To help you with your Christmas shopping I offer this product review.  We first heard of the Snuggie while we were in the Central African Republic.  Our daughter Josie informed us of the entertaining commercial on TV (“But wait, there is more! If you buy now…”) She decided that it would be a hoot to get 25 people together to go to a ball game with each person wearing a Snuggie.
        For those of you out of the loop, a Snuggie is a blanket with sleeves.  I first saw one in the “As seen on TV” section in Wal-Mart.  Every time I pass this section of the store I chuckle, but after freezing on a deer stand too many times I wondered if a Snuggie might be the answer.  My mother got wind of the idea so on our way from NH to NC we carried 4 wrapped Christmas presents that we guessed were Snuggies.
        We got permission to open them early to bring to you this product review.  Hap modeled his Christmas present to give me my first view.  You put it on from the front and wrap it around the back.  My first impression was that it looked like the garb of an inmate of a lunatic asylum.  I then saw the hanging sleeves and decided that it looks like the robe Obi-Wan wore when he helped Luke deal with the Jawas.  Come to think of it, the movie could have been improved if a Snuggie was included.  Imagine the impact if the following dialogue was inserted into the scene where Darth Vader confronted Luke in “The Empire Strikes Back.”   Darth Vader: “Your thoughts betray you.  A sister;  Obi-Wan was wise to wear a Snuggie.”
        On the deer stand I ran a double blind test of the Snuggie against the ordinary blanket.  The bottom line is that when there is action and you stand up, the blanket falls out of the way.  On the other hand, the top part of the Snuggie, held up by the sleeves, hangs in front of you and interferes with your activities.  The Snuggie is a fine product, but do not use it while operating heavy machinery.
         I can’t resist editorializing here.  In my time in Africa I have observed that Americans are the gadget kings and Queens of the world.  In the developing world we make do with ordinary blankets without sleeves.  I recognize, however, that the ordinary blanket is not as useful for the vital function of retail markup.   If you get one for Christmas remember, our family of 4 is waiting for 21 more Snuggie owners to get together with us to go to a Forest City Owls game.