Because dreary days make me regret taking a sledgehammer to our fireplace ... Ta-da! Comcast's On Demand service offers this charming fireplace, complete with snaps, crackles and pops – for FREE (ahem ... what I meant to say was: Enjoying this feature won't chalk up an extra charge on your Comcast bill ...). Just push the On Demand button on your remote, select TV Entertainment and scroll down until you find TV Screensavers. Then sit back and bask in the warm glow of an HD hearthfire – no wood to haul, no mess to clean up, no regrets about taking out your frustrations on helpless household fixtures.

There are a bunch other screensavers to choose from, including:

• American Flag
• Autumn Leaves
• Caribbean Sunset
• Clouds
• Coral Aquarium 1 & 2
• Glacial Lake
• Island Sunset
• Kaleidoscope
• Paradise Beach
• Spring Flowers
• Tropical Lillies
• Waterfall

All of the scenes are accompanied by either music or ambient sounds – soothing water laps the shore with Paradise Beach, and Autumn Leaves plays little woodland creature noises. Some of the scenes – like Spring Flowers and American Flag – are computer generated, while others, like the Coral Aquariums and Clouds – are real-life images.

But the kitsch factor of the fireplae makes it my fave.

---

---