I was looking over the family Christmas lists the other day and realized how much those lists have changed over the years. 
Way back when the kids were young enough to have to dictate their letters to Santa, his “helpers” (aka me and The Winey Hubby) could pretty much count on being able to fulfill most of the wishes by hitting a toy store. These were the days when The Winey Daughter was obsessed with a certain big purple dinosaur and The Winey Son was all about toy boats and sports.
As they started to write their own lists, our shopping trips widened a bit in scope. Suddenly, I was on-line with the American Girl Doll store and the Winey Hubby was at Dick’s, buying junior sized golf clubs and baseball gear.
Then came the computer games, the hand held game consoles and the very expensive game console stage. This also coincided with The Winey Daughter’s discovery that clothes were kind of fun and The Winey Son’s realization that European soccer teams had on line stores where you could buy the jersey of your favorite team or player (for the record, he had lots of favorites).
And then high school, where The Winey Son was a varsity golfer, a sport that apparently requires a number of new (and better) clubs every year. Not to mention golf shoes, golf bags and golf accessories (how many golf gloves do you NEED?). The Winey Daughter went full throttle into fashion and added a boot and shoe obsession to her clothing line. They started driving. And going to the movies and to concerts with friends. And Starbucks. And Chipotle and BW3. Gift card bonanza.
These days, with The Winey Son beginning his career in the Army and The Winey Daughter in college, the lists are giving The Winey Hubby and I deep insights into the things they really want and need…but just don’t want to spend their own money on.
So on The Winey Son’s list are things like “a really nice” pen, a fit watch, a digital media player and a new golf bag (OK, I guess there ARE certain things that never will change about that kid). The Winey Daughter wants some camera equipment and money to put towards studying abroad. (Whoa, didn’t see that one coming. At least not freshman year, anyway.) She has also apparently discovered a whole new style of clothing, and that requires nearly daily updates to her Pinterest “Wish List”. Thanks, honey.
Golf bags aside, I did notice some carryover requests – items that have surfaced year after year on those lists. The first one is books. It may have been The Winey Hubby and I who placed books on the early lists (The Magic Treehouse series, Matt Christopher’s sports books and American Girl books), but the requests continued all through elementary, middle and high school right up until Christmas 2014. The Winey Hubby and I are book lovers too, so we’re very happy both kids have the reading bug!
The other carryover request is for music. Thankfully, the Barney and Kids Bop cd’s have given way to a less ear-wormy selection of music (although there is that one Taylor Swift song…). The cassettes and cd’s of years past are now digital downloads, but music has always been a big part of their lives. I hope it remains so.
Oh, and every year, whether they ask for them or not, each child will get a Christmas ornament. It could be something that signifies an event from the past year, a new interest or accomplishment, or something funny to remind them of a family joke, but there will be an ornament. And when the day comes (sooner than I think I’m ready for) when they put up their own Christmas trees, they’ll be reminded of the days when one of the most important things they put so much time and effort and childlike hope into were those very important lists for Santa Claus.
