"Oh, You Shouldn't Have…"

But we did. Here are City Paper's gift suggestions for local celebs, pols, teams, neighborhoods, companies, institutions and everyone else in dire need this holiday season.

Times are tight. Everybody's feeling the pinch. And with four more years of W.'s economic policies decking the White House halls, it's probably not going to get any easier. Fortunately, it doesn't cost a dime to fantasize. And so the staff of this newspaper recently gathered 'round the ol' Sterno can (we keep it in Patrick Rapa's office), rubbed our hands together, and dared to dream. If we had unlimited resources, what could we give the city of Philadelphia and its denizens? Never mind what people want for Christmas -- what do they need? And if money wasn't a factor, what could we give them? The answers are in the next few pages. And while the recipients of our gifts won't have neatly wrapped packages to open this Saturday morning, they'll have something better: our thoughts. Which is what counts, right?

—Duane Swierczynski

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