I was thinking about Christmas presents earlier today, and I was thinking about what makes a great Christmas present and what makes a bad Christmas present. A great Christmas present, in my mind is:
1. Something the recipient actually wants.
2. Something they really enjoy and possibly finds useful.
3. Something that was thoughtful, in that the giver actually put some thought into it.
Bad Christmas presents, on the other hand, are presents that:
1. Are not thoughtful.
2. Cost the recipient money and/or mental anguish.
In my mind, bad Christmas presents include:
1. A car lease.
2. A puppy.
3. Rent to own anything
4. A 3G iPhone.
You might wonder why I would consider a 3G iPhone a bad present. Well, I assume that the giver pays for the phone itself, but the recipient has to pay for the monthly fee. So here are my calculations around the 3G iPhone:
1. The 3G iPhone costs $199 for the 8Gb model and $299 for the 16 Gb model. Merry Christmas.
2. The cost to the recipient (at least in the SF Bay Area) varies from $1680 - $3120 for the 2 year contract.
So what are other comparable "Christmas" presents to the 3G iPhone? They are:
1. A large traffic or misdemeanor fine.
2. A large tax bill.
3. A decently sized car repair bill.
So, if you are thinking about getting someone a 3G iPhone you should instead borrow their car, wreck it, and leave them with the bill. It will be cheaper.
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