Christmas is Coming!

With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving just ahead, the TV commercials tell me that it is now time to begin thinking about Christmas.  The holiday season provides us with ample opportunity to reflect on our personal situation.  Terri and I are fortunate to be in a very happy place in life.  We need nothing as we have a nice house, good jobs, two nice vehicles, four flat screen TV's, and two Bose sound systems.  And a cat.   Life is good, but these are reflections best saved for Thanksgiving. 

Christmas soon follows, so now is the time to think about my Christmas list.  My list is short.  I need nothing, so maybe the list will include things that Terri or the kids and grand kids need. Maybe I will buy things the less fortunate need or want, and give it to them.  After all, I need nothing.  But I would like one of those iPad thingies.  Steve Jobs has this nasty habit of creating slick, shiny things that I want but don't need.  He is the devil's spawn.  Or at least the anti-Christ. 

Terri and I visited the Apple store a few days ago to play with the Apple toys.  I liked the iPad.  If I had one, I could display it on the coffee table.  Everyone who visits our home would see it and think that I am such a cool person.  I would respect myself more as an iPad owner.  If I had one, I would no longer need to go all the way into our spare bedroom to use the laptop computer.  That would probably save 10-15 seconds every day.  It adds up.

The iPad is really just an over sized iPod.  I have an iPod.  So does Terri.  It's a His an' Hers thing.  I guess I could use the iPod for everything I want an iPad for.  But I would still need to get up, go into the spare bedroom to get the iPod.  I would also need to find my glasses in order to see the smaller print on an iPod.  That's another 15 seconds.  Wow.  That's 30 seconds a day of my life back.  How can you put a price on time?  You can't get it back, so it's priceless.

They make iPads in 3 sizes.  There is the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models.  I would want the 64 GB model.  Why?  Because 64 is bigger than 16 and 32.  Even if you add them together.  A 64 GB model is so much more of a bargain, I would be compelled to purchase one just in case I ever needed all 64 GB's.  My iPod has 16 GB's.  It's half full, but I think I am running out of space.  It was once completely empty.

I feel like I am being sucked into Steve Jobs evil world.  He wants me to buy an iPad, but do I need one?  NO!  I would be a better person if I were to be more generous this season.  After all, there is so much need in my local community.  For the price of an iPad, several needy children could have a memorable Christmas.  Or a homeless family could be fed and sheltered for several weeks.  I could be a secret Santa to  a few people.

But each of these would require effort and time. Maybe an hour or more.  Maybe I can sacrifice with just a 32 GB iPad.  I would still benefit from the cool factor and the extra 30 seconds per day.  How can you put a price on time?