Dear Santa,

This year I’m not asking for world peace or a 36-hour day. I’ve actually set my sights a little higher this time, and while I know I’m asking for a lot, I think you’re the only one who can grant this particular Christmas wish. I would like an Xbox 360 that lasts more than 18 months.

I know, I know. Impossible, you say. There isn’t an Xbox 360 on the planet that can survive the abuses I put it through. Marathon sessions of Dragon Age, Halo, Fallout and Borderlands always seem to take their toll, and usually right after the warranty runs out. I really thought that I was being smart last year when I bought the extended Target warranty. But you see, you need to have your original receipt, and after 18 months of sitting in my wallet, you can’t read it, and Target refuses to honor the barely legible agreement. I even obtained a copy of the transaction from my bank, but without that code, I’m done for (and so is my Xbox).

So you see, all of those awesome games that have just released or that are coming out in the next few weeks – I won’t be able to play them. No RPG goodness, no hours on end of family game night and smack talking, no shiny new reviews! I’d ask for a PlayStation 3 (they apparently never break), but then what about my collection? What about the titles languishing on my hard drive? At $200+ every 18 months, I might as well subscribe to WoW and forget about console gaming altogether.

So please, Santa, please bring me a new 360 that won’t break.

Yours very sincerely,

Michele

PS — And, if you can’t accomplish this miracle, Patrick could use a new PC, Lieren needs a 500W power supply, Alaric would like a new tinfoil hat, Ed should get a grown-up game, Mike Smith wants a pony [the kind you drive, not ride. Ed.], and I will take that world peace after all.