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The greatest development in the history of Christmas presents was the Magnavox Odyssey. It's incontrovertible. Not for its success or awesomeness—it sorta flopped—but for beginning the worldwide institution of Video Games for Christmas.
When it comes to Christmas presents before the age of, say, 19, there are video games, and then there's literally anything else. Need proof? Look at our list of kids freaking out about Christmas gadgets. No one's ever been as happy about anything as the N64 kid was about his damn video games. Or look at Buzzfeed's list of the best techy Christmas gift every year since 1985. Basically every single console is on there.
And it wasn't just the consoles that made Christmas great, though New Console Year was especially great. It was the way games buffered all your other Christmases from being a parade of sweaters and, ugh, booksM/em>. So here's to you, goofy-looking Magnavox Odyssey. Thanks for starting the best Christmas tradition ever.
