Everything and Nothing for Christmas
Hmmm. Authors posting their Christmas lists? As if we are the good little girls and boys and the rest of you are a planet of Santas.
I like this set-up.
It’s a tricky question though. When someone asks me what I want for Christmas, I freeze the same way I do when I walk into a video rental store (Yes, I sometimes still walk into a video store. Please don’t judge my non-Netflix subscribing, lo-tech self). I wander around aimlessly among the new releases scanning dvd covers and trying to remember the title of that one movie preview I saw a couple of months ago.
I can never come up with the answer there either.
Which brings me to the obvious question: What if I don’t want anything for Christmas?
Does Amazon sell nothing? (I search the word “nothing” and find ga-zillions of products. Really. Try it.)
Figures. Amazon sells everything, so it makes sense they sell nothing too.
I finally land on a list of things–some of which Amazon carries (in some form anyways) and some of which Amazon is going to have to special order if they want to fill my Christmas stocking.
1. I would like to fly.
I don’t really care how Amazon accomplishes this. It could be through some sort of lifetime airline pass, through magical fairy dust (they actually sell a lot of this, but I didn’t read the reviews on the flight-effectiveness) or through some sort of rocket booster or attachable wings (these feathery angel wings are a steal at $6.99, don’t ya think?).
2. I’d kinda like to be taller. And a little more athletic. Maybe just for a day though.
I’d like to surprise my brothers by stuffing them in the Christmas basketball tourney. Believe me, that moment of shock on their faces would be the best Christmas present I ever received. I guess a trampoline to get some air above them would be an okay compromise too.
3. It would also be nice if someone could scrounge up a couple cases of bottled up ambition. For some of my students, not for me. I’m pretty ambitious myself. Hmmm. So maybe all I need is a bottler then.
4. The perfect amount of snow this winter. It has to be packing-snow. The kind you can make snowmen (and snow-women) out of. The kind that is not accompanied by freezing rains or temperatures. And the kind that melts away a couple days later to make room for sunshine. A Michigan girl can dream, can’t she? (Amazon’s fix for this one.)
5. I’m also always up for a new hobby, as long as its one you promise I won’t suck at.
I’ll let you pick.
6. Simplicity. I.e. less possessions which in turn require less maintenance. Time with family. Ongoing and restored friendships. More faith in this world.
7. A snazzy Christmas party for Oakland, California’s Girlz Group run by my friend, Jaime Taylor. She’s been mentoring inner-city kids for years and sponsors a neighborhood Christmas party for them. Check it out here. Catch this post after the party? Well, she wouldn’t be offended if you supported her program in say…July. Trust me.
8. Re-gifts…of your unneeded gift cards. Not to me (please, I can’t eat all that
Subway). To those in need via my friends, Jeff and Andre Shinabargera at Giftcardgiver.com. They were on CNN. Watch the episode here.
9. Micro-loans. Give one to a budding entrepreneur in a developing nation in lieu of more junk for my closet. You can also buy products made from these internationals. Check it out.
10. To round out the even 10, as long as we’re talking about idealistic dreams, I’d also like some clothing company to make jeans that fit a skinny girl THAT ARE NOT SKINNY JEANS, which I think look weird on EVERYONE (Except for any of you lovely readers who own some. They look fabulous on you of course.)
(P.S. If some toys company would like to send me some toys that do not make freakish electronic music for the seven month old emperor of our household, we could deal with that too. Oh and you can’t go wrong with chocolate. You can NEVER go wrong with chocolate.)
*This post was part of a special Christmas promotion for the Amazon.Com author pages.