The Running Christmas List

Yes, it's that time of year again.  And no, this does not mean everything on my Christmas wish list is related to running.

Has your mother/spouse/child asked you yet, "What do you want for Christmas?"  If not, it won't be long before they do.  Will you have your answers ready?  Better yet, will those around you have their list ready when you ask them what they want?

My answer is the Running, or Cumulative, Christmas List.  I keep a sheet of paper in the kitchen, and throughout the year jot down ideas as they come to me, or as those I give gifts to make comments about what they wish they had.  It's how I know this year my husband's grandmother is getting a really awesome wine bottle opener like ours.  She thought ours was so cool last year, and now I don't have to give a second thought to what to get her. 

I also try to keep a running list of what I want but never bother to buy for myself.  My family isn't quite as helpful in giving me their lists.

There are two AWESOME benefits to the running list.  1) You don't have to try to come up with last minute gifts and just hope the recipient will love them.  2) when you know ahead of time what you are getting each person on your list, you can plan your holiday spending wisely.  You can look through ads to and buy when the item is on sale, or spread out the buying months so that you pay for everthing right away an aren't stuck with a mondo credit card bill in January.  Most years my goal is to get the majority of my Christmas shopping done by Halloween.  This year, that is definitely NOT happening, but it's nice to have a goal (as opposed to my husband, who before I came along was a Christmas Eve shopper!!).

If you are currently trying to assemle the wishes of all those you give to, here's another idea.  If you will be with family for Thanksgiving, let them know NOW that you hope to collect ideas when you are together for the holiday.  It gives them lead time to think about their own wish list.  And, you should be prepared with yours as well. 

If you have a lot of kids you buy gifts for, consider bringing all the Sunday ads with you to Thanksgiving (Target, Toys R US, etc.).  Assign each kid to a different colored crayon, and let them circle all the things they want (be prepared for them to circle everything).  Then review options with parents, and be sure to get current clothes and shoe sizes.

Finally, if you really want to get your point across, you can adopt my niece's approach.  Last year she put together a three-ring binder with all of her wishes.  She included printouts from websites that showed the store, item, price, color and size of everything she wanted.  Do you think she might take after her Auntie??  Her specificity paid off.  We knew exactly what she wanted, it took the guess work out of buying for her, we could look for sale prices because we had time to make the purchases, AND she got exactly what she wanted.  What a lucky girl.

Happy Listing!

Until next time...
Missy