Christmas and Hanukkah just haven't been the same since I was fifteen. Since the days of the big toy tank with six D-cells, or the GI Joe Mercury capsule, the holidays just aren't about the gifts anymore. It's more about people who promise to keep me company, even when I'm irritating. And, honestly, who can ask for more than that?

But I love stuff, so here's what I want.

I WANT A LAPTOP: Alienware M17x - Intel® Core^TM2 Extreme CPU, NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GT graphics, and the usual cool Alienware style (it looks like flames will shoot from the cover) - $2,000

But I'll probably get: Something to make my 2.4gHz Thinkpad T30 last another year - $1.49 for the JB Weld to repair that unsightly crack in the fan vent.

I WANT A PDA: iPod Touch 32gB - all the audio and video I can cram into my distraction-starved psyche, plus wi-fi; and the temptation of jail-breaking (can I make it VOIP?) - $300

But I'll probably get: Pretty notepaper - $12, if it's from a nice store.

I WANT A CAMERA: Sigma DP2 - pocket camera with SLR-quality 14 mpx 20.7 x 13.8 mm (or 2.86 cm²) Foveon CMOS sensor and high quality 35mm Sigma lens - $1000, when available (the price isn't out yet; I'm guessing based on what the DP1 cost when it first came out)

But I'll probably get: Why do you need another camera? You have two! - like most unasked-for advice, free of charge.

I WANT A POWER SOURCE: Hyperion Power Module micro nuclear reactor - $25,000,000

But I'll probably get: Grundig Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Radio with Flashlight, Siren and Cell Phone Charger - emergency power, light, and radio in the trunk of my car, for when society finally collapses and we are reduced to living like savages; the light will help me keep roving gangs of mutants at bay, and find spiders to eat! - $40 to $140

I WANT AN eREADER: Plastic Logic eReader - a thin, flexible eReader that will make the Sony eReader look fat and ugly - not available yet, but check it out at www.plasticlogic.com

But I'll probably get: A Book - no "e", just, you know, a regular book...maybe $15, and a bargain at that.

I WANT BASIC HUMAN NEEDS: Reduction in Atmospheric Carbon - $100 trillion, maybe, unless more Chinese buy cars, in which case all bets are off.

But I'll probably get: The love of my family - I think I get that already! And that's what I really wanted, all along...

Though if there's some eccentric out there who really wants to buy me a Christmas present, you've now got my list!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Lucky Solstice to all!

Story by Peter Basch.