By Mark Trumbull | Content provided by CSMonitor.com

Your taxes are probably going up, but not as much as they would have without a "fiscal cliff" deal.

That's the short summary of what's in store for US households now that a fiscal bargain between the White House and Congress has been reached.

The welcome news for personal pocketbooks is that most Americans will see no change in their income-tax rates.

But the amount of taxes paid will still rise, for two major reasons: First, workers will owe 2 percent more of their paychecks to the government in 2013 because Congress is allowing a temporary payroll-tax cut to expire. Second, tax rates are rising for households that earn more than $450,000.

The holidays are also not a good time to bring a puppy into your home. In fact, many responsible breeders do not breed litters with a Christmas delivery date, according to one expert.

"Bringing a puppy into your life in the 'off-season' is a safer alternative than exposing a new puppy to holiday dangers in the home. Consider gift wrapping dog toys or supplies such as a leash or food bowl to symbolize the gift of a puppy to come," AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson said in a club news release.

She noted that puppies are a full-time responsibility and they require a great deal of time, attention and love during their first few weeks in their new home. People have disrupted and hectic schedules during the holidays, making it extremely difficult to set aside the time needed to properly care for a puppy.

We've scouted the country to come up with this list of guaranteed holiday pleasers.

1. Memorabilia
If your husband loves Willie Nelsen or if your cousin lives for Derek Jeter, then you might want to think about getting some memorabilia as a memorable gift. Not all memorabilia has to be from Christie's Auction House and cost thousands of dollars - these days memorabilia readily available all over the internet, as well as in specialty stores around the country. Whether it's an 8x10 autographed picture of Britney Spears, a framed pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing trunks, or a CD signed by Faith Hill, there is a lot to choose from in every price range. These days memorabilia is readily available all over the internet - so just log on to your search engine or an auction site such as eBay.com and collect away!