Toys For Boys - Not Less, But Fewer

This is shaping up to be a miserable Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you might be celebrating this season.  Miserable, that is, for 'boys' old enough to shave, and even worse for those able to remember the Reagan administration from direct experience.

And pretty darn frustrating for wives, lovers, mothers, and friends who can no longer find that 'perfect' gift.

A recent exploration of the local malls revealed a dearth of stores hawking the kind of goods that older boys love to get as presents.   The Sharper Image is gone, gone, gone.  Brookstone is still there, but somehow just doesn't fill the gap left in the shopping continuum.  The Discovery Store seems mostly gone - the web site doesn't even provide a store locator, meaning one less option for last-minute gifts.  The Apple Store is present and accounted for, but how many iPods does a boy need?

So. Fewer weird, all-but-useless, yet interesting electronic gadgets for us this year.  No quiet air filtration fans to remove allergens from our playrooms.  No vibrating chairs with built-in iPod chargers and drink coolers.  Looking happy and surprised when getting gifts will be tougher.  

The picture is brighter for girls, though, if that aforementioned mall exploration is any judge.  No shortage of stores selling apparel of all styles for that demographic. 

At least we poor, gadget-bereft males can take solace in providing our wives, lovers, mothers, and friends with the perfect gift.