Many Americans take shopping down to wire

That most-asked holiday question — “Have you finished your Christmas shopping?” — is starting to wear on my nerves.

And apparently I’m not alone in my unfinished business.

According to Consumer Reports magazine, 30 percent of Americans won’t finish their holiday shopping until the evening of Dec. 24. Better yet, one third of Americans hadn’t even begun their gift-buying until Dec. 10.

Regifting, the term Jerry Seinfeld coined for giving a previously-gotten gift to an unsuspecting friend or family member, is also an attractive option for late shoppers. According to the poll, 13 percent of consumers are planning to “regift” at least one item.

The biggest problem with regifting is the lack of originality. But if I’ve learned anything from HGTV’s “Cash in the Attic” and “Design Remix,” it’s that we have so much stuff nowadays, it’s entirely possible to “go shopping” in one’s own home.

I think what all this crucial data is saying is that we’re caring less and less for the commercial trappings of Christmas. Many people I’ve talked to have opted for simple get-togethers sans presents this year. Maybe advertising blitzes and long lines have killed the true meaning behind giving gifts. And fancy “things” can only make one happy for so long.

I, on the other hand, take gifts and cash in all forms, even credit cards. What some people might see as an irrelevant gift I see as a listing on Ebay.com.

Animals in the news:

What did your pet get for Christmas? (Don’t say it aloud. Fluffy might hear you.)

Fifty two percent of pet owners are buying toys, treats and clothing for their pets this year.

I’m crazy-as-charged, and I don’t even own a dog. I spent over $20 on a package of spa treatments for one of my friend’s dogs, which coincidentally has a larger wardrobe than I do.

I can’t help that it’s a lot easier to shop for a non-human. If you think an animal will like something, they probably will. They seem to genuinely appreciate it, unlike some people.

Maybe animals don’t know about the birth of Jesus, but all dogs go to heaven, right?

Speaking of Fido:

Britney Spears has been named World’s Worst Celebrity Dog Owner in an online poll of readers of Hollywood Dog and New York Dog magazines.

How did Spears win this coveted award? She got rid of her three Chihuahuas because of her two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Spears’ soon-to-be ex-husband, Kevin Federline, said the house was too hectic, and the dogs were re-homed with friends of the couple.

Sympathetic to animal rescue, I always tend to get frustrated when people don’t want to at least try to work with their animals when a new baby comes into the picture.

I’m not sure why Spears couldn’t just hire a dog nanny or maybe give the pooches a wing in her mansion. Seems like a workable solution to me.

But Britney deserves a break on this one, especially when Paris Hilton’s running around buying illegal tropical rain forest inhabitants to keep in her menagerie, then getting bitten by them.

Onstage at the 2007 Grammy Awards:

You. Ever since Time Magazine named all of us their “person of the year,” “we” have ever-increasing chances to offer our personalized entertainment and news content to the world.

The latest chance comes from Spears’ ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. He’s looking for someone to sing with him at the Grammy Awards to be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 11.

Instead of going to any number of his diva contemporaries, he wants YOU to upload a 60-second video clip of yourself singing one of nine selected Grammy-winning songs. Twelve contestants will be chosen from the audition videos, and an “American Idol”-like competition will ensue, with people voting on who they want to see on the Grammy stage. Three finalists will be flown to the Grammys, and the winner will be announced during the broadcast and hop onstage to sing.

Since when did award shows become reality TV?

To enter (or have fun watching people make fools of themselves), go to www.music.yahoo.com/mygrammymoment.