I’ve spent the past few days reading (and cracking up over) this uproarious New York Times City Room post about worst Christmas presents. The original article, which interviews a bunch of toy execs asking them about their worst gifts, is pretty amusing, but it’s the hundreds of comments that really seal the deal.
It reads like an anthology of giggle-worthy holiday disasters: awful gifts, from the age-inappropriate to the truly bizarre are laid bare, along with the emotional baggage they’ve caused/were caused by. There are fashion-police offenses, farts-on-tape “musical” collections, broken toys, cleaning products, toys clearly meant for animals, and tales of straight-up gift giving half-assery.
I was filled with such schadenfreude that I now feel the need to brighten up the story, Weekly Geek-style. Instead of sharing my worst gift, I’ll instead throw out my geekiest, and hope that you’ll be inspired to do the same. Granted, this is tough to do — throughout the tears, I’ve received so many video games, obscure science fiction novels, spaceship blueprints and science-related paraphernalia that it’s tough to pick the single nerdiest gift of all. But I can tell you the one I had the geekiest reaction to.
I was 12 or so, and utterly, utterly obsessed with Star Trek Voyager (yeah, I bet you’re wondering why). Whereas most of the kids were watching some stupid teen drama or The Real World, I got my kicks from watching Captain Janeway dominate/commandeer the bridge.
So when my little sister gave me the Unofficial Guide to Star Trek Voyager, wrapped artfully in a faded The Little Mermaid bedsheet, I just about lost my mind, Nintendo 64 kid-style.
Yes, over a book with a bunch of episode synopses. This was pre-internet, you see (well, before I had it anyway), and any scrap of information about my beloved show was a cause for celebration.
Now its your turn, readers. I want to know about your geekiest gifts, your happiest holiday nerdery, and anything else that falls under that umbrella. If you have an N64-kid caliber video, all the better!
Happy holidays, and may your celebrations — or lack thereof — be geeky!
