Over the years, an increasing number of holiday gifts in my family have connected in some way to the Internet. From music players, to netbooks, to photo frames, and Internet video boxes. But it wasn’t always that way. In fact, there used to be a rule in my house that it was okay to spend time on the computer on any day except for Christmas. With that pre-Internet era in mind, I’ve created a Top Ten List as we slink toward the holiday season. And here it is:
Top Ten Holiday Activities that Don’t Require an Internet Connection
- Getting on your family’s nerves… in person.
- Standing in an actual line at 4 am for the Black Friday sales.
- Getting lost (no smartphone) on the way to that holiday party you didn’t want to go to anyway.
- Eating too many cookies.
- Arguing about which DVD movie to watch instead of stumbling through the Netflix UI.
- Eating too much chocolate.
- Listening to holiday music… on an FM radio.
- Legitimately avoiding work.
- Sharing holiday inanities with your neighbors, not your Twitter followers.
- Enjoying the year’s holiday loot – no firmware update required.
It’s enough to make you yearn for decades past. Or to hope you get that iPad this December.