A “wish-list” kind of Christmas

This archived article was written by: Zak Konakis

Christmas a time for joy, a time for cheer where mankind is reminded that not so long ago there was a baby who came and wanted to make things better again … but then again that was a ’50s mentality and Norman Rockwell is bleeding.
Now the holiday season has degenerated into a riot and a time for enraged parents fighting over the latest fad toy that their kids absolutely have to have. It is merely a product of relativity: their kids want something and their primal instincts of family first kicks in and it’s a blood bath in the stores as a smash and grab ensues on the aptly named “Black Friday.” But what is it that is tickling the fancy of the college students nation-wide? Whether they are video game junkies or just classic hipsters this years Christmas has new toys for all the girls and boys.
For the tech junkies this season has the anticipated pieces that all the fan guys and girls (seriously how many girls are waiting in line for the Nintendo Wii … that wasn’t Marin) the playing field has evolved from Walkmans and Tickle Me Elmo into PS3, Nintendo Wii, next-gen Ipods, and the new Microsoft Zune. These new pieces of entertainment are the top of everyone’s wish-list both the young and old. The realization that the Nintendo Generation has finally grown up hit me a little more than two weeks ago when people were waiting in line for the Nintendo Wii. There was not one person under 16 years old waiting in line; I chuckled to myself as they laughed and joked and made fun of funny cars with even funnier drivers.
This year has even been marketed on the entire tech goodie line-up that used to stuff the stocking are now taking precedence over all of the wish-list. No more old socks from Aunt Mildread, she’s now sending out DVD which is now being out dated by Blue-ray and HDDVD. The acronyms are writing themselves as a Radio-Shack commercials are now in need of subtitles explaining the tongue twisting alliteration of code.
What is it that the students want, though? “Puppies” as Holly Hughes doesn’t want something that beeps or plays music, she just wants the classics with fur and poop. “I want a puppy” with her eyes elated she even went into detail and had a name picked out for her new neighbor hood terror. “Marcellus [Wallace] the Pulp Fiction fans would pick up the allusion and love it as much as me.”