Traditional vs. Electronics
Rene and Darren go head to head on what makes the most satisfying Xmas pressie.
The case for electronics by Darren
If you have asked for any kind of toy this Christmas the likelihood of it being an electrical device is extremely high. In recent years this statement would have only held weight when talking about men and the latest must-have gadgets. However products such as the Nintendo DS are now attracting woman and other sections of society including the older generations. This is great and hopefully signals the end of the annual Christmas 4 hour Monopoly game or the egregiously annoying Ludo.
I have refrained from asking Rene what the latest toy he has bought is for fear of the response, but if he had any perspicacity at all it would have been something that requires a power source. Being of a certain age Rene loquaciously recalls with joy the wooden train set he was given in the sixties and the abacus that served him so well through the last recession. However we are in a digital age now and there is something to be had for everybody, whether it be a HDTV, a netbook or even an iPhone. So this year gather around the TV and play a game of Wii Sports watching your relatives flail around aimlessly rather than building a Lego castle, only to find you are missing the final two pieces.
The case for traditional by Rene
In this day and age the appetite for electronic media is immense, and while I don’t have a massive problem with ‘grown up’ kids spoiling each other with iPhones, PlayStations or Sat Navs; I do think there is a real danger for future generations if parents and relatives are to succumb to demands from children for the latest electronic gadgets (each of which will no doubt be old news by this time next year).
I guess it is this unstoppable pace of technological development that is central to my issue with giving electronics gifts for Christmas. Surely Christmas is a time for tradition? And traditional gifts such as a boy’s first football, rugby ball, or team shirt (I would list some girls toys here, but won’t for fear of being ridiculed or un-PC), are things that a child will remember forever, and will undoubtedly help form them as a person, and will ultimately act as encouragement to engage with healthy outdoor activities. After all, outdoor activities can help children to develop in all kinds of ways, and you never know you might just be gifting the next Ronaldo his first football. But I sincerely doubt that the gift of a Wii will do much more other than see the living room destroyed by a hyper active child.
There is also a huge cost issue associated with electronic toys, and as we head into the grips of a recession many won’t be able to afford such expensive gifts. Isn’t it the thought that counts after all? I guess what I’m saying is computers are now part of everyday life, but there are also great pleasures to be had from more traditional gifts that don’t cost the earth, or only exist in a virtual world.
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