Inside the Davos goodie bag

I will, I promise, be appropriately high-minded and serious about Davos.

But first, let me tell you about the gift bag.

I am a longtime conoisseur of the art of the goodie bag. I love the way it brings out the greedy five-year-old in all of us -- hey, gimme that, what's in there? -- from Hollywood stars to political megadonors. I love how the gift bag is the mirror of the soul of the event.

The Davos bag does not disappoint. First, it is a laptop bag, embroidered with the World Economic Forum logo and its lofty motto: Committed to Improving the State of the World. So do you use this and look like you're showing off, or stick it in the back of the closet? Inside: a Svarovski crystal paperweight, Davos-themed. A colorful -- and warm -- scarf from the South African government. A beautiful box of Cailler chocolates. (Kids, your father opened it. I would have saved it for you.) And a fat agenda of meetings that feels like a college course catalogue, except without teaching assistants.

I'm waiting for the start of a session on the global implications of chronic disease, so I guess the high-mindedness begins.