Another year has come and gone, and Christmas – everyone’s favourite time to shop till they drop – is once again upon us. We look at the hottest new trend taking the world by storm: Crypto for Christmas.
The Rising Pointlessness of Gift-Giving
Some people are easy to Christmas with. They know what they want, and they’re not afraid to tell you. If there are kids in the family, they’re more than likely to write lengthy letters to Santa listing which presents they’d like to receive (always a lifesaver for those who purchase those gifts on Santa’s behalf).
Others are notoriously more difficult. For lack of a more inspired gift idea, do you buy them a white elephant to go with all the other white elephant-items you’ve gifted them, knowing it’s the thought that counts because they’ll never actually use it? Nah, let’s get ‘em a gift card from a store that they might not want anything from and may never have bought from by choice. Problem solved!
Perhaps you take a minimalist approach. The holiday season generates a lot of waste that is pointless and even downright irresponsible. Debt accumulates as money flows out of accounts en masse into the likes of expensive toys that will soon be nothing more than cheap debris forming eery plastic islands in the world’s oceans, the Anthropocene’s ever-growing gift to Planet Earth.
Why are we buying all of this stuff? After all, who needs yet another musky soap-on-a-rope, or a gift card to secure one?
How Do You Wrap Cryptocurrency?
Unless you’ve been lounging under a rock in the Grand Canyon (although even then a hiker would likely have mentioned it to you at some point), you’ll know that 2017 is the year cryptocurrency left behind its high-level stature reserved for Guys with Glasses who can string together blockchain-words and smart contract-algorithms without flinching.
Thanks in part to Bitcoin’s Jupiterian rise and industry efforts by blockchain startups and media outlets (heck, even traditional media’s in on the game these days), the public is having a hard time not having blockchain this or that shoved in their faces all day, every day. (Good news: They’re loving it.)
So it comes as no surprise that people the world over are of the opinion that, this Christmas, it’s not only their hearts they’ll be giving their loved ones, but also a bit of crypto.
While it’s far from a conventional gift, it certainly cancels out many of the irks and quirks associated with buying gifts that people may not want or need. Unlike a pot plant needing to be watered (unless the receiver is an avid gardener, sending plants to an untimely demise is a big don’t), a crypto wallet is a gift that keeps on giving. The recipient can pretty much sit back and forget about it (but come next Christmas, chances are they’ll more than likely to continue the trend you started).
And what better way to get loved ones, who bemoan this “weird cryptocurrency stuff” you busy yourself with, to rejoice in the rise and rise and rise of digital money’s favorite coins?
Why Buy?
If you’re a regular reader of cryptocurrency media sites like Invest in Blockchain, it will come as no surprise that blockchain is the sexiest development most all of us will witness during our lifetimes. Not only is cryptocurrency making a whole lot of people a whole lot of money, but each day brings yet another announcement of how blockchain technology will revolutionize the world and every industry in it.
You need not be a day trader to get in on the crypto game. Personally, I might be in the blockchain industry, but my extended circle consists of “normal” people, blockchain n00bs the way we all once were prior to the legendary whitepaper Nakamoto unleashed in late 2008.
Yet it takes a mere mention of what I do for a living for people who ask if your email address is small or all caps to launch into a battery of, “What should I invest in? Why did Litecoin jump so much? Will Ethereum continue to climb?” I bet you’re seeing a similar rise in awareness and adoption in your own circles.
No one knows where cryptocurrency will take us. It’s an exciting time partly because it’s a doorway to the Great Unknown. So the fun is in living it; being invested in the process, even if it’s a tenner, and knowing that the upwards trend will see your account balance rise with it.
Why buy, then, becomes a moot point: when else do you get the opportunity to gift someone a dynamic present that takes on a life of its own, and might just make them a nice amount of cash on the side?
Who to Buy for
Cryptocurrency is no longer the realm of tech-perts and neo-economists. With less than 1 percent of the world population currently invested in blockchain technology, bitcoin is currently sitting at about US$13,000 [at the time of press]. That alone is cause for anyone, regardless of age, profession, income level, sex, race, or creed to write a thank-you-card for receiving a wallet address wrapped in an email, rather than an egg mixer in snowman wrapping paper.
One of the most interesting recipient cohorts is kids. Many parents, myself included, feel that cryptocurrency is a key addition to Santa’s stocking. Racing cars and Barbie doll outfits might still make the cut, but parents finally get to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the particular dollars they invest in their kids’ crypto wallets will, unlike the season’s top toy trends, live to keep rising.
The average American spends US$906 on gifts over the festive period. Imagine how much further those dollars would stretch if invested in crypto gifts, instead.
What to Buy
Bitcoin is experiencing slow transaction times coupled with high transaction fees at the moment. There are multiple other very promising altcoins to invest in on behalf of your loved ones. Invest in Blockchain is a publication that specializes in featuring such startups and projects that will change the world thanks to blockchain technology: Read through our archives and subscribe to receive new updates.
Paper wallets are a good way to present n00bs with crypto, as it’s safer and more secure than leaving crypto in exchanges. A handy tool from crypto enthusiast Jennifer Leigh explains more:
When in Doubt, Sweater it Out!
And if numbers on a blockchain string aren’t enough, you can always buy crypto kitties or blockchain sweaters – although the bitcoin knit has already sold out. Better wear some NEO to the office party, while you’re at it. Your boss might just recognize the crypto expert in you and become your most adoring student.
