All I want for Christmas...

[JR8]

What is your dream gift?

It doesn't have to be expensive, rather it might be simple but particularly meaningful.

I was just reading an article on a photographer that uses Leica cameras and for some time a Leica SLR was something I seriously aspired to own (was it the R7?). The solid gold Cartier watch... thank heavens I got through that stage without buying one! ['Only new-money (i.e. with no class) shouts loudly' as they say where I hail from. Buuuut if you feel like a 'Master of the universe' you don't care do you, why should you?].

For me these days, the joy is in a gift thoughtfully chosen, whether a baking tray or weekend citibreak, rather than a show of wealth, or 'requirement to spend $X and impress.

I appreciate that expectations and social norms vary from country to country, and family to family, who is to argue that anyone's expectations are 'better' than anothers.

So.... confession time. What do YOU want for Christmas?





p.s. What triggered my question? This...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ction.html
Particularly moving embedded video at the foot of the article...l

[mike21]

I have this dilemma every xmas and birthday, to be honest there is very very little material that I want or need. If there is something I do want I tend to go and buy it and since I'm not a materialistic person I don't end up buying much.

for me a better questions to ask would be "what you you most like to give someone and why?"

But as that is not the question so for me I'll go for something non-material a nice bottle of wine, a meal out or a day out/in to remember......

[Cath C]

I have this dilemma every xmas and birthday, to be honest there is very very little material that I want or need. If there is something I do want I tend to go and buy it and since I'm not a materialistic person I don't end up buying much.

I can really relate to this. For me, the most valuable thing someone can give is a bit of their time for an interesting conversation that challenges the way I think. Unfortuately, I think my fiends and family would think I am a weirdo if I ask for that for christmas. Might have to settle for an interesting book instead.

[nakatago]

If I really want something, I'll get it myself. Those that I can't and really pine for, I can't afford in the first place (not by a longshot).

So, oftentimes, all I want for Christmas is to be pleasantly surprised.

[x9200]

I am a rather mundane person in that respect and for me gifts could be all about things I don't buy for pragmatic reasons (meaning I like to have them but I don't really need them). I.e. there is no way I could not be happy if somebody gives me another 2TB harddrive or a few of 32GB SD cards, or a bottle of champagne or or or or.

[the lynx]

What I don't appreciate is people buying random gifts for Christmas for the sake of giving gifts and implies that you should return the favour.

If they really want to give me something meaningful, they should ask me first before doing so. I don't like being blackmailed into buying something for the sake of returning the favour.

Having said that, all I want for Christmas is nothing. What I want and can buy, I could've have bought it myself, thank you very much,

[v4jr4]

If I really want something, I'll get it myself. Those that I can't and really pine for, I can't afford in the first place (not by a longshot).

So, oftentimes, all I want for Christmas is to be pleasantly surprised.

+1

[Steve1960]

To stop the gift traffic is what I want for Christmas.

Every year my family trades gifts, mostly money in envelopes. This is my first Christmas in Singapore and it further highlighted how silly we are being.

I sent money to my mother in the UK to cover all the family gifts and in return my mother is collecting money to send to me for our gifts here.

All seems a bit pointless and not really in the spirit of the festive season. I am going to try and talk them all out of doing it next year

Plan is forget the adults and just buy gifts for the kids.

[zzm9980]

Having said that, all I want for Christmas is nothing. What I want and can buy, I could've have bought it myself, thank you very much,

+1 Don't even give me cash anymore, as it just implied I need to give you an equal value back. Except from my parents. They can afford it.

[nakatago]

To stop the gift traffic is what I want for Christmas.

Every year my family trades gifts, mostly money in envelopes. This is my first Christmas in Singapore and it further highlighted how silly we are being.

I sent money to my mother in the UK to cover all the family gifts and in return my mother is collecting money to send to me for our gifts here.

All seems a bit pointless and not really in the spirit of the festive season. I am going to try and talk them all out of doing it next year

Plan is forget the adults and just buy gifts for the kids.

This.

Although, as a kid, what I really enjoyed the most was the guessing part and finding out on Christmas if I were right. I've come to a point where I'll just hold the gift, give it a shake or two and make a guess.

Though there was one Christmas where the adults really liked what I gave them: we all went to a really nice beach for a nice weekend holiday (the trip I subsidized).

Maybe as adults, we can all just wrap stuff and have a guessing game during the party.

[offshoreoildude]

For this island to have it's population magically and painlessly halved.

[nakatago]

For this island to have it's population magically and painlessly halved.

You just gave me an idea for a new, sympathetic-and-still-relatable supervillain.

[carteki]

I'm with you on the gift thing. Our family doesn't do much of the gift thing (no young ones and we're in different parts of the world). My favourite gifts over the years include - a bobble head homer simpson doll and the Lilo from some disney movie (both were actually mc donalds kids toys) and a pair of horse riding gloves. The toys were part of a running joke about "kitch" between myself and the giver and I'd never have thought of getting the gloves for myself and appreciated that someone had thought enough about me to know that this was what I could use.

[kikeo]

If I really want something, I'll get it myself. Those that I can't and really pine for, I can't afford in the first place (not by a longshot).

So, oftentimes, all I want for Christmas is to be pleasantly surprised.

Same here... The only thing I'd really like to have is this wonderful watch:

However I can't afford it yet, and therefore I dare not to ask anyone to offer it to me

Family is all back in Europe, so there won't be any christmas for me, I'll be working on building this damn power station on 24th and 25th, and that's just fine.

So for gifts I'll settle with anything, as long as it's from the heart and not just for the sake of offering something.

[sundaymorningstaple]

TIMMY’S CHRISTMAS LETTER
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Dear Santa,

How are you? How is Mrs. Claus? I hope everyone, from the reindeer to the elves, is fine. I have been a very good boy this year. I would like an X-Box 360 with Call of Duty IV and an iPhone 4 for Christmas. I hope you remember that come Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas,

Timmy Jones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Timmy,

Thank you for your letter. Mrs. Claus, the reindeer and the elves are all fine and thank you for asking about them. Santa is a little worried all the time you spend playing video games and texting. Santa wouldn’t want you to get fat. Since you have indeed been a good boy, I think I’ll bring you
something you can go outside and play with.

Merry Christmas,

Santa Claus

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Mr. Claus,

Seeing that I have fulfilled the “naughty vs. nice”