To Christmas List or Not to Christmas List?

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

I've been having a discussion with my mom recently about why she doesn't make Christmas lists. There have been multiple reasons, including the fact that it can feel pointless when you make a list and then don't get what you've asked for on the list. I know some people don't want lists because they are happy with whatever someone can think of to get for them. Some people might say they want a very specific item (maybe a particular book, for example) or some might say they want 'a good thriller' and the rest is up to you to decide.

This year, my boyfriend's sister decided to make a Google document with a page for each of our Christmas lists so that we all had access to one another's' list and could cross things off as they were purchased without indicating who bought them. I think it was pretty effective, though I don't know if I'd choose to do that myself.

How about you? Do you like to write Christmas lists? Does your family have a particular method of using Christmas lists? How do you decide what to give or what you'd like to get?

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

I’m a huge fan of gift lists for any occasion, however I don’t particularly use them much these days. Having a clear direction to send people on who want to purchase for you seems to be a win-win all around.

I don’t do a ton of gift swapping as an adult, my partner and my close friends and my family don’t go too far out of our way to buy for each other unless there’s something that really jumps out at us someone really needs to have. We did decide to get a cute iron style hanging decorative squid ornament for a few different people this year, but typically just buy for the kiddos (our nieces and nephews).

That being said, when I was young my Mom and Dad used to let us pick out our own gifts, which we even got to do for any grandparents and relatives, etc, so the mystery was not knowing who from or when a gift would be coming our way. Sometimes we would get one or two surprise items, but otherwise we had x amount of money in any given year (sometimes a little more or a little less pending how things were going in our family with five kids) but I always loved being able to have some sway in how that money was being spent. Order my own gifts online? Yes, please!

Sometimes it would turn out to be like a book, a movie, and an audiobook, etc. One year though I just wanted one gift which was a small,
single unit TV/VCR combo and was wicked stoked when I got it. Even though I didn’t get “as many” gifts as my siblings that year (which bothered my Dad a little and he almost said no at first until my Mom convinced him otherwise), it was the same amount of money as what they each got at the time, and it was what I actually *wanted*/loved having to watch things with my younger brother in our room, so I’ve always enjoyed the idea of sharing those kinds of lists whenever possible!