THE TECH SET. Machines Ruling Our World. HOLIDAY EXCLUSIVE

‘Tis the season… to realize you can’t possibly get the lights up, dinner made, tree decorated and snow shoveled in time for the in-laws to arrive. But that’s okay. Technology is advancing. And soon—with a few clicks, beeps and a AA battery (or two)—you might actually stand a chance of winning the “Holiday Rat Race.” 

Though I stress the word “might.”

10. The Lite Locker

“Always be ready.” It’s the credo any survivalist lives by. And now, with the Lite Locker system, you can too. Using a complex array of retractable panels, Lite Locker lets you instantaneously deploy radiant holiday glory… then tuck it all away just as quickly. Never let the encroaching holiday season take you by surprise again. Learn More >>

9. Gifts.com Personality Profiler

We all know that person who has EVERYTHING. And come December, we again find ourselves at the local mall, feeling empty, hopeless and alone. Luckily, there’s the Gifts.com personality profiler. Simply answer a few questions about the recipient, and voila—you can see all the hot new products they had no idea they wanted. Learn More >>

8. Fiber Optic Menorahs

Though our beliefs may vary, there is one holiday tradition everyone shares, regardless of faith: we’re all pretty much obsessed with stuff that lights up. And with a little fiber-optic chutzpah, the venerable Menorah is now bigger, brighter, bolder, safer and more convenient than ever. No more fire hazards. No more dripping wax. Just plug it in and let it glow. Learn More >>

7. Hydroponic Rosemary Christmas Tree

Every December, countless willing souls embrace the unique challenge of sustaining a large coniferous plant inside their homes. To this end, our modern electronic conveniences are all but useless. But recent advances in hydroponics now allow rosemary bushes to be grown entirely from scratch, entirely indoors. Yeah, okay, it’s not really a “tree.” But it looks like one. And you can eat it. Learn More >>

6. LED Christmas Tree Lights

Regardless of how you approach the “conifer quandary,” you’re likely going to have something resembling a pine tree in your home. And, undoubtedly, you will feel compelled to illuminate it (See #8). Thankfully, progress has not abandoned you: LED Christmas tree lights, powered by AA batteries, are far safer, easier and more efficient than their crude incandescent forbears. Learn More >>

5. TripIt Mobile App

As the holiday season approaches, like most, you’re probably wondering whether Garmin will run that same ad again… for, like, the fourth season in a row. But if their catchy rendition of “Carol of the Bells” hasn’t sold you yet, there’s always the TripIt mobile app. You can easily program multi-stop itineraries to get through your holiday errands quickly and efficiently. All without annoying jingles. Learn More >>

4. iShovel Robotic Snow Shoveler

iShovel bills their new prototype as “The World’s Smartest Robotic Snow Shoveler”… which makes you wonder if there actually are other robotic snow shovelers out there to dignify their claim of superiority. There aren’t. But, conditionally irrelevant superlatives aside, the iShovel does what it’s supposed to do amazingly well: move mountains of snow while you sip nog and eat cookies. Learn More >>

3. Gyroscopic Dreidel

You don’t have to be Jewish to play with a top. But this is no top. This is a sublime unification of technology and tradition, science and sentimentality. The Gyroscopic Dreidel can maintain a centrifugally stabilized spin for minutes on end, exuding copious amounts of holiday spirit with every turn. So order one and put a new spin on your Chanukah experience. Just don’t call it a top.

Learn More >>

2. Virtual Holiday Dinner

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a holiday meal with all your friends and family… without even being there? Yeah, me neither. But apparently a bunch of people at the Weiden & Kennedy-Amsterdam agency did. In fact, they wondered about it so much, they made this video dramatizing a remote holiday dinner “of the future.” Learn More >>

1. 3-D Food Printing

All right, so your holiday dinner plans just got a lot easier—you don’t even have to show up. But someone still has to cook… right? Wrong! At least not if 3-D printing technology continues to advance. By integrating multiple ingredients into a single output, 3-D “printers” will likely become “replicators” capable of reproducing almost any physical object. Even your holiday meal. Learn More >>

Matt Donahue is a Senior Copywriter at Seed Strategy.