About to visit your family for a Chrismakah party and, on your way out the door, you realize: no gift. What do you do?

Introducting the Skype Journal Labs Last Minute Privacy Shield.

It's simple, affordable, and stylish. It shows you are plugged in to the public policy implications of our interconnected lifestyle. It demonstrates you care about your giftee's confidentiality, privacy, and digital identity. Recycled from recycled paper, so it is uberecofriendly. And it folds nicely on the way to the party.

Variations: You may decorate your privacy shield with stickers, colors, or a collage of other people's faces you cut from a magazine or download from the web. You may also choose bags of different sizes and from different stores: a Tesco bag says one thing, a Nordstrom bag says another.

Lessons Learned: 1. Do not attempt with plastic bags. Really. 2. Use a clean bag never used to carry fish.

I've been giving these out as gifts for the last week. Great for diagrams, doodles, maps, caricatures, tables, creative visuals, and all that other non-text stuff we use white boards for in meetings. Small enough to fit in a backpack (the size of a magazine), cheap enough to buy for all your friends (US$22.32 for a 10-pack), round corners for safety. Built for schools but no webcammer should be without one. Bundle, if you like, with dry erase markers and some baby wipes for cleaning.

Smile! You're on Skype!

Nothing makes up for bad lighting or last year's camera like lightbulb-bright teeth. These Crest Premium White Strips bring you whiter teeth in just two weeks! Just in time for the holidays!

You'll look better on Skype with Crest!

The phone rings and - suddenly you're on camera! Guys can get ready for formal calls with a good clip-on necktie. This Orange and Navy Stripe Clip-on Tie (extra long) goes with almost any shirt and clips in seconds! A great gift for college students looking for work and for telecommuters working in their pajamas. More options on eBay.