Math!

When I was a kid, I could barely sleep the night before Christmas. There was just too much to be excited about: the sweets, the big meal, and, most of all, the presents. But while the big ones under the tree were the main attraction, checking my stocking was often more exciting. It was mysterious, a tiny cave of wonders, and so anything cool I found within it seemed like pure profit.

This comes down to B.E.G., or the Basic Equation of Gifts. It breaks down like this:

Value of Gift ÷ Expectation = Enjoyment In The Moment Of Discovery

With this equation in mind, let’s look at something really cool, like an Xbox. It’s a high-value gift, especially to a child on Christmas morning. But if your kids are getting an Xbox, it’s likely that they asked for an Xbox. And if they asked for it, they’re probably expecting it. And even if they understand the true nature of gifts as things that should never be taken for granted, they’ve still probably carved out some space in their minds for it, a small area of their brain wherein they already are proud Xbox owners.

Thus, while the longterm enjoyment is high, the enjoyment in the moment is actually pretty subdued, due to the heightened expectations.

Now, compare that to the stocking. Nobody asks for what they get in their stocking. Maybe your kids expect some knick-knacks but they don’t know what, exactly. Thus, the expectations are low. But that doesn’t mean just anything is going to tip the scales. A candy cane, for instance, holds almost no value. Same with a plain old pen.

BUT… a pen with high-quality graphics on it, capable of projecting something from one of your kids’ favorite movie franchises onto the wall? That holds just enough value, when divided by the aforementioned low expectations, to provide a high level of enjoyment on Christmas morning.

In conclusion, these projector pens are better gifts than an Xbox.