You put in your name and the name of the recipient and Santa will work in your relationship, location, the recipient’s favorite food, style, nickname and the gift they hope to get. There are plenty of suggestions so that you can quickly put together a very funny phone call.

This in a great add-on to last year’s Santa-tracker using NORAD and Google Maps. This gadget allows you to track Santa’s progress over Christmas Eve on a large Google Map display, and you can zoom in to check out videos as he drops off presents at different locations around the globe. In case kids don’t have a hard enough time getting to bed that night, this instills some idea of when exactly during the night Santa will be getting there. That’s either an excuse to stay up until right before or an encouragement to sneak out of bed, now that you have a better idea of his timing.

And Google’s final contribution to the spirit of the season: The Let It Snow surprise in the Google search window. If you type in the words “let it snow”, snowflakes will begin filling up the browser window until the screen has frosted over and you have to use the curser as a scraper or click the defrost button if you actually want to see anything.

Google has proven time and again that they are a company with a sense of humor and I can appreciate that. It may not be quite the same as getting an iPad in your stocking but I still think that a phone call from Santa is the best holiday tech of the season.

Rovio Mobile, the maker of Angry Birds, has clearly learned my trick in time for the holidays. They have released a cookbook entirely of egg recipes, accompanied by illustrations featuring the popular game’s characters. The book is full of cute puns and includes recipes that run the gamut of difficulty levels.

While this may be a little far off from the mobile game, I have to salute Rovio for sticking with the theme. The games popularity probably would have enabled them to successfully sell War and Peace if it had an angry bird on the cover but this shows some pride in the brand. Rather than just stick their graphics onto an item, they went out of their way to make every piece of the book (the titles, content and illustrations) consistent with the fun theme.

It doesn’t end there however. Last week, CMO of Rovio, Peter Versterbacka , and his wife Teija attended an event celebrating Finland’s independence at the Finish Presidential Palace. And Teija stuck with the theme. Don’t worry, she didn’t dress up as an angry bird, but you’re close. Her evening gown did show a discrete but clearly visible picture of one.

I’m far from a fashion expert and I’m sure that my readers with more informed taste will take exception to this, but I thought the dress actually looked very elegant. The red off the shoulder number was bright and bold, while still being very tasteful.  If the red angry bird icon was less recognizable, it could have been taken for simply abstract blocks of color.

I’m not a huge fan of merchandising and this may not have been the time or place, but once again I have to salute Rovio and Teija Vesterbacka’s designers. If you’ve got a theme, stick with it to the end.

Despite the total rise, the average order size fell making it seem that online shoppers who used to buy all their gifts in one place are now breaking them up between multiple online retailers. It could be that the extra year gave people time to gain trust in a larger number of ecommerce sites. Or it could be that we planned ahead, instead of being forced to order the same sweater in six different sizes at the last minute.

Whatever the reason, I’m a big fan of the trend. Here are some tips for how to take advantage of gift shopping online:

• Plan Ahead- Just like regular shopping, it’s easy to get caught by impulse items or to spend more than you planned. Make a list of who you need to buy gifts for and how much you want to spend. Jot down a few ideas for each person and try to stick to your list.
• Compare prices- this is one of the beauties of shopping online. Instead of spending hours walking from store to store, just open a new window and check similar items in similar stores. There are also sites that will allow you to compare prices on searched products and even set up alerts to notify you when prices drop for your favorite items.
• Avoid clothing but not clothing stores- Even in a brick and mortar store it’s hard to judge someone else’s size. Online, it’s even harder to be sure of color, look and fabric. But don’t forget that most of the major clothing outlets also sell great accessories like bags, jewelry, hats and scarves. They’re stylish and there’s no risk of offending anyone by misjudging their size.
• Know who you’re buying for- Instead of trying to find something your friends and family will use, think of their favorite movie, band, hobby or even a private joke between you. Remember, you can find anything on the internet.  Even if they never use the item, a t-shirt, poster, or mug with a picture from their favorite 80’s cult classic will show that you were listening and thinking of what makes them happy.
• Personalize your gifts- I hate to sound cynical, but any gift looks sweet and thoughtful if you print a picture on it. Pillows, towels, calendars, date-books, candles, t-shirts, cake: if you can name it, you can probably find a place that will print on it and ship it to your friends and family. A lot of sites allow you to quickly and easily design the items yourself, so that with a little bit of creativity, your gift will actually be sweet and thoughtful and not just give the illusion of it.

Let this be the season when we stay within our budgets, don’t drive ourselves crazy and remember that it’s the thought that counts!

Here are 5 ways to make a thoughtful gift selection for anyone, for any occasion.  Want to share your gift-giving secrets?  We’d love to hear (and share) them!

1. Choose something popular. You don’t need to get an iPhone for everyone that you owe a gift to, but getting something that is popular in the moment is always a safe bet.  Ask your mailman if he has a Wii or Xbox, and consider getting him the latest game.  Or, if he has a Kindle, a new download would be a considerate gesture.  A Snuggie may also be a good bet this winter.  Look around, see what’s popular (and in your price range), and don’t be afraid to get something trendy.
2. Go classic. A gift certificate is always a safe bet when looking to get great gifts for anyone.  Who doesn’t love a free dinner, or even a few free cups of coffee at the local gourmet café?  Just make sure that the amount of the gift certificate is enough to get a good dinner, without the recipient having to add for things like a drink or dessert.
3. Do your research. There’s nothing worse than receiving a gift that is thoughtful but not well researched…an online movie subscription, for example, that doesn’t deliver to the recipient’s area, or an mp3 player that won’t last for more than a month.  Take a few minutes to read reviews about the item you’re buying so that you know it will be enjoyed for a long time.
4. Give a gift receipt. Unfortunately, even the best intentions aren’t always perfect, and even things that you think are great gifts may not be appreciated entirely by the recipient.  Gifts that can be returned or exchanged are always appreciated (and, as an added bonus, they prove that you purchased the gift expressly for the recipient, and were not regifting something that you rejected).
5. Purchase off a registry. If you’re looking for great gift ideas for weddings or births, ask the recipient if he or she has registered anywhere.  A gift registry can save you a lot of time and stress as you know that your gift selection will be well-received.