This New Year's Eve you may be inspired (or asked) to raise your glass and toast to the new year. (Hopefully before your 8th glass of champagne.)

To keep you from making it your first truly embarrassing act of '08, I consulted etiquette expert, Diane Gottsman of the The Protocol School of Texas, along with authors John Bridges' and Bryan Curtis' book Toasts and Tributes, to gather some fundamental toasting tips that'll help make your tribute memorable. For the right reasons. Cheers!

1 - Plan Ahead.
If you know you are going to say something at an event or party — or even if you think there is a possibility you may be asked - plan what you are going to say. And rehearse it. Spontaneous works in certain situations, but not when toasting.

2 - Wait For Everyone.
Never begin a toast until everyone has a glass of at least some liquid.

3 - Stand Up.
Toasting when seated can send the wrong message. Like a lack of respect for the person you are toasting, a sense of insecurity in yourself, and a disregard for your audience's ability to see and hear you. Get up out of your chair. An exception would be if the toast is taking place in a crowded public restaurant.

4 - Raise Your Glass.
And don't hold it in front of your face. Hold your glass high, or extend it in the direction of the person you are toasting.

5 - Wait For Everyone Again.
Wait for everyone to raise their glasses before beginning your toast.

6 - Make Sure It's a Glass.
Since a toast is usually for a celebratory situation, it calls for at least moderately formal glassware. Champagne, wine and cocktail glasses all pass. Even a beer mug is acceptable. Coffee cup? Not so much. ...There's more

What's the best way to cure a hangover? That debate's been raging as long as people have been waking up on strange floors with steel-drum bands banging away inside their heads.

Last year on New year's Day, I posted a few remedies to help you avoid spending the first day of the new year clinging to the porcelain goddess. Along with a brief explanation of what causes the pounding and nausea. (You can read it here.)

Basically the prevailing wisdom is that since the hangover is caused by dehydration and toxins in your system, taking in fluids with electrolytes and a little sodium, and eating greasy foods that can absorb the toxins, will reverse the effects. Suggestions were sports drinks, fruit juices and a late night breakfast of eggs and bacon or sausage.

Over at Chow.com they've posted an article (read it here), with ten common hangover cures, including painkillers, Taurine (the ingredient in many energy drinks), Pedialyte (yup, the stuff you feed babies with diarrhea), Vegemite and even borsht. They also include some caveats for a couple of these remedies, like taking a painkiller with acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, can actually cause liver damage in combination with alcohol.

But, just like opinions and insane exes, when it comes to hangover cures, everyone has one. ...There's more

With '08 getting rung in next week it's time you got yourself a new calendar. And with retailers slashing prices up to 50%, this is the best time to buy one.

Keep in mind, whatever you decide on is going to be hanging on your wall for at least a year, so choose carefully. Make sure your calendar has photos of something you really like. Perhaps a hobby. Or a special interest. To help you decide, I've got some suggestions. Whether you're a computer geek or a do-it-yourselfer, there's one out there for every guy.
(All are available from Calendars.com or Amazon.com from $5.99-$19.99 unless otherwise noted.)

For fans of the stage, particularly modern dance:
SCORES NY Calendar
Show your love of the arts and enjoy an entire year with a dozen of your favorite professional dancers from one of the most popular theaters... um, clubs... in NY.
$19.95 Buy at www.scoresny.com

For the fashion conscious:
Sexy Stars of Shirley
Models for Shirley of Hollywood have a habit of going on to become famous. Among the stars featured in their '08 calendar are some of their past models including Brooke Burke, Leanne Tweeden, Victoria Silvstedt, Julie Strain and March 2007 Playboy Playmate Tyran Richard.
$15.95 from www.WickedTemptations.com (Free with $75 purchase.)
...There's more

Poor Aunt Mabel still doesn't understand that you are now a grown man and, while it fulfilled its purpose when you going through your "confused teen" stage, Hot Topic is no longer your go-to store of choice. Bless her gift-card-giving heart.

So what do you do with a gift card - or three - for stores you'll never set foot in? Sell 'em. Or trade them for cards to stores where you actually shop.

There are a number of places online where you can get some value out of those unusable cards. (And you might as well... the store already has its money whether you redeem your card or not.) But not all are created equal. Some let you trade for VISA cards. Some let you use them to pay bills. And the fees, selection and guarantees vary widely.

Besides the most obvious place to buy, sell or trade, eBay, here are three others that have been around for a while and will let you post your card for sale or trade, or even let you auction it off to the highest bidder. You most likely won't get full value for it, but it beats letting it sit in a drawer. And you bargain hunters may also want to troll the sites looking for deals on cards to buy at less than face value.

CardAvenue.com
- Allows you to buy, sell or trade cards.
- Charges 3.95% of the purchase price, plus a 50 cent closing fee to the seller in the case of a sale.
- Charges both parties 3.95% of the purchase price, plus a 50 cent closing fee in the case of a trade.
- No fee to buyers when buying cards. ...There's more

Being a "Pick-Up Artist" seems to be the hot thing these days. VH1 had a series where a "master" PUA taught a group of losers to become ladies men. (It was off the charts funny.) Writer Neil "Style" Strauss has a series of books on how to get Game. And the web is littered with sites from self-proclaimed gurus who swear their method is best for getting busy.

Over at TheGuyReport.com, they interviewed two PUAs to find out the secrets behind getting the women of your dreams. I'm not saying their techniques work. And I'm not saying they don't work. But I will say it makes for entertaining reading. Click here to read the interview.

The only time I like shopping is when I can do it in my boxers while I watch the Sunday night game, beer in hand. So until Best Buy changes their policy and lets me shop their TV department in my underwear with an open container, my only alternative is to do my shopping online. Which is fine with me.

Online shopping doesn't just save you from the traffic and crowds, it also opens up a world of gifts to choose from - giving you access to the hard-to-find, the rare, and the truly unique and unusual. Gifts that will be remembered. Gifts that'll impress. (And being impressive from the comfort of my couch is what I live for.)

Here's a list of 21 sites (in no particular order) where you can buy impressive and memorable gifts for everyone on your list. So get comfortable, put the game on, and get your shopping done.

Think Geek - www.thinkgeek.com
Type of Gifts: Anything that computes, lights, flashes, beeps, talks, etc.
Best For: The guy at the office who fixes your computer. Or your 12 year-old nephew.
Sample Items: Light Cube, Electronic Emoticon Car Display, Doomsday Device Keychain.
Site Navigation: With thousands on items to choose from, the site offers top categories broken down into easy-to-locate subcategories. Also offers a Gift Finder.

Red Envelope - www.redenvelope.com
Type of Gifts: Sophisticated accessories, clothes, jewelry, bar ware, home decor.
Best For: Someone who has a sense of style and taste. And expects you do too.
Sample Items: Men's Valet, Looped Candlesticks, Silver Plated, Engrave-able Wine Stoppers.
Site Navigation: Search by Occasion, Recipient, or specific shops.

Spoon Sisters - www.spoonsisters.com
Type of Gifts: Inexpensive and unusual gifts, gadgets, books, party supplies.
Best For: People who have an appreciation for the wacky.
Sample Items: 45 record insert cuff links, Growing Message Bean, Pick Your Nose cups.
Site Navigation: Broken down into over two dozen categories, including: What's New, Holiday, Office, Party Accessories, Sale, etc. ...There's more

To wine, or not to wine? That was the question. It was posed by one of my readers who is going to a dinner party, and as a non drinker himself, does not want to bring the "customary" bottle of wine for the hosts. Which is a very common situation. Especially if the hosts themselves are non-drinkers.

He wanted to know what else would be appropriate to bring, if anything. With holiday season upon us, and the seemingly endless parties being thrown, chances are good you'll be giving a number of host gifts over the next few weeks. So I asked some expert friends for their opinions.

Diane Gottsman, etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas (she also gave us the great guide to what's what on the table), says above all else "when you are invited to dinner or a party, the etiquette rule is to never show up empty handed."

So what if your hosts enjoy wine, but you don't want to bring anything alcoholic? Like beer, there are wines available that have had the alcohol removed. ...There's more

The big party season just kicked into high gear and now it's time to show off a little - and splurge a bit on yourself, too. Quality clothing speaks volumes without you having to say a word. So what will you wear to bring the ladies into YourSpace? For the festive season, here are a few suggestions: ...There's more

An Open Letter to PR Reps and Ad Execs:

Dear Product Marketers, Public Relations Reps and Ad Execs:
I know you're not known for your subtlety. Nor are you known for knowing when to quit. When something catches on, you'll beat that horse until it's deader than Dog The Bounty Hunter's career. And with a seemingly endless and ever-increasing supply of products and services targeted to men lately - some new, some just rehashed, repackaged and renamed - that's exactly what you're doing.

The "man market" craze first got our attention with the word "Mancation" - a word you guys coined to define a vacation specifically designed for men. I guess "Guy Getaway" wasn't emasculating enough. And heading to a tropical locale to lie on the beach, bikini watch, and drink ourselves into a colada coma was no longer good enough. PR flunkies everywhere were pitching stories about the need to alleviate the stress of work and bond with our fellow males while white water rafting and hanging off the sides of mountains.

After that it was open season on anything guys touched. The entire manosphere of products and services for guys has been man-ized and man-named. It's complete mandemonium.

And it needs to stop. Immediately. ...There's more

I must've needed longer to recover from my Vegas trip than I thought. I just realized the Vegas poll was still up and the Thanksgiving poll I had planned never went up. Blame it on Sin City.

The results of the Vegas poll had a couple of surprises. If I was laying down my hard earned Benjamins, I would never have bet that over 17% of you would say you had no desire to ever go to Vegas. That was surprising. I would have put the number at around 8%, maybe even less. I'd have gotten killed on the over/under. About 27% of you haven't been yet, but want to go. (Are you waiting for Lady Luck to personally issue an invitation? Book a trip now.)

Only 5% of you responding said you go for the gambling only. Almost four times that many head to Sin City to party and for the nightlife (19.2%). Which holds up with the casino's own reports that the majority of their income is now made outside of the gaming tables. Almost a third of you (31.8%) visit The Strip for a combination of both, which is exactly what the rich resort and casino owners were betting on.

My next poll has to do with Holiday shopping and how you plan to do yours. Online only? Or are you going to battle the crowds and traffic and head to the mall? Take the poll below, on the right.