He's making a list and checkin' it twice...

From: http://friday.criminalgrace.com/


Checking it Twice
1. Did you make a wish list for Santa when you were a kid? Do you still make a list?

Of course I made a list...what kid didn't? I also circled things in the Sears catalog. I still am required by my mother to make a Christmas list...both for me and for my husband who refuses to tell her what he would want b/c, in his words, "I don't need anything!" But that does not matter to my mom who loves buying gifts and wants to make sure everyone gets exactly what they want! My brother and I have taken to making "Wish Lists" on amazon.com. That makes all involved quite happy -my mom doesn't have to go out and fight traffic and snow to shop, and Kyle and I end up with the books and DVDs that we want!

2. What would you most like to find under the tree this year?

Gosh, I don't really know. Books, probably - there are a bunch of great new books out by some of my favorite authors - David Baldacci, David Rakoff, and, yes, James Patterson. I just love that Alex Cross...and it helps that, in my mind, that character IS Morgan Freeman :) Plus, I really want Seasons 1 & 2 of Quincy M.E. on DVD. I love old people solving murders!

3. What is the best present you've ever received? Why?

My husband got me a great Coach purse a couple years ago that I absolutely love. I don't think that is the BEST present, but it was awfully nice. Let's see....if we aren't talking about Christmas, the best present I have ever received was for law school graduation. My mom gave me her ring - this lovely silver and diamond ring. It was the first piece of jewelry she ever bought for herself. She saved up for it with the money she earned in her first job out of high school. I loved the ring and when I was a kid, I used to try it on all the time, thinking I was the most glamorous person in the world. She gave it to me and wrote me the most moving letter to go with it. It truly was the best present I have ever received.

4. What is the worst present you've ever received? Why?

Worst present...worst present. It would probably have to be something that I ended up with during last year's family gift game. We don't have a name for it - but I saw on The Office this week that some people call it "Yankee Swap" or "White Elephant." I somehow ended up with the most awful pillow I have ever seen. It was just some random throw pillow that looked like someone grabbed it off their couch and threw it in a gift bag on their way out the door. It was bad. Second only to the pillow was a gift I got from my husband for Valentine's Day one year - early in our relationship. It is a long story, but it ends up with me opening a Marsh bag to find hair clips and rice cakes. Needless to say, we still reminisce on that gif-giving debacle.

5. Describe your own holiday gift-giving strategy. Do you use a wish list?

I make lists. I love lists - I am like my mother in that way. I spend a lot of time thinkging about what people have mentioned to me over the year - what they are interested in, what things they like...and then I go from there. I love picking out gifts. It is my favorite thing in the world. For some that is not a problem...for others, who already have everything in the world - it is quite difficult. For my BFF Amanda, gift giving is easy (the girl loves anything pink and sparkly and lipsticky and Oprah)...for my dad, not so much. This year I employed my brother's Amazon wish list and used my mom as a spy to figure out what to get for my dad.

Of course, I haven't figured out what to get Mr. P. Maybe a hair clip and some rice cakes.