Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

In honor of the past dozen years of Yahoo! Picks, we're calling up favorites from the archives. This feature originally ran December 25, 2005. Two years later, the slideshow is even more packed with images of jolly old men in red velvet suits—and open-mouthed tykes who aren't having anything of it:

"Nothing says Happy Holidays like... sweet little toddlers screaming at Santa." And with that, the chuckling elves at The Chicago Tribune, SouthFlorida.com, and Sun-Sentinel.com have collected, once again, a sack-full of evidence that Santa's "ho ho ho" does not always inspire merry Yuletide cheer. Before children learn to sit up and grin gamely for the camera, they reveal the true nature of being clutched by a guy who lurks behind a blanket of white ringlets. Little Mark Williams barely suppresses the tears. Open-mouthed Amy Hennessy attempts a daring break, only to be restrained by her elder siblings. And perhaps our favorite, Pamela Mendrick lets loose a "Category 5 scream" while never, ever, losing hold of her candy cane.

Also, check out our votes for the Best Picks of 2007. Happy holidays, one and all!

In honor of the past 12 years of Yahoo! Picks, we're calling up favorites from the archives. This feature originally ran the week of February 2, 1998, a time when Picks published weekly and wrapped everything up in a theme, or maybe that should be "a theme."

We quote from this particular week's missive:

"The State of the Web, 1998

Ladies and gentlemen, this week, in lieu of our regular feature, we are honored to present the annual State of the Web Address, a tradition dating back to early 1998. This formal address is mandated in Article XXXII, Paragraph IV of the Yahoo! Charter:

IV. In the first week of February of each year, the men and/or women who write Yahoo! Picks of the Week shall address the State of the Web. They shall then check the copier for paper jams."

And on we went to feature, among other sites, The Castro Speech Database, as compiled by the Latin American Network Information Center. It includes such dillies as the beginning of this 1996 address: "Dear comrades: Can you hear me clearly? We will talk as a family, okay? This will not be a speech on occasion of your departure, when there is plenty of love, kisses, good wishes, and patriotism. Talking as a family means analyzing realities, in private, not in front of the stairs as you are about to board the plane. Besides, the sun is very hot, and it is scalding, so it would not be the best place to say a few things."

Also, check out our votes for the Best Picks of 2007, which does come to you with love, kisses, good wishes, and patriotism.

To celebrate the past 12 years of Yahoo! Picks, we're calling up favorites from the archives. This feature originally ran March 8, 2005. Here it is again, in all its Jessica, Jennifer, and Jacob glory:

"So, there's a little nipper on the way. Other than "little nipper," what will you call her? Along with boxes of hand-me-down toys and gift certificates to Baby Gap, parents-to-be now have a new tool in their arsenal: NameVoyager, an interactive chart that allows you to track the trendiness of thousands of names over the last century. If you're the methodical sort, start by typing one letter, and the chart's many hues divide to illustrate the rise and fall in popularity of names starting with that letter. Then add more letters, and watch the chart narrow its focus. If you're like us, you'll just want to explore on your own, looking for the most popular girl and boy names in the 1900s (Mary and John) and in 2003 (Emily and Jacob). Equal parts psychedelic and fascinating, NameVoyager should help new parents welcome little Aidan or Shakira with confidence they've picked the perfect moniker."

Also, check out our votes for the Best Picks of 2007.