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5 Steps to a Fool-Proof Christmas Wish List
Sometimes you get socks for Christmas, in spite of the fact that you told your
parents exactly what you wanted (and it wasn't socks!). But did you ever
consider that sometimes it's your own fault that you got socks? How could they
have known that you really wanted the new John Grisham book, or a new FUBU tee,
or a new baseball glove? You didn't tell them.
O.K., so the key to getting exactly what you want is to tell them exactly what
you want. I'll bet you already knew that. But you don't always do it, do you?
Why not? Probably because you don't know how easy (and fun) it can be to make up
your list well ahead of time. Here are five things you can do to make sure you
get what you want for Christmas.
Christmas Wish List Step 1: Start Early
August isn't too early. Why would you want to start this early? Well, the truth
is, you're a slacker, and if you aim for August, you'll probably actually get it
done by Thanksgiving when people start asking for your list. Actually, kidding
aside, starting early allows you to make sure you ask for the things you really
want.
Suppose your mom asks you what you want for Christmas, on behalf of your whole
family, on Dec 20th, and she wants you to give her your list on the spot. She
needs five items from you so that she can make suggestions to everyone who loves
you (and some who just feel obligated because you're family). Are you going to
be able to come up with the five items you absolutely can't live without? No.
You'll probably have to throw in a couple of lame gifts just to fill a spot, and
you'll probably miss the item that you really wanted. Now granted, you probably
won't ask for socks, but you might not do much better.
If you start early, you can have a rough draft done by September. This gives you
time to think about the items on your list, and you can make changes when you
finally think of that thing you can't live without.
Christmas Wish List Step 2: Make a specific list for yourself
When I was 6, I wanted one of those wind-up Evil Kineval motorcycles that all
the other kids had (It was a 70s thing. If you don't know what I'm talking
about, you'll get the idea anyway). I asked my parents for what I generically
called "an Evil Kineval set". When Christmas came, did I get an awesome windup
platform that could send it's 4 inch high bike with substantial momentum
screaming down the street? No. I got a little 2x2 board game with a little bike
tethered to a little battery-operated motor in the center. If you got really
crazy you could set up a 1-inch high jump and the great Evil Kineval could jump
over a 1-inch high barrel! I was crushed! Don't be crushed; be specific.
If you're not sure how to say exactly what it is you want, you need to do some
research. There are some advantages to being older than six and living in the
21st century. You can use the internet to find those specific descriptions that
you need. All online stores, and most bricks and mortar stores have their
catalogs online. There are also personal shopping services like MySimon that
will find your item description for you and even do some comparison shopping for
you.
'Research' is an ugly word, but getting stuff is fun. Keep the goal in mind!
Christmas Wish List Step 3: Give a specific list to your friends and family
Once you have all your items on your list, you might want to type it up and make
copies. But you probably don't want to give your list to people in August or
September. In fact, you might not want to give them your list until they ask for
it. You don't want to look like someone who actually wants Christmas gifts.
So here's what you do to keep your anti-materialist reputation intact. Wait
until they ask for a list, and then hit them with this line:
"I don't really need anything, but I know how hard it is to think of gifts for
people, so, for your sake, I made up this list. I hope you find it helpful".
I won't make any unconditional guarantees, but that line may very well net you
every last item on your list! And that would be exciting if you were one of
those shallow people who actually cared about such things.
Christmas Wish List Step 4: Establish an Online Registry
And now for the really powerful way to use the internet to get what you want.
Many stores, such as Amazon.com, have their own online registry or wishlist that
you can use for your Christmas list. An advantage of having an online registry
is that your family and friends will be able to order your gift for you
immediately upon viewing your list. One disadvantage of doing your registries at
individual stores, though, is that you may want items at more than one store,
and you may want items that can't be purchased online. It would sure be nice to
have all of that information in one place.
That's where the universal registry comes in. A universal registry is basically
just a place where you can make a list of all the items you want. Usually they
have a way for you to create a link from your registry page to the merchant's
page, so that your users can be taken directly to your item to purchase it. Your
friends and family still buy the item at the store that sells it, but all your
items are collected in one place on your universal registry page.
Some universal registries-the truly universal ones-also allow you to list items
that aren't found on the web, and they also allow you to make links to
registries you've already created elsewhere. Some even let you play cheery music
for your guests, so they can shop in a hypnotic trance and buy you far more than
they had ever planned (provided they have the right plug-ins, that is).
It is difficult to find truly universal registries. Most try to limit your
choice of merchants in some way. Here are a few that don't:
http://www.organizedregistry.com/ (no longer offers a service)
http://www.felicite.com/
http://www.wishcast.com/
http://www.makemywish.com/
Christmas Wish List Step 5: Keep your list up to date
If you do start early, you may wish to revise your list from time to time.
Suppose you decide in August that you want the new groundbreaking book about the
mating habits of spiders, but you give in to temptation in October and buy the
book for yourself. Well, you'll want to take that little item off your list now,
won't you? You may also want to update your list after Christmas by deleting the
items you received. At that point the best move is to change the event on your
online registry to read 'Birthday'.
Well, that's about it. I hope you have a Merry Christmas this year, and I don't
want to see any of you wearing socks come New Years.
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