The Liminal Librarian

Somehow, we had possibly the most technological first night of Chanukah in our family's history. For his first night "big gift," Jacob got a "Kid Tough Digital Camera" -- he can drop it, he can poke it, and he can avoid ruining ours. He's been running around taking pictures like a maniac -- with the extra card (thankfully we got the one with the extra card!), it holds, as we found out, about 397 pictures. Which he managed to snap by the next morning. My 24-year-old brother visited this weekend, and could only shake his head about "kids these days" and bemoan the fact that he never had anything that cool in HIS day.

On a related note, my husband got a digital photo frame for his office... and, possibly the best gift yet, I got an iPod Nano, complete with car adapter. I've always thought they were cute, but after a couple days of playing around, I think I get it. I've drunk the kool-aid. Only a couple years late, I see why everyone's raving about the fantastic simplicity of the design. And, I may even start listening to podcasts!

The rest of the holiday will be more subdued. (For those of you who've in the past expressed concern about battery-addicted button-pushing cyborg children, he's getting things like books and coloring books and a kid's compass and Spanish bean bags (don't tell!).) But, it's interesting that we each independently jumped to something technological when choosing each other's big gift.

We've never been particularly ahead of the technocurve in this house. In reading various magazines' suggested holiday gift lists, it looks like we're right in with everyone else this year. This digital camera for preschoolers is a hot item on my moms' lists, and sold out everywhere. (The other hot ticket, if you want to be scared, is TMX Elmo -- you thought Tickle Me Elmo was bad enough!)