Usually I have an ongoing wish list that I simply update a couple times a year (usually Christmas & birthday). Often replete with CDs, books, and movies, this list has been going on for about 8 years or so with some of the items still on there, others removed after being received, and a few removed due simply to waning interest or lack of further necessity.
Everyone has their “baby elephant”, as my grandmother used to call it, on their list. Some item that is unrealistically expensive, wholly impractical, or just plain silly. For my grandmother, it was a baby elephant. She knew she’d never get one, but asked for it ever year, regardless. For me, it’s been a 1976 Bach Stradivarius 42BO trombone. When I started requesting it in about 7th grade or so and throughout college, it was fairly practical for concerts, juries, and my music studies. I never got it, being a good $1500+ for one in decent shape, rather difficult to come by, and fitting well into the category of “unrealistically expensive” for my loved ones. Now, as I’m playing less and less, it’d likely just sit in my closet gathering dust anyway, which would be a downright crime for such a fine instrument.
This year, I find myself going over my wish list and noticing something. I just don’t need or want most of the stuff on there much anymore. Oh sure, some of the stuff would be nice to have, but I just don’t have the time to appreciate most of it anymore. So as it happens, I find myself in the odd position of not having much of a fun list this year. Most of the stuff on it is practical in nature or essentially some form of financial bail-out. I’ll give you an example:
Paul’s Christmas List
- Car Repairs (front brakes, EGR valve, transmission flush, tune-up)
- Tuition Money (I still owe nearly a grand to Wayne State and they’re getting mean)
- New cookware set (ours is about 11 years old)
- New glassware set (ours is a mish-mosh of mason jars and odd leftovers)
- New back door (ours leaks like a sieve and the threshold is rotted)
- New tub/shower wrap
- 120G or better external Hard Drive for my laptop (got lots of media to store)
Those are on the top of the list. The rest of the items on my list are kitschy or frivolous items I’d like to have, but are fairly unnecessary…
- Book - Star Trek: Collision Course, by William Shatner
- DVD - Family Guy, Volume 5
- Digital camera with video mode & 1G of memory
- DVD – Kids in the Hall, Seasons 2-5
- DVD – Monty Python & the Holy Grail
- DVD – Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
- DVD – Scrubs: Seasons 1-4
- DVD – Spiderman II & III
- DVD – Star Trek: Insurrection – Collector’s Edition (wide screen – any video store)
- DVD – Star Trek: Nemesis – Collector’s Edition (wide screen – any video store)
- DVD – Strange Brew
- DVD – Superman Returns
- DVD – The Great Muppet Caper (any video store)
- DVD – The Muppet Movie (any video store)
- DVD – The Weird Al Show
So, if any of you suddenly discover you’re a long-lost relative of Bill Gates, there’s a few ideas for you. Otherwise, a nice card or blog comment will do nicely!
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