgets, household items, and more, as well as the Nook e-reader
Gift card denominations: From $10 to $350
Number of designs: 55 for physical cards, 16 for e-cards
Delivered by: Physical mail or email

Best Buy

What can you get? A smorgasbord of home electronics and personal tech, from cell phones and digital cameras to HDTVs and computers
Gift card denominations: $5 to $500 for e-cards, $15 to $200 for physical cards
Number of designs: 39 designs for e-cards, 16 for physical cards
Delivered by: Physical mail, email, Facebook

Hulu Plus

What can you get? Thousands of network TV shows, including complete seasons, streamed instantly over the Web, smartphones, game consoles, HDTVs, and other home-video devices
Gift card denominations: Range from $7.99 (for a month’s subscription) to $95.88 (for an entire year)
Number of gift card designs: 3
Delivered by: Email, or printed out

iTunes Store

What can you get? Downloadable apps, movies, TV shows, and music for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
Gift card denominations: $15, $25, and $50 for physical gift cards; $10 to $50 for virtual gift cards (which you can buy in the iTunes desktop client); or $50 to $100 for “special edition” Beatles cards.
Number of gift card designs: 15
Delivered by: Physical mail, email, or printed out

Netflix

What can you get? Instant, unlimited streaming of more than 20,000 movies and TV shows over the Internet
Gift card denominations: Range from $7.99 (for a month’s subscription) to $95.88 (for an entire year)
Number of gift card designs: 8
Delivered by: Email, or printed out

PlayStation Network

What can you get? Downloadable games, videos, wallpapers, and more for your PlayStation 3 gaming console
Gift card denominations: $20 and $50
Designs: 1
Delivered by: Email (physical cards are available in retail stores)

Redbox

What can you get? DVD and video game rentals from kiosks in grocery stores, quick marts, fast-food restaurants, and other locations
Gift card denominations: $5 to $10 (for DVDs) or $10 to $20 (games)
What they can be redeemed for: Five to 10 DVD rentals, or five game rentals
Number of gift card designs: 9
Delivered by: Email, text message, Facebook, or printed out

Xbox Live “Points” cards

What can you get? Downloadable games, videos, wallpapers, and more for the Xbox 360 gaming console
Gift card denominations: $20 and $50
Number of designs: 1
Delivered by: Physical and email

… and last but not least …

American Red Cross

What can you get? Nothing for yourself (beyond the satisfaction of giving to a worthy cause), but plenty of nifty (and essential) “gadgets” and services like blankets, personal care kits, emergency water containers, and other essentials for those who need them most
Gift card denominations: $18 and up (the sky’s the limit, naturally)
Number of designs: 1 (it’s a good one, though)
Delivered by: Physical and email

Have any other good gift card ideas to share? Post ’em below!

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Also in our 2011 shopping guide: apps and web sites to help you survive the holidays.

Happy shopping, and season’s greetings!

10 terrific tech-minded stocking stuffers
A smartphone tripod that looks like an octopus? A solar-powered toy helicopter? An alarm clock that flies? Read on for 10 tech-minded stocking stuffers.

Gadgets for grandparents
From an HD webcam to a digital photo frame that doesn’t look like one, we’ve got five can’t-miss gadgets for the grandparents on your holiday shopping list.

7 goodies for iPhone users
Among our gift ideas: a gaming-friendly iPhone case, a gorgeous Bluetooth speaker, a Wi-Fi-enabled bathroom scale, and more.

Home theater gear for the living room and beyond
Among our picks: a pair of streaming TV set-top boxes (can you say Apple TV?); one remote control to rule them all; and a pocket-sized HD projector.

10 tech gifts under $20
From a tiny mobile speaker and a Kindle reading light to an iPhone armband case and MP3-playing sunglasses, we’ve got 10 tech gifts that won’t break the bank.

Gadgets for college students
From a stylish laptop backpack to a voice-recording pen that’ll change the way she takes notes, we’ve got six gadgets sure to please your favorite scholar.

5 must-have organizational apps for the holidays
We’ve rounded up a few apps and web sites that’ll help organize your gift lists, find the lowest prices for your picks, and manage your holiday get-together.

Prepaid and no-contract phones
Put a QWERTY phone, a BlackBerry, an Android phone, or even an iPhone under the tree this year—but without hanging a contract around the lucky recipient’s neck.

5 gadgets for around the house
From a floor-sweeping robot to a blue “light therapy” device to brighten dark winter months, these handy household gadgets will make for perfect holiday gifts.

How to give an iPhone, iPad, or Android app as a gift
Got a smartphone addict on your holiday shopping list? Here’s a quick and easy way to spread some Yuletide cheer: send her an app.

6 super smartphone accessories
From a stylish Bluetooth headset to a roll-up keyboard, we’ve got six great gifts for your favorite iPhone-, Android-, or BlackBerry-toting road warrior.

iPad, Nook, Tab or Fire? A field guide for first-time tablet shoppers
Going tablet shopping, but not sure where to start? Read on for a bird-eye view of the entire tablet landscape, from the Apple iPad 2 to the Kindle Fire.

Which iPad should you give for the holidays: 3G, or Wi-Fi? 4 things to consider before buying
So, you’re giving an iPad to a special someone for the holidays. But which version should you get: the Wi-Fi-only version, or the pricier 3G-plus-Wi-Fi model?

Visit the here’s the thing Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest
Check out all our holiday gift picks on Pinterest, an online “pinboard” that lets you share products, restaurants, and anything else that tickles your fancy.

Seasons e-greetings! Top 5 sites for sending holiday cards & messages
Tired of hokey holiday cards? Skip the stationary store, save some cash, and preserve a few trees by creating your own personalized greeting cards online.

10 tech-minded gift card ideas
So, don’t have a clue what to give your favorite gadget hound for the holidays, or are you simply pressed for time? Here’s a simple solution: a gift card, which you can send via email, print out, post on Facebook, or have delivered the old-fashioned way. Read on for 10 gift card ideas that’ll appeal to gadget lovers, online video fanatics, gamers, and more.

10 classic, must-have Blu-ray movies
Putting a Blu-ray player under the tree for your favorite movie buff? Consider throwing in a classic Blu-ray movie, like “Ben-Hur” or “Gone With the Wind.”

The 10 hottest holiday video games: a cheat sheet for parents
Read on for a parent’s guide to the season’s hottest video games, ranging from “Dance Central 2” to “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.”

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Santa’s Bag & Hanukkah Gift List are essentially two versions of the same holiday-shopping app.

Santa’s Bag & Hanukkah Gift List (99 cents each)
This pair of handy apps (which, by the way, were built by the same developer) will let you set a shopping budget, add pictures for each person on your shopping list and keep track of whether a particular gift has been bought, wrapped, or given. There’s even a place where you can jot down those fleeting gift ideas that always manage to slip your mind just when you need them.

Pic2shop (free)
Finding the best price on a gift for someone you love is icing on the cake. I use this app to scan the bar code of something I’ve found in a brick-and-mortar store and immediately find out where I can buy it for less. Most of time (you guessed it), you’ll find cheaper prices online. You can also use Pic2shop to keep track of great gift ideas while browsing the aisles; just scan the bar code and tap a button to save the item to your wish list.

Share your shopping ideas with fellow Pinterest users by “pinning” your picks to a virtual pinboard.

Pinterest (free)
Here’s a site I never knew I needed. Once you sign up (Pinterest is still in “invitation-only” mode, but feel free to ask us for an invite), your “profile” is like a collage of themed bulletin boards. See a product online (anything from, say, a cell phone to a sweater) that would make the perfect gift? Just “pin” it to one of your boards using a bookmark in your browser, or with the free iPhone app.

Once you start pinning, your friends and “followers” on Pinterest can “like” or “re-pin” your picks; likewise, you can browse and favorite the pinned products of the Pinterest users that you’re following.

Related: Visit the here’s the thing Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest

Simple Soiree ($1.99)
Holiday parties can be exhausting to plan, but this easy-to-use app helps me keep track of tons of miscellaneous details, from the RSVP list and the menu to the glass-to-guest ratio and which guest brought which gift.

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Canon Selphy CP800 compact photo printer ($99, or $70 online)

Small, light (just two pounds) and easy to use, this portable photo printer from Canon will crank out color prints from your digital camera, smartphone, or computer in a flash. Just insert the memory card from a digital camera or plug in a USB thumbdrive to start printing, or print snapshots from a smartphone wirelessly with an optional Bluetooth adapter. (Note: You can also connect this pint-sized photo printer directly from a PC or Mac, but users are reporting that the CP800 lacks the necessary software drivers for Macs running on “Lion,” the latest version of the Mac OS.)

Kodak Easyshare 10-inch digital picture frame ($149, or $113 online)

Here’s a digital photo frame that doesn’t scream “digital photo frame.” Equipped with a memory card slot, a USB port for flash-memory thumbdrives, and a few simple slideshow and shuffle options, Kodak’s 10-inch Easyshare photo viewer will fit in just about any 8-by-10 picture frame, meaning it can blend in with the other family photos on grandma & grandpa’s wall.

Victorinox Swiss Army Presentation Manager ($171, or $139 online)

Yep, it’s just like the classic Swiss Army Knife that your grandad gave you, except this one comes armed with a USB memory stick, a laser pointer, and a fingerprint reader for protecting his precious data.

Jitterbug J cell phone ($99)

At last, here’s an easy-to-use cell phone that just makes calls. The no-contract Jitterbug J flip phone comes with big, backlit buttons, a loud speakerphone, large “Yes” and “No” buttons for navigating the simple on-screen menus—and best of all, rate plans that start at just $15 a month (for 50 monthly minutes).

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 ($99, or $49 online)

Let your parents keep up with their grandkids in crystal-clear, high-definition video. Logitech’s top-of-the-line webcam works with Skype and supports video chat in 720p HD, and it can post 1080p video clips to YouTube or Facebook with a single click. Nice, but you’ll probably want to get a pair of these HD webcams—one for the lucky grandparents, and another for your living room.

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I’ve found a few top-notch, easy-to-use sites that’ll help you design, compose, and send the perfect holiday card, which you can send via email, post on Facebook, or print at home. You can even arrange to have your custom card land in a loved-one’s physical mailbox, all without touching an envelope or licking a stamp.

Want to send a video greeting instead? I’ve got you covered.

Just pick a holiday card, upload an image, and Hallmark will mail your card automatically—for a price, of course.

Hallmark (prices range from free to $15 for an annual subscription)
The granddaddy of greeting-card companies has kept up with the times thanks to its excellent online options. Choose to have Hallmark personalize, print, stamp and send your cards for you (hint: enter either “FREESTAMP” or “FREESHIP” at check out for a great discount) or go with digital e-cards (after all, digital stationary is the new black, right?), complete with your photos and choice of music. Don’t forget to check out the online invitations tab to skip the awkward RSVP phones calls.

Evite (free to $4 for a one-month subscription, or $20 for a year)
Nope, Evite isn’t just about invitations anymore. Sure, you can still use it to get the word out about your upcoming Christmas party, Hanukkah celebration, Secret Santa gift exchange, or New Year’s Eve bash. (As always, guests can see who’s invited, ask the host what they can bring, check the time and address online and get directions via smartphone.) Thanks to its partnership with American Greetings, though, Evite now offers personalized greeting cards, too. Add familiar faces to elves or snow angels, paste in a slideshow of the kids around the hearth, or even embed a video of that Thanksgiving snowball fight.

Paperless Post offers some surprisingly tasteful, low-key choices in its holiday-card selection.

Paperless Post (receive 25 free “stamps” and cards at sign-up, then pay $5 for 30 additional stamps)
This e-card site boasts a lovely, contemporary collection of invitations and greeting cards, à la Martha Stewart or J. Crew. Your recipient opens a virtual envelope and drags out the card and/or save-the-date with a click of their mouse. Banana Republic gift cards are also available to personalize, as well.

Bubble Joy (free)
Got a webcam for your PC or an iSight camera on your Mac? If so, you’ve got everything you need to spread a little Yuletide cheer with Bubble Joy, a free service that lets you upload and send instant videos with personalized holiday backgrounds to friends and family. Warning: Bubble Joy’s user experience isn’t exactly stellar (I’m talking to you, pop-up instruction guy) and you’ll have to set up a free BubbleComment account before creating a video, buy hey … that’s the price you pay for free.

Care2 (free)
Send an e-card and make the world a better place at the same time. Care2 (a name that makes a bit more sense once you read its tagline: “Make a difference”) is a green-lifestyle site that lets you send free e-cards with ads that generate donations for over 350 non-profit organizations. Care2 also offers the option of making a donation in lieu of gifts, a great last minute option.

Bonus: Some Cards
Looking for something completely different? The choices at Some Cards range from hilariously bizarre to deadpan, and be warned: you may find a swear word or two.

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