Thank goodness for the Internet. Without it, I would have been bored out of my mind during this past winter break.

Now, I’m not one to sit at my computer all day. I read, I write and I play with my dog. But when it’s late at night and there’s nothing good on television, where else can I turn? The answer: Netflix instant streaming.

It’s a magical service that grants you access to myriad television shows and movies, past and present. What better way to end your day than with some ’90s nostalgia? An episode of Rugrats here, an episode of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters there, and you’ll lull into slumber with visions of super shows dancing in your head.

If reminiscing is too boring for you, then try some of the recent television shows available. You know all those popular shows you’ve wanted to watch but couldn’t because you didn’t have Showtime or HBO? Well, lucky for you, you can find many available to stream instantly. My personal favorites are Dexter and Weeds.

Need to catch up on all those network shows you got into too late? Check Netflix instant streaming. Last I checked, The Office and 30 Rock had most of their seasons available.

Not in the TV mood? There are plenty of movies available. Foreign, sci-fi, romance, comedy, action, drama, indie: Netflix has it all. You can even watch classic films that were around before you were born and all your film-nerd friends gush about.

The best part: Instant streaming is available on almost every device with an Internet connection. If you’ve got an Xbox 360, a Playstation 3 or a Wii, you can stream using Netflix. That way, you’re not limited to your tiny laptop screen; you can watch movies in HD on your large flat screen instead.

How can one have all this wonderful service offers? It’s quite simple. For only $7.99 a month, you can use the instant streaming service. For just $2 more a month, you can also get the DVD-by-mail service, just in case you love watching the deleted scenes or listening to commentaries.

The only problem you might have is with buffering speed. If you don’t have a fast Internet connection, you might want to shell out the extra $2. Without a fast connection, it takes forever – and I mean forever – to buffer. Plus, the video will stop streaming every so often to rebuffer because your Internet connection has slowed.

But besides some buffer blunders and some unavailable shows and movies, Netflix instant streaming is (insert deity here)’s gift to the world.