Oprah has many favorite things. I only have a few.
You know that feeling you get when you watch a commercial for an exciting new product/gadget and you wish you could have it for yourself? Well, I don’t.
Happiness doesn’t come from consumerism. And therefore I’m not much of a consumer.
You probably have someone like me on your Christmas List. I call myself a “non-materialist.” You call me “a pain in the butt to shop for.”
However, I have received three presents during the past few years that I really like. And I figure that if I like them, the finicky guy that you are shopping for might like them, too.
Here they are:
Blu Electronic Cigarette [approx price: $10]
I haven’t been an everyday smoker in several years. However, I still couldn’t picture life without any cigarettes at all. Now I have a 3/4 full pack of Marlboros sitting in my closet and I’m not sure I will ever want to finish it.
Electronic cigarettes don’t light up; they emit an almost odorless mist that feels just like smoke. That means that they don’t make your clothes or breath smell and you can smoke them inside your house like the good old days.
I was initially resistant to E-Cigs because I thought that they are uncool compared to tobacco cigarettes. Then it suddenly dawned on me: “is it cool to obstinately stick to a product that is damaging my lungs rather than embracing an exciting new technology? That doesn’t sound cool at all.”
I have been a proud user of cool Electronic Cigarettes ever since.
iPad [approx price: $500]
When my wife told me that she was going out for the night or taking a long weekend out of town, I used to dread the impending boredom. Now I just look at the time alone as an opportunity to relax and play with my iPad. I may never be bored at home again.
If you’ve never used an iPad, you may ask: “Doesn’t the iPad just do the same things as my smartphone?” That’s true, but the iPad does them bigger and faster – and more beautifully.
There is an app or a game for every taste. And the iPad offers the ultimate internet browsing experience, just like the late Steve Jobs promised.
Based on my household, the iPad could be as revolutionary as the invention of television. Before we had iPads, we used to sit on the couch together after work and watch TV. Now we sit on opposite sides of the couch each night and play with our iPads – peacefully, quietly, and contentedly.
Apple TV [approx price – $100]
Do you know a guy who is still buying seasons of TV shows on DVD or driving to a Redbox machine to rent movies? Help him step out of the stone age by buying him an Apple TV.
Despite what the name suggests, it is not an actual television. Apple TV is a sleek little black box that you hook up to your TV that allows you to electronically buy or rent shows and movies. It’s like having premium cable but only being charged for the shows you want instead of paying a monthly subscription fee.
Let’s say you want to check out the Showtime series “Homeland” to see what the fuss is about. You don’t need to have Showtime. You simply turn on your Apple TV, click to “Homeland” episode 1, click OK, and you’re done. Your iTunes account is charged $2.99; and you’re watching the show is less than a minute.
Plus your house won’t be cluttered up with little plastic DVD boxes anymore.
Come to think of it, I’m going to fire up my Apple TV and watch a movie right now. Happy Holidays, World readers!