Oh Christmas Tree..

It seems like more people are getting artificial Christmas trees this year than ever before. I've never had one, but I can see the appeal - they're leaps and bounds easier to maintain than a live tree; open the box, the branches flop down, plug it in (for a prelit one), and you're set - just add presents and stir. Instant Christmas!

But I think we can do better than that.

Lights that flash on and off are cute, but why not add a bit of rhythm - have the lights flash to the beat of your favorite Christmas carols? I'm talking about a "Christmas MP-Tree" - just connect the supplied cable to the headphone jack of your iPod™ (or other non-trendy MP3 player - iRiver, Zune, etc), hit play, and start rockin' to the holiday classics in sync with a light show from your tree.

Apparently I wasn't the first one to think the audio output jack of an MP3 player can drive something other than a pair of earbuds. That award goes to the folks at OhMiBod, for their Music Powered Vibrator. I can't help but wonder whether there are millions of women in France who now regret that their ipods are volume limited.