Posted on: Saturday, December 7, 2002

Keep those snoopers from discovering their Christmas gifts

Gift-snooping is a common offense during the holidays, and there might be no better snooper than the pint-sized variety.

In "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays" (Chronicle Books), though, there is a blueprint on how to outsmart those snoopers:

• Wrap gifts immediately.

• Add items to the package. Include marbles, bells, small weights or paper clips in the box before wrapping to confuse shakers.

• Switch the name tags. (Of course, devise a system to keep track of who is really to receive each present.)

• Move gifts frequently because snoopers typically check a hiding spot and then move on.

• Use a box significantly larger than the gift. A stiff cardboard box will thwart squeezers.

• Put the gift in a series of wrapped boxes, one inside the other, to frustrate the snooper and deter even the most persistent opener.

Other holiday "survival" tips in the book include how to serve burnt turkey, how to repurpose a fruitcake and how to fend off a reindeer.