I hope Santa Claus was good to you during the holidays...I did not get the Canon EOS 5D Mark II that I wished for...but I'm not sure if it was because I was naughty (for abandoning my daily photo tips during 2008), or if it was just due to Santa's compressed budget this year.  :)

I did get a cool new gadget -- not directly photo related -- but I can always find a way that a new toy is photo related.  I got an Olympus digital voice recorder (model VN-4100PC).  I intend to use this cool little device to help me keep track of my constant thoughts about photography...and to help me journal some of my photo assignments.  Have you thought about how convenient this would be to help you with your shooting?  Think of the possibilities...you can record your thoughts while you are shooting...or...if you are like me...you are driving past a cool location that you'd like to shoot later (with or without a model...but with the right light for sure!) and you can't exactly write down what you are thinking / seeing while driving.  A digital voice recorder would certainly help you make a note of what and where you saw what you saw!