Christmas lists

My family and friends have been pressuring me for Christmas lists.

Let me make it clear that I neither need nor want anything for Christmas; I am in a financial state where anything I need, I can buy for myself, and anything I want, I can also buy for myself or can talk myself out of buying. I don't want to make Christmas lists, but I do, just to make them happy and to try to avoid getting too much stuff that I neither need nor want and would never have bought for myself.

I have been making two Christmas lists these past few years. One is for my family and consists of things that lean more towards the "needs" column - socks, underwear, shampoo, toothpaste - all things that I have gotten from my family in the past and could just as easily buy for myself. This year I may add on a few fancy items - a new Timex watch to replace the one that gave up the ghost earlier this year (20% off on Timex watches this week at Kmart), or a shaving mug/brush/soap set, to take the place of the environmentally-hostile cans of shaving cream I use throughout the year. Maybe some gloves, too, to tide me over until some of the 5000 pairs of gloves that I already own decide to reveal themselves.

The other list is for my friends. Well, specifically for my cousin and our friend Darren. The three of us decided a few years ago to reserve the big-ticket "wants" lists for each other. This takes the financial pressure off our gradually-dwindling families (all three of us are now members of the single-parent club, having lost the other parent to death) and means that we won't be disappointed by asking our families for the latest CD's or DVD's and getting socks instead. My list consists entirely of things I would probably buy for myself in the next few weeks, or could just as easily do without. (Do I really need or want a copy of the new DVD special edition of Death Race 2000?) We've started making things even easier for each other by pointing out the best possible prices for the items. (The first season DVD boxed set of War Of The Worlds [The Series] is available at Best Buy for half the price that Amazon is asking, but only through Wednesday, and if either of them decides to get me the DVD of War Of The Worlds [2005, with Tom Cruise], I've alerted them to the fact that my mom has a $3 off coupon in this week's People magazine, and they should see her before making the purchase.)

So the deed is done, the lists are made, and I can move the crass materialistic focus of holiday shopping off of myself - and back onto my friends' and family's Christmas lists.