Remember the "good" old days of holiday shopping? You bundled up the kids, loaded everybody into the car, drove to the mall, fought the traffic, stifled your road rage, and then circled the lot 50 times until you found a parking space.

And once you got out of the car, the real fun began: this store and that store and the fast food restaurants and the restrooms, dragging packages and overheated, overtired little people with you as you went. If you were full of holiday spirit when you left the house, chances are you lost it completely some time before you got home.

Nowadays, if you have a TV set, a telephone, a credit card or better yet, a home computer with Internet access, you may never have to leave your house to go shopping again. There are countless catalogs, offering mail order purchasing of everything imaginable, televised home shopping services all day and all night and the Internet, which takes you to dozens of virtual malls and lets you buy at major department stores, florists and most of the catalog publishers without ever leaving your home.

Dial a toll-free number, locate the right Web site, order what you want, have it shipped anywhere you say, charge it to your credit card, and bingo: Shopping completed! And you can do this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you start this process early enough, you can sail calmly through the holidays, with enough energy left over to really enjoy them. Even last-minute shopping is possible and easy with all the new technology available, although the later it gets, the more backed up the shipping process gets.

Food gifts have become very popular over the last few years, especially for people on your list who live far away or are difficult to match with gifts.

If you decide to send perishable food as a holiday gift, there are a few things you should remember in order to make sure your gift arrives in an edible condition, plus a few other pieces of advice to heed in case you receive some goodies through the mail.

Try to deal with established, reputable companies. If a product must be kept cold or frozen, try to find out what provisions the company makes for this. This may be a little tricky on the Internet where there is no human contact, so you might want to find a customer service toll-free number, just to check. If you can, it's probably worth the extra cost to get overnight shipment.

Even though it may ruin a surprise gift, find out when the package will arrive and make sure the recipients will be home to receive it. If it is something that needs to be refrigerated or frozen immediately upon arrival, make sure that the shipper clearly labels it that way.

Try not to send the most highly perishable foods to the warmest parts of the country. For example, Aunt Rose in Palm Springs, Calif., might be better served by a tin of fancy, mixed nuts than a strawberry cheesecake. If you receive perishable food through the mail, check it carefully before you eat it. Make sure it shows no obvious signs of spoilage.

Any meat, poultry or fish should arrive frozen (at least in the middle) or it should have been kept cold (below 40 degrees). Any foods labeled "keep refrigerated" should be cold when they arrive.

Cheese should not be moldy when you open it, unless it is supposed to be that way. If you find mold on a large wheel or wedge of cheese, cut the mold off, along with a big hunk around and underneath the mold. Small pieces of cheese that are questionable should be discarded.

In case you did send a cheesecake to Aunt Rose, it should arrive fully frozen and if not, tell Aunt Rose to notify you or the shipper immediately.

If somebody sent you fresh (not canned) caviar, it must have been kept thoroughly cold throughout the entire shipping process. Fortunately, few of us have to worry about receiving rotting caviar. If you have any doubt that it hasn't been kept cold, don't eat it; don't even taste it.

Try to make your gift selection appropriate for the recipient. People who live alone may have difficulty using up a whole turkey or three dozen oranges. If you receive more than you can use, pass it on to a local homeless shelter.

Most mail-order companies have customer service numbers. Don't hesitate to call them and try to resolve any problems that occur. It is a good idea to keep a list of what you sent to whom, along with the appropriate phone number for that company. If you are really dissatisfied with the condition of a shipment you receive, don't be embarrassed to tell the person who purchased the gift for you. He or she may want to avoid using that company in the future.

If you have any doubts about the condition or safety of meat or poultry you receive, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a toll-free Consumer Hotline (available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST) at (800) 535-4555.

So, pull out your credit card, flip through that catalog, surf the Net, recharge your cordless, touch-tone phone, and shop until you drop. Just start early and keep track of what you have bought. Otherwise, those credit card bills can be pretty scary at the end of the month.

And speaking of credit cards, you shouldn't have to worry about giving out your number to reputable companies and Web sites. Most of them encrypt the information and if you do experience fraudulent use of your number, let the credit card company know immediately so that you won't be charged for unauthorized purchases.

(c) 2000, Sheldon Margen, M.D., and Dale A. Ogar. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate