And, this way, for the rest of his life -- be it in the fraternity house, his bachelor pad, or his family's home, as he frantically tries to feed his own growing offspring -- when he opens that front door, smiles at the delivery person, and smells the chicken and broccoli in brown sauce, the kid will think of me.

CNN: Coming to terms with dinner

Also on that short list, it so happens, is spotting one of the aforementioned troops hand-feed an overzealous and noticeably plump squirrel who's anxiously scratching on the door to get in.

ENGADGET: A visit to NORAD's Santa-tracking facility (video)

In one building, just past a small statue of the beloved Hindu elephant god Ganesha, robots pick up pieces of sheet metal and feed them into a series of 30-foot-tall stamping presses every ten seconds until the left-side door of a Tata Safari SUV is formed.

FORBES: The Next People's Car