Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

With Christmas just around the corner, thoughts of giving and receiving are swirling everywhere, including Tinsel Town, of course. We asked celebrities to recall the most memorable presents they had given or received in holidays past — whether great or not so great:

Maura Tierney: I gave my parents this trip to Italy, a walking tour around Tuscany — very first class. I was very excited about it.

Steve Austin: As far as gifts I've given — me and my brothers and sister went in on a rifle for our dad — a Remington Model 700 — after he was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, we didn't know whether he'd ever be able to go hunting again.

John Stamos: The year I got a Tony the Tiger drum set. That was absolutely the best.

Vanessa Hudgens: My guitar when I was 16. I asked my parents for something memorable, and they gave me a guitar.

Joey Fatone: I'm such a geek with stuff. My sister got me one of those chairs that have the speakers in it — a recliner kind of thing that you plug music into, basically. The bass vibrates the whole chair. It's so cool. And things I gave, well, for years, my mom and dad constantly shuttled the three of us around, wherever we needed to go to work, in one car. So one year, I got my brother an Acura, my mom a Cadillac and my sister a PT Cruiser. It's the greatest feeling to give back to people who helped you all the time.

Regis Philbin: Once when we were in L.A., I bought my wife a pair of earrings that required your ears to be pierced. I remember her cold mocking laugh when she opened them, as if to say, 'He doesn't even know my ears.' I never, ever bought her jewelry again without her seeing, feeling and OKing it. What I've got is Christmas, then my wife's birthday Feb. 1, then Valentine's Day, then our anniversary March 1, so four big ones in a row. Even though she's not surprised, I'd rather have her love her gifts.

Sabrina Bryan: I had a little mini Shih Tzu puppy. My mom fell in love with it, so the next Christmas, I gave her a puppy. She just loved it. I've never been so excited to give a gift. It was so perfect. Mine is Rocky; hers is Teddy.

Michelle Ryan: It was probably a little necklace and earring set from Tiffany's my parents gave me for Christmas when I was 21.

Sam Waterston: A beautiful wooden antique chess set my wife gave me many, many years ago. It was made by Staunton, a 19th-century manufacturer of chess men. It's on display in our den.

Gail O'Grady: I'm a huge Barbie fan. I had so many Barbies, instead of the traditional carrying cases, I got Barbie luggage. I know it sounds kind of strange, but I was very excited about that. I actually still have all of them. As far as giving gifts — I start Christmas shopping very early, and I'm so excited about giving the gifts I can't wait, and I give them out. So by September, I have to go shopping again.

Phylicia Rashad: One Christmas when I was in college, I opened a gift from my father, and it was the most beautiful suede coat with a sumptuous fox collar. It was absolutely tasteful, nothing gaudy about it, just beautiful. ... My mother and I had gone to this shopping center some months before as I was getting ready to leave for school. The winter coats had come out, and there was this beautiful coat with this collar. I looked at it and liked it so much, my mother said it's very stylish and just looked at me. Didn't say a word, then here I was receiving this coat for Christmas. I later found out my mother went to my father and said, 'I'm going to get her this coat because she deserves it.' That's a very special Christmas memory. It was quite expensive for back then and not the normal fare for a college student. But the coat was the by-product of what really made it special. What really made it special was my parents in conversation and in response to each other, holding their daughter in high regard.

Debbie Allen: I remember the Christmas when Phylicia (Rashad, her sister) and I were struggling artists in New York. We had a can of tuna fish between us and our cat — forget even thinking about a turkey. We promised each other we wouldn't worry about Christmas gifts. We just wanted our parents to think we were doing well. I remember us being in a phone booth, telling tales to our dad — 'We're having the best time' — because we were determined to make it and we didn't want them to know how struggling we were, and to say, 'Come home.' Anyway, I don't know how I did it, but somehow I scraped enough money together to buy her a pair of earrings. Then it turned out, she bought me a pair of earrings as well. I still have them.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM