Your Christmas Wish List

[Chemahkuu]

A quiet, eventful little Christmas with my family.

[Peach Wookiee]

Money, bath stuff, some new clothes, certain TV series on DVD. I'm pretty simple.

[the 4th hanson bro]

A red ryder bb gun.

[Grey]

But Hanson, you'll shoot your eye out!

[Ashu]

Honestly, there's nothing in particular I want. I'll be going to California to visit Shameless just after Christmas so everything I'm asking for is more practical than anything.

I mean, i could use spending cash, which is the main thing (i know i know, money is lame but i dont actually NEED anything). My parents are getting me new luggage which will be nice.

Other than that things like books are always a good bet but again, I'm not really wanting/needing anything so i haven't really thought about it.

[RoJoHen]

I think Christmas lists, by their very nature, miss the point of Christmas They make the holiday about "getting" rather than "giving."

"What do you want for Christmas?" is one of my least favorite questions.

[Gryffindorian]

That's true, though many people still realize the importance of giving and sharing. The Salvation Army and countless other charities are especially active during the holidays in asking for donations to give to the poor and needy.

We have this annual "Adopt a Family" program at work every year, co-sponsored by the SA. Every floor/department gets to sponsor a low-income a family by buying them holiday gifts. Family members get to have a "wish list" of items they want, and we the employees give cash or gift donations to the floor representative. I admit I was a bit soured by it one year when one of the family members asked for a Dolce & Gabbana cologne. I thought, "Maybe if you weren't that shallow, you would've been better off in life." Really? Asking for a luxury item rather than basic essentials like clothing or food? I can understand little kids asking for toys, even video games, but come on. I don't even have an iPad, and someone would be asking for an iPad?

[Grey]

Gryffindorian wrote:

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I don't even have an iPad, and someone would be asking for an iPad?

I admit it, I'm a sucker for gadgets (most are wayyyy out of my price range though so I'm really just dreaming!) Usually at the end of the year, I pool my money together and get one semi-expensive item that I need for my work or just life in general. (Like my art tablet that I bought a few years ago. I use the hell out of that thing, and it was money well spent!)

Regarding Christmas wishlists in general, I think it's kind of a fun question anyway. Personally, I'm not out to advocate for the consumerist demon elf that has become Christmas, but it's entertaining to think about anyway. I don't get offended by the notion of wishlists and think how dare you have a Christmas wishlist for anything other than world peace! Lol.

It's just a fun thing.

[thestrangequark]

RoJoHen wrote:

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I think Christmas lists, by their very nature, miss the point of Christmas They make the holiday about "getting" rather than "giving."

"What do you want for Christmas?" is one of my least favorite questions.

I tend to agree, at least for grown-ups. I honestly don't care what I get, if I get anything, as long as I'm home with my family. I'm much more excited making Christmas shopping lists than lists of what I want. Kids' Christmas wish lists can be great, though! When I was six I wrote a full page describing in perfect detail the life-sized robot lion I wanted, that I could ride on, and that would really roar. I still remember the image I had in my head of myself riding it over to the neighbor kids' house to show it off...

Alas, I never got a life-size robot lion.

[RoJoHen]

My roommate, who is 27, still writes out a list and sends it to his mom every year. It always bothers me.

[thestrangequark]

^Mom's can't get nearly as cool gifts as Santa, though -- he's sending it to the wrong place!

Kestra wrote:

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Not doing presents this year which actually frees up a lot of time spent thinking about what to get people.

That would be so hard for me. Thinking of what to get people and then doing Christmas shopping is one of my favorite things to do!

I am so excited about gifts this year, especially my mom's. In the past two and a half years she's beaten cancer, gone from a wheelchair to a walker to a cain to just a leg brace and a limp, started doing volunteer work, lost 25 lbs, and made a huge effort to get healthy again after a bad illness. She has an old, terribly faded tattoo on her shoulder that she hates, and having such an ugly thing there really depresses her. She's wanted a cover-up tatt for years, but since she's on disability she can't afford it. I don't have a lot of money, but this year I thought I could give her $100 to start saving for it. I told this to my best friend, who said she wanted to put in money too (having known my mom for years). Then, when I emailed a friend of my little sister's for advice on Seattle-area tattoo artists, she not only recommended an artist, but said she wanted to contribute too! So I figured, why not see if I could get enough people in to give my mom $250 -- enough to get the tattoo done. With the added contributions of my sister and her boyfriend, and from my dad, we have enough. I just scheduled the consultation with the artist today, and I am SO excited!

[Grey]

^ That's the best kind of gift.

[Kestra]

thestrangequark wrote:

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That would be so hard for me. Thinking of what to get people and then doing Christmas shopping is one of my favorite things to do!

I really enjoy thinking of presents for people, but it's easier to do on my own schedule and not all at once.

[teacake]

RoJoHen wrote:

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My roommate, who is 27, still writes out a list and sends it to his mom every year. It always bothers me.

I hope he buys her at least as much stuff as he expects to get.

[Gryffindorian]

When I started this thread, I also thought about asking what people had in mind in terms of ”giving” gifts, but I suppose it's not too late to do that.

As I mentioned, I usually get presents for various family members, friends, and colleagues. The majority of those come in the form of gift cards. It's so much easier for me to shop; I just get a whole bunch of them, and i'm in and out of the store. For my friend Madge, I try to get something more interesting. It adds an element of surprise and enjoyment in wrapping a present.