Shortly before holiday break my daughter was busy on a school assignment that seemed to involve research, writing, and assembling odd bits of costume and art projects. When asked, she confirmed it was homework--a presentation she was going to make to her kindergarten buddy (third graders are paired with kindergarteners for cross-grade learning).

The assignment was to present on a family holiday tradition. On Christmas Day it is her job (and honor) to distribute gifts, an occupation Ken calls the "elf." Care is taken not only to deliver presents to open laps, but to allow for time for appreciation, and make best efforts to distribute evenly, so that any one person doesn't feel ungifted. She does these things well.

For her presentation, she took her research further than her father's tradition, and cited internet articles that discussed mythical elves in various countries and the comparison of their work to her own. Drawing on those fairy tales, she assembled illustrative costumes and created ornamentation to accompany the monologue she'd put on index cards.

I find this quite impressive work for an 8-year-old. What I find most impressive is that she recognizes this as a family tradition and that she is honored to perform as her father and his siblings did when they were children. It's a tradition well worth maintaining and I appreciate her appreciation of it.

erry Christmas to everyone. Whether or not you celebrate this holiday or any other during the cold, wintry months, I hope you have received many joys in the past year and will continue to receive more in the coming years.

(Photo credit: DailyDropCap.com)

I've envied the "door cozies" on my neighbor's many doors but haven't successfully located such an item for my own home. The house was built ~1923 when drafts must have been all the fashion... anyhoo, I'm weary of cold tootsies.

After at least 12 months of good intentions, I finally made my own! Behold the repurposing of an old towel to save our house heat and energy bills!

It straddles the bottom of the door. Holes snipped at strategic points provide pass-throughs for decorative cording to hold the rolls in place.

Sloping floors seem to have also been in vogue in 1923. A few modifications on one end of the towel did the trick.

An unintentional benefit is that it also wipes away any wet footprints in the door path. I am *so* smart! (And wonderful. And fabulous. And modest.)

I was recently asked to discuss e-readers. I don't own a device, nor do I follow the technology closely, but I'm keen to keep reading material conveniently at my fingertips (and by convenient, I mean in a manner that doesn't mean buying a bigger purse).

The Amazon Kindle hit the market in late 2007. It wasn't the first e-reader, but it appeared to have the lead in ease-of-use: digital ink (so it looks like print on paper, not a computer screen), wireless downloads ("no computer, no cables, no syncing") through a cell-based connection, and capacity for 200 titles. It got better with the next release: memory increased to 1,500 books and the price eventually came down to $259. There's also a Kindle DX to help in the textbook market, with a larger screen and larger memory ($489).

Tomorrow, Barnes & Noble launches a full-color Nook ($259), which seems to challenge Amazon in the e-reader market. In addition to a built-in ability to "share" e-books, Nook offers easier access to copyright-free materials (e.g., books old enough to be free, such as the huge compilation available on Google) and the opportunity for "touch and feel" in any of its brick-and-mortar stores.

Both products offer 6-inch screens (Kindle DX is 9.7 inches), free wireless access (no cell charges), access to their respective online bookstores (with options to buy lots of titles and subscriptions), the ability to "shelve" books in your online account for later retrieval, the ability to resize print, and both weigh less than 1 pound.

Is one for you (or me)? If you live in the contiguous 48 states, it appears either should work smoothly. If you live, say, in Alaska, you should be aware that Nook runs on AT&T 3G, which is only available in the great Anchorage area. 2G appears to be available in other areas, but a helpful online forum user suggested one would gain speedier access to downloads through wi-fi. Amazon's has "whispernet" coverage (purportedly through Sprint) and 3G or "Edge," is available in similar capacity to AT&T. Again, anything less than 3G or wi-fi may have less-than-optimal speed.

Also, consider your material source. Kindle reads e-books from Amazon.com and pdfs, but won't allow copyright protected materials or materials from other sources, such as other online sellers or libraries. You also can't borrow and lend with your fellow e-book enthusiasts. Nook offers sharing, but just one book at a time, and only for 2 weeks. Neither allow you to sell or donate your books.

And now to discuss obsolescence. A December 1, 2009 Wall Street Journal article suggested that this might be "an eight-track moment." Already, I'm thinking my best choice will be an iPod Touch, which picks up wi-fi and a free "Kindle Reader" app (and any other apps), with the same ability to access Amazon.com (when in wi-fi range, of course), as well as any other internet site. The screen is admittedly smaller than an e-reader, but my good eyes should last me through its lifespan. The WSJ article also suggests that an inexpensive laptop or netbook might be a better investment than an e-reader, though those are bulkier than any of the choices mentioned thus far.

I haven't yet discussed the e-Readers available from Sony and other manufacturers. I barely looked into them and am really really unqualified to comment. If you wish to research the market further, the WSJ article references Cooler Reader, Irex, Plastic Logic Que (to be launched in January 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas), as well as three editions of the Sony Reader. I'm sure there are many more, and many more on the way. Apple is rumored to have one in the works.

I encourage comments on this post - let's learn together!

(Oh, and a link to a blog authored by someone who actually follows this industry: booksahead.com.)