The holiday season is upon us. We are scrambling to find gifts for our loved ones. Should those gifts be high-tech gadgets and devices? Well, there certainly are a wide array of such tech items to choose from. Indeed, in recent years, like others, I have bestowed televisions, desktops, laptops, smart phones, and music players upon my wife and kids.

But this year, I am going old school. I am moving away from providing tech gifts that while entertaining and useful, they at times can cause their users to separate and move inward. Instead, I am giving gifts that are real world and experiences that can be shared here and now.

In terms of real world, I am giving clothes - but not just clothes - instead, shopping for clothes adventures. For each of my daughters, I am giving them a certain amount for specific items (like leather boots), and then together we will go out and find them.

As far as greater experiences, I am giving family members a day they can choose. So, each can select a day they want with me from sun up to sun down, and I will share the day and pick up any tab. So, for example, we might go to breakfast, set out for a hike, see a movie, go to dinner, etc. This is a fun shared experience and creates bonding.

But, I do have a confession. My daughters have convinced me to buy an iPad for my wife. She will love it, and plainly, even while going old school, I still cannot resist sprinkling some tech into this year’s gift giving.

Biography

Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris. His focus includes information technology and intellectual property disputes. To receive his weekly columns, send an e-mail to with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line.

Disclaimer: This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners.

Reprinted with permission of Findlaw.com