This is what modern holiday shopping looks like.

As much as I hate to say it, it’s time to start thinking about holiday shopping. Personally, I think the holidays have devolved into a ridiculous festival of consumerism. However, for many families, celebrating the holidays by buying gifts is an important tradition.

If you can’t afford to buy gifts for people without taking out a no fax cash advance, it might be best to explain that. Or you can consider thoughtful gestures in place of gifts. However, if throwing a little money around during the holidays makes your family or your significant other’s family happy — and you have enough money to do that — here are some ideas for big gifts that don’t cost big money.

Holiday shopping easier than ever

The good news is, you can buy just about everything on the Internet nowadays. One of the hardest parts of the holidays has always been going to stores where a lot of stressed out people fight over the last Tickle Me Elmo. Thanks to the wonder and magic of the Internet, you can avoid all of that this year. I highly recommend it.

Of course Internet shopping  means shipping, which means planning in advance. That’s why I am telling you now to get started. Take the crazy stress out of the holidays by making a list, checking it twice, and ordering all of the material crap your loved ones want over the Internet. Need some ideas? Let’s get started.

Motorola Droid, $199

You might have relatives or close friends who are on the fence about whether to switch from their five-year-old flip phone to a smartphone, even though they know they’d love one. OK, I admit, I am talking about myself. The Motorola Droid, which has gotten great reviews and runs on Verizon, which has the largest coverage area in the country, is a great gift idea.

The $199 price tag comes attached to a two-year contract, and you must redeem a mail-in rebate. If you or the gift recipient doesn’t mind a slower processor and the absense of a real keyboard, you can pick up the HTC Droid Eris for only $99. Not a bad idea if you have cash concerns.

Netbook, $299

Every time a gift-giving opportunity arises, my boyfriend mentions that he wants a laptop, and I always think “Yeah, right, when we win the lottery.” However, netbooks, the little laptops that are geared specifically toward internet use, are getting downright affordable.

Prices for netbooks have been slowly creeping downward, from $400 to $350, and for the holiday season, many are going on sale for $299. Check for offerings from HP. If $299 sounds like too much for one gift, consider getting family members to chip in for other family members.

E-reader, $259

For book lovers, e-readers are becoming the newest craze. The Amazon Kindle will retail for $259 this holiday season, as will the Barnes and Noble Nook. Of course, as with most technological devices nowadays, these gadgets do much more than display text. Check out the features on these two products to pick the one that’s right for the recipient.

For a less pricey option, the Sony Reader is only $199, but make sure saving $60 is worth it. Grilling your relatives about which features they want in their gadets might take some of the surprise out of it, but what is the point of spending that much money if you’re not getting the person exactly what they want?

More smartphones on the way. (Verizon Droid Eris not pictured.)

Everyone has heard of the Motorola Droid, set for retail release tomorrow. We’ve all seen the commercial publicizing Droid’s quest to one-up the iPhone. However, today it has gotten out that another Droid, the Verizon Droid Eris, will also be available, and for half the price.

Consumers who were considering getting same day loans tomorrow so they could buy the Motorola Droid tomorrow just want think about avoiding debt and getting the Verizon Droid Eris instead. The Motorola model costs $199 after a mail-in rebate, while the Verizon Droid Eris, also to be released tomorrow, will cost $99.

A world of Droids

The main difference between the Motorola Droid and the Verizon Droid Eris appears to be the manufacturing company. The Verizon Droid Eris is made by HTC, a company based in Taiwan. HTC certainly doesn’t have the brand recognition that Motorola has, and of course the Verizon Droid Eris lacks some of the features of the Motorola Droid.

Motorola is an American company based in Illinois. The economy may play a big factor in which Droid becomes the best-seller. Americans who have the luxury of being a tad altruistic might be motivated to buy the Motorola Droid in order to spur the U.S. economy. However, many people’s budgets are tighter than ever, and in this recession, saving  money is the new cool trend.

What’s the difference?

Naturally, you get what you pay for, and the case is no different with the Verizon Droid Eris. Some of the features the Droid commercial boasts about, including a “real keyboard,” are not present on the Verizon Droid Eris.

Naturally, in order to carry the Droid moniker a smartphone must run on the Android processing system. Verizon Droid Eriz does run on Android, but it runs on version 1.5 rather than Android 2.0. Translation: the Verizon Droid Eris is slower.

Don’t worry, we still have something to look forward to after tomorrow. Motorola has another Droid model on the way.