Technology and the holidays

So Alli and I are out shopping together for an adopt-a-family gift she and Nika are contributing to in religious education class. The family creates a short wish list for Christmas, including essentials and special gifts they can't provide for themselves.

After we settle on some gifts, Alli mentions that she has her own wish list for the holidays. Her list is detailed enough that I can't commit it to memory, so she mentions she has it written on her iPod Touch. So I'm thinking it would be great if she emails it to me. Since her iPod requires a WiFi connection, and the store we're at doesn't offer one, I enable the WiFi hotspot on my smart phone. Her iPod connects, she emails the document, and voila her list is now on my phone.

Sure, the geek in me appreciates the technology. Not only was the solution quick (less than 30 seconds), it worked as designed. And yes, while it might appear my daughter is spoiled (I suppose she is to a degree), it's worth mentioning she bought her iPod with her own, hard-earned money.

That said, it still hit me ... my, how fortunate we are to have such luxuries.