THE List

Sometime around Thanksgiving, moms all over send the same email or text out to their kids: "what do you want for Christmas?"  My family is no exception, every year we that email- but ours also comes with an attachment... to fill out.  We don't get a list, we get a form.  Instead of just listing what you want, you have to put it in specific categories on the form.  It goes as far as asking what kind of gum and candy we want in our stockings.

After we all send our list out, then the real fun starts.  The massive back and forth emails about who got what for whom.  "I got dad this from his list so don't get it for him, what did you get mom?"  Etc etc etc.  This goes on and on for weeks, it got to the point where one day the whole visible part of my inbox was all emails about Christmas list!  Basically everyone sticks to the list and you can almost be guaranteed that most of your gifts are exactly things you specifically asked for.

So Christmas in our family feels a little bit like this:

Source: someecards.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Now I understand the purpose of the list but I'm still torn about it.  As adults I feel that if we need something we can get it ourselves.  I think gifts should be something the person has thought of and gotten for you because they saw it and thought you liked it.  On the other hand, sometimes you need some ideas or inspiration for getting people something they really want.  It gets harder every year to come up with things to put on our list and sometimes it just feels like I am actually seeking out things for the list just to have stuff on there!  Then there's the whole guilt involved with not getting something "off the list."  As if someone won't like the present you give them if they didn't specifically ask for it!

And I'm not innocent in all of this either!  I dutifully fill out my form.  I buy only "on list" items for my family.  I participate in the email craziness.  But I do all this with reservation.  What we need is to throw away these ideas that have become norms and come up with new methods!

I am proposing a compromise.  No more form to fill out, no more "official" list.  If you really want something speak up, but otherwise let's get each other gifts we picked out from the heart and reserve the "list" for the kids the write to Santa.  After all, isn't it all about family and love and giving?

What do you think about Christmas list?  Does your family write list? Do you stress out about getting only list items?

Source: someecards.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Stay tuned for Fridays Fancies...!