Dear Ann Landers,
Several years ago, I enclosed this clipping from the Oregon Register-Guard when I sent out my Christmas cards to all my friends and relatives. They thought it was pretty funny, so now I'm sharing it with you. I hope you will print it one of these days, maybe a few weeks before Christmas. -- Billie in Springfield, Ore.

Dear Billie,
Here is your contribution, which will appear well before Christmas. I hope the fruitcake lovers (I am not among them) won't be offended: An American Express survey about Christmas gifts found that the fruitcake was chosen most often from a list of "worst" holiday gifts. It even finished ahead of "no gift at all," the second choice. Fruitcake was picked as the worst gift by 31 percent, "no gift" by 18 percent. Anything that has to be assembled was third on the list of bad ideas, followed by damaged gifts, another tie or blouse, and a gift that needs batteries but doesn't come with them.