That 12 megapixel consumer minicamera from Best Buy will likely be crap...
Yes, this is too late for Christmas but it's probably worth knowing anyway. More megapixels do not automatically make for a better picture. More megapixels actually could lead to worse pictures! According to a number of testers, the best quality came from around 6 megapixels. The explanation is complicated, but as summarized by Tim Bray: "As you make pixels smaller and closer together, you lose sensitivity and increase visual static." The pictures start looking like a pointillism experiment gone wrong. Remember this, especially now with camera manufacturers using that one number as the "More Power Arrr Arrr Arrr!" number.
