Peeping Tom

There's a little bit of Pandora in all of us. Curiosity can get us into some sticky situations, so our society has evolved clever ways of presenting someone else's personal life for ravenous eyes and turning a dime on it. The tabloids invade others' lives but people are generally so attention-hungry that they'll forfeit their rights to privacy and throw open their doors to everyone who wishes to look. Neither of those are really appealing to me, thanks, but there's something intriguing about other venues for the publication of secrets or anonymous objects that might have otherwise given a clue to someone's life. Here's a Guardian writer who talks about our deep desire to snoop around in others' garbage or read the epistles we've come across in the gutter.
If there's a peeping Tom on your Christmas list, consider getting them a copy of PostSecret or Found and hope that will tide them over for a little while at least.