You Can’t Go Wrong With These

Timed for holiday shopping, the December Consumer Reports is a roundup of best buys in gifts.

“We work on this all year,” says staffer Jeffrey Asher. “It focuses on the best we have tested, as well as the products we think are appropriate for the holidays--it would probably not be a steam iron for your wife.”

In large gift categories, the magazine’s testers report on games, toys, TV/VCR combos, stereo components, compact cameras, boom boxes, cordless phones, phone-answering machines and sweaters.

As a bonus, the issue opens with some “Holiday Tidbits,” including:

* Best color-print film for shooting family pictures: Most of the major brands in ISO 100.

* Best antacids after you’ve eaten too much: Mylanta Double Strength and Maalox Plus Extra Strength, with Alka-Seltzer tablets close behind. Best road atlas if you’re going to Grandma’s house: The $8.95 Rand McNally.

* Best way to shop for a Christmas tree: Slide your hand along the branches to make sure the needles don’t come off, sniff for fragrance and be sure it’s green.

* The best wishes from Ebenezer: Try to avoid the tempting offer from stores and credit-card companies to skip the December payment. With accruing interest rates it’s like taking out a loan at 10% to 18% interest.