I've had my kindle for about 10 days now, and I can't put it down! There is a leather case available with a cute looking built in light (that you pull out when needed) which runs off the kindle battery, but it's nearly half the price of the kindle itself - perhaps that's an option for a Christmas present.
I haven't had to recharge the battery yet, but I read that you can prolong the time between charges by turning off the wireless connection when you don't need it.
I also haven't paid for a book yet either, and neither have I paid for any internet downloading, it has been free with my $0 purchase of the books.