Christmas gift giving in my family is an elaborate dance that culminates in just about everyone getting what they wanted (more or less) while still managing to act completely surprised when opening gifts. There are very few actual surprises which is either good or bad depending on your point of view. We all employ our own strategies for achieving this prudent outcome but the most common one seems to be for family to start telling ME what they might want so I can then funnel the information to the most appropriate gift giver in the family. I’m the clearinghouse for suggestions. A role I don’t really like as it seems somewhat silly and not really in the spirit of the affair. While I’m usually pretty good at putting together a gift list for my family. The others, not so much. It really isn’t as hard as people make it seem. Just listen for the hints and remember to write them down when you hear them. (I’ve written before on ways to do this.)
But what about me? When Christmas rolls around I’m always a bit surprised when I’m asked about “my list” because I consider myself pretty easy to buy for — if you know me. The thing is though, I feel very awkward suggesting what others should buy me — even if they ask. And they always seem to ask one week before Christmas when I don’t have the time to think about it. What does seems to work for me, however, is refering all interested parties to my Amazon Wishlist. Any Amazon account holder (and that is probably all of us by now) can “save” any item on Amazon into a personal Wishlist. This list can be searched for, linked to, or sent via link to anyone. An interested party looking at your list is just a click or two away from actually buying it and shipping it home to wrap or shipping it directly to you. I tend to use this list all year long to keep track of the books, CDs and DVDs, and computer gadgets, I want to buy so getting it ready for Christmas does not take long. Amazon sells so many types of products now that my list also has kitchen utensils, the hard to get shampoo I prefer, and even a watch I’ve had my eye on for years. Put stuff up there in several price ranges just for fun ’cause you never know!
If Amazon still doesn’t have what you REALLY want you can now add anything to the list sold on the web. Each listing also includes as a link for your family and friends to the non-Amazon site that sells it! OH, and when someone actually buys something it removes it from your list so you don’t get two of those CDs you asked for. Its up to you whether you want to configure the list to mask this information from you or not. The Wishlist is now a one-stop-shop for the people you exchange gifts with. Its really pretty easy to set up, and since starting this a few years ago I’ve managed to stay free of the malls after Christmas as there is nothing to return. My family seems to love it as buying for me is easy and stress fee.
So what DO you want for Christmas?
