What kind of shipping does Sony use? UPS Ground? 1-Day, 2-Day, 3-Day? Very important question at this time of year.
A friend of mine works for FedEX, and he calls Christmas something like "hell time." (He
loves Christmas itself, so it's not "bah humbug.") Deliveries increase tons starting early December. He works at least 12 hours every day but Sunday -- and it's HARD work! -- until after Christmas. There's just tons and tons of packages flowing.
UPS gets hit just as hard, and their Ground service really bogs. Unless Sony is doing 1-day, 2-day or 3-day shipping, it's going to potentially take much, much longer to get your Reader back, even if the actual update is quick.
Just something to think about. Heck, instead of pre-Christmas gift, it can be a post-Christmas gift!
-Pie