Well, here's something that's not all that surprising: guys are more likely to do good deeds if there's a pretty lady present. A little more interesting is the fact that the presence of a sexy dude doesn't seem to change ladies' do-gooding behavior at all.

Boy oh boy do celebrities ever love talking about auctioning things off for charity. They want you to remember that they're such sweet, kind Disney Princesses that it's hard to see their faces, what with all the birds flying around their heads braiding their hair and basking in their goodness. But did you know that…

Apparently the more elaborate the wrapping, the higher the expectations — and if you're giving a little something simple, you maybe shouldn't wrap it at all. You bet your bows and ribbons Yale University's Center for Customer Insights did a study on this!

We've reached the chewy peppermint center of the holiday season, and you still haven't gotten gifts for those last few people on your list. Don't worry! The solution might be as easy as sending a donation in their name to a kickass charity, and we've got your guide on how to do it.

In this big bah-humbug world of ours, it's hard to find a story that defies cynicism. But these tales of anonymous "guardian angel" shoppers who have been paying off the KMart layaway balances for poor families trying to buy Christmas presents for their kids is one of those bawl-inducing items that will make even the…

Charities better start sucking up to ladies. New research has found that wealthy American women control their households' philanthropic efforts almost exclusively, and that they decide to which cause their money should go based on research, analysis, and a smidgen of ladyfeelings.

No, not the ones you wanted: we're talking the Christmas sweaters, the bunny suits, the cable-knit tube tops from Aunt Clara. And — bunny suits aside — chances are, you will encounter these foreign objects.

Are you generous? Rich? Both?! Boy, do I have something to show you!

If you're in North Carolina and you see a big bearded dude in a red suit about to accost you, perhaps you should let him. He might be trying to hand you a hundo.

We mentioned this in last night's News Roundup but it bears repeating: Homeless men from the Mariners Inn shelter and treatment center in Detroit are raising money to provide gifts for four needy families this holiday season. Using cash collected from friends and businesses or that they earn, the men hope to raise…

• Some celebrities give big charitable donations, Forbes reports, but others give less than their foundations cost to run (we're looking at you, Justin Timberlake). • A new Australian study claims that women in menopause gain weight not because they eat more but because they exercise less due to age and lifestyle…

Not only are women donating to political campaigns in record numbers, it seems that, for the first time in recorded history, women are giving more than men to charity: In 2005, female donors gave $21.7 billion to men's $16.8 billion, and JPMorgan reports that two thirds of its philanthropic services clients are now…