"Ready? 1, 2, 3... Memories!"

If you had a "holiday packing list", what would be on it? Probably the obvious stuff like decorations, food, and music... maybe then the clothes and gifts for everyone. What else? Ear muffs, sleds, a Christmas tree. All on the list; but one of the most easily overlooked items we all have for the holidays is a camera. (Now you're saying, "Oh yeah! Forgot about that one!") It seems so obvious, yet we often forget about the importance of a good, quality camera until the time comes when we need one. How many times have you taken pictures on your digital camera, dumped them onto your computer, only to find out that they're blurry or low quality? How many times have you been at a special event taking pictures when you wished you could send them directly to your Facebook so your family in Tulsa could see them immediately? When was the last time you actually thought about the quality of your camera?

It's easy to forget how important the quality of a camera is when you're in the moment, taking pictures, and enjoying the event. Then, the skies gray all too quickly when you get home and find out your pictures aren't at all what you thought they would be. These are your memories! Don't let your camera quality ruin these special moments. I've got a deal for you: Radio Shack is selling the Casio EX S5 Digitial Camera for about $150 and it's a bargain. The features include a 10-megapixel resolution (which in English means "high quality pictures") and has an instant record button for recording videos. The YouTube Capture Mode feature makes it easy to shoot YouTube-friendly videos. It has a 2.7 inch LCD screen on the back with a Face Detection feature that boxes the subjects of your picture so you can know where to center the picture. The camera comes with a rechargable battery (for all those of us without rechargable batteries, we know the significance of this feature!) and an optical zoom. It's small enough to fit in your pocket, but durable enough that you won't worry about breaking it while it's in your pocket.

Now here's the kicker. This camera comes Eye-Fi Compatible and if you're like me, you don't have a clue what that means. Well, I did some research with the guys down in Radio Shack and we found out that Eye-Fi is a wireless feature that allows your camera to basically connect to the Internet and send pictures directly to your e-mail or Facebook from the camera. Of course there is a catch: Eye-Fi requires an Eye-Fi memory card to be purchased and put in the camera. The good part of the catch is that you don't have to have a cellular service, a contract, or anything like that with any cellular company to use this. Once you buy the memory stick, you can put it in your camera and then start sharing. Once you set the wireless network you want the camera to recognize (can recognize up to 25 networks), everytime the camera comes in range of the network it will upload the pictures to your computer and sharing sites automatically.

This camera is a great deal because it offers high quality pictures with the ability to do so much more. If you're looking for a great camera that you're planning to use for quite awhile, this is a deal. You spend $150 and have the opportunity to make thousands of memories! Don't go too cheap on this kind of thing... don't cheat your memories! (INSIDER'S TIP: This camera is on sale now, and is predicted to be on sale at $130 at least through Thanksgiving. Don't wait to check it out!)

The camera comes in several different colors and takes an SD card for memory. The Eye-Fi is an optional feature that depends on the purchase of an Eye-Fi card that starts at $80 and increases with features. It's worth a look! Stop by Radio Shack and ask them about the Casio EX S5 10-megapixel camera. Have fun with this "shopportunity"! Happy hunting!