Back by popular-ish demand… (mostly as I know certain friends and family will be asking… and I participate in enough gift exchanges that purely by having this up on the internet helps) this is the wishlist of mostly material things that I want/need and would love to obtain as holiday/Christmas gifts. But first a little bit on Christmas.
I'm not religious. But I adore Christmas. The spirit of giving, the opportunity to do good, the many volunteer projects, the emphasis on spending time with family, Christmas Cards, Christmas Carols, gift exchanges, fun holiday events and activities, parties, literature, etc. There's SO MUCH I adore about the holiday. And I know that it becomes stressful for some (many people actually find it stressful to find the right gifts, to deal with the loss of family, the loneliness, the expense, the distasteful music, obligation and much more besides), but I'm not one of them. If you're not a fan of Christmas (or the holidays in general — there are a number of holiday traditions that folks adhere to, and who am I to say whether solstice or Yule or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever is the one that you're focused on… I don't dislike songs/music/celebrations of any of these celebrations either, I just happen to be more Christmas focused than most). White Wine in the Sun by Tim Minchin is actually my favourite Christmas song (and it's not very religious) and Dar Williams' The Christians and the Pagans is right up there too… Still, all year long I find myself singing (even in my head) more traditional Christmas carols too and I don't mind that one bit. But back to Christmas lists because I know that there are folks who are or who will be asking for mine:
I do have a wishlist on amazon.ca that I try to keep updated with things that I like and want, just as I also have one on Board Game Geek for more board game themed gifts [I probably have enough games at the moment and probably don't need more than what I'll already be getting via themed exchanges etc.]… but here I'll focus on things that come to mind more specifically as things that I'm really wanting right now. Some of these are on those other wishlists (most likely amazon) but most of which are just simply things that I'm desirous of having.
– Subscription boxes: specifically I would love a subscription to WhimseyBox. I've been eyeing this for quite some time. Other subscription boxes do strike my fancy (I love receiving surprises in the mail), but [this subscription box company apparently went bankrupt? I already have a subscription to NerdBlock and Bonjour Jolie. I like getting surprises in the mail and have been meaning to do more crafts, a thing I've enjoyed since being a child and would really love a subscription to this [edited to add an affordable craft subscription box if one exists].
– I really need/want a set of heavier hand weights or dumbbells. I have this set on my amazon.ca wishlist, but it's evidently quite expensive [and would be impractical to ship to me particularly as I doubt I could lift the whole set by myself and carry it far at this stage though at some point I would like to be able to]… it is sort of what I'm looking for, however. Currently my hand weights go up to like 3 lbs each… and even when I add my wrist and ankle weights to my wrists the best I can do is like 6.5 lbs. I live in an apartment so the nested kind of weights that allow me to use heavier weights but don't take up much space is ideal. It definitely doesn't need to be that fancy or expensive though I definitely don't want them breaking and damaging my computer or other objects around which I choose to lift weights.
– I rather want to get some of the prints that I have in my apartment framed so that they could be displayed. I'm entirely uncertain about how I want this done but I do want to get this done.
– I really want the movie Nice Girls Don't Explode on DVD or better media that is playable in this region of the world. It wasn't available on such until recently but I think it might be now. I think amazon.com has it. It is one of my favourites, and while I had it on beta at one point, I would like to be able to watch it legally on my tv.
– I've been dreaming of Poppy Barley footwear for quite some time now. Some red flats or black boots would be stellar. My current fashion boots are falling apart and so one of these years I want to splurge on this… so expensive but made to measure footwear is so tantalizing!
– Similarly I would love a good quality board gaming table such as the ones made by Geek Chic. That said this is an unrealistically expensive item to receive for Christmas.
– When it comes to media the following are noteworthy items that I really want:
– Books (please check my amazon wishlist first to make sure that they're still there before buying — I clearly want the other stuff from my wishlist though!): Doctor Who Series 2: The Girl Who Waited, The Boy Who LivedDoctor Who Series 1: Winter's Dawn, Season's End, Doctor Who Series 3 volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4Backspace Unwind by Lamb [someone is ordering it for me], This is Me by Charlie McDonnell, So Fucking Rock by Tim Minchin (also on my amazon.ca wishlist), One Christmas at a time by Jonathan Coulton, Light Organ Records: Our First Christmas Album (also on my amazon.ca wishlist
– TV shows and other media (most of this is on my amazon wishlist in one form or another but not all of it is make sure it's still on there before buying): Criminal Minds (all the seasons… I kind of want to watch all of these episodes in order… it's actually like comfort TV… most crime scene procedurals are for me for some odd reasons), Castle (season 5 and 6! I'm really behind but really want to catch up and watch these… I own the first 4 seasons), the Doctor Who stuff (all listed on my wishlist: essentially all that came after the set I got last year for Christmas [edited to add that I now have the 50th anniversary special!]!), Sherlock: The Complete Seasons 1-3 Limited Edition Gift Set (last year the Doctor Who one was so awesome, I'm still enjoying it now! This would be AWESOME), Torchwood (I've yet to see any of it, but I'd like to)
– Non physical things I want: a dream job in my career of choice, true love (okay fine, a significant other who treats me as his equal who loves me as much as I love him, who challenges me, who respects me, that I find attractive with whom I would like to spend the rest of my days, etc.), time with friends and family, great new experiences, etc.
Some of this stuff is expensive. Some of this stuff has been on my wishlist for years. Some of this stuff is quite unrealistic to receive as gifts. But I like to think it'll give folks a starting point if they need one.