Weary of holiday cheer? Bloated from sugary snowman cookies? Numb after hearing Mannheim Steamroller or Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 43rd time? This issue will provide fast, sure relief.

That?s because InfoWorld honors the season with a comprehensive guide to IT products guaranteed to wring the holiday spirit out of everyone except the terminally joyous.

Everyone, that is, except those of us at InfoWorld -- and probably many readers as well -- for whom it would be pure delight to receive a Fibre Channel SAN or a shiny new Linux migration as a holiday gift.

For people like us, the InfoWorld Test Center offers a real holiday treat. The guide is a compendium of 289 hardware, software, and service reviews, divided into eight major and 32 minor product categories ranging from CRM solutions to load balancers to intrusion detection devices.

This 33-page section, assembled by Associate Editors Stephanie McLoughlin and Ted Samson, builds on the work of the 26 full- and part-time Test Center reviewers who make InfoWorld the leading source for expert advice on enterprise strategies and solutions.

Our reviewers enjoy unique front-row views of the fascinating competition among vendors trying to push the limits of technology. And in this issue, they provide a crisp, insightful overview of the field through a series of introductions to each major section.

This issue was prepared in hopes it would offer useful guidance for your IT purchases throughout the coming year. And for deeper information on any product we cover, and many more, please consult the IT Product Guide online. It?s available free at InfoWorld.com , as well as our partner site, IT Manager?s Journal, and -- soon -- at NewsForge and Linux.com, too.

I also urge you not to miss Robert X. Cringely"s annual GUI Awards (short for Greed, Underhandedness, and Imbecility in IT). The holidays always seem to put Cringe in a foul mood, so this week finds him at his wicked best. Lemony Snicket watch out!