In a few days the 1966 animated TV special “;How the Grinch Stole Christmas”; will re-air for the zillionth time, and the always relevant Dr. Seuss classic will no doubt ring doubly relevant this time around.

Thanks to recent events, it's easy to imagine the Grinch descending on D.C. instead of Whoville, in a private jet instead of a sled, on the backs of U.S. taxpayers instead of his dog Max, taking community goodies in an effort to quell the irritating “;noise, noise, noise, noise”; from General Motors stockholders instead of those warmhearted Whos, etc., etc.

Current economic realities match up to the original story line well enough, though it'll take more than a doctorate in children's literature to believe a subsequent real-life happy ending is but a few commercial breaks away (can a new president grow a Grinch's heart three sizes by executive order?).

Thankfully, however, it is true that the holidays are not really about gifts, but rather love and togetherness, and that's important to remember during economic times both good and bad. Every Slob should know this, but I usually wait for the Grinch to put me in the mood, officially.

  But if you're still intent on putting on the full Broadway show of love, togetherness AND gifts (spirituality with benefits) even if some Grinch later threatens to repossess the gifts part, it's time for the annual monthlong Digital Slob Cost-Conscious Holiday Gadget Gift List Series:

iTunes gift card (www.apple.com): Nothing says “;Grandkid, your mother went online for me and got you this for me, but I reimbursed her. Go forth and enjoy a life I can never completely understand”; more than this card. Its holder can purchase music, movies and TV shows for their iPod/iPhone through the iTunes store. Pick highly colorful denominations from $15 to $100. Type in a personal message (if you don't know what to write, see above), and the card will ship via snail mail within 24 hours.

Your descendants will thank you in ways you'll likely only vaguely comprehend. Still, these days it will be nice for them to have at least one piece of plastic in their pocket that they can feel 100 percent about.

Flip MinoHD ($229, www.theflip.com): I've always thought cat videos on YouTube were funnier than dog videos, because dogs have no pride. Seeing a cat attack a printer or take a joy ride on a Roomba robotic vacuum is hilarious because if they knew how many “;hits”; their videos were getting worldwide, they would surely sue you for defamation.

Regardless, Flip cameras remain the super-easy, supersonic way to get the recorded humiliations of all your household's mammals to the masses, and this latest upgrade does it in high def.

Shaped like a point-and-click digital camera rather than a late-20th-century camcorder, it features a flip-out USB arm that connects to your computer and then uploads video directly to YouTube in one step (the non-HD Flip Ultra can do the same thing for about $150).

It also features a 1.5-inch color display for instant playback, and comes with a tripod and TV cable so you can quickly see your handiwork on the bigger small screen.

» Next week: More gift ideas.