All I Want for Christmas...

I am a great gift buyer. Ask anyone who knows me, I'm all about the giving part but not so good at the getting. Every year my kids ask me what I want for Christmas and I tell them, "World peace, or at least in this house." It's not that I don't appreciate receiving gifts it's just much easier and more satisfying for me to bestow gifts upon someone else than to receive one myself.

This year my family asked me to make a wish list. It's harder than you might think! Oh, there are things I want and really some I need, but most of them would not be in their price range or they are intangible and pretty much unattainable. So to placate them I made a list and put it on the front of the fridge with all of theirs. Here it is:

• Peace on Earth or one week of no fighting, bickering or other nastiness in this house.
• A family member, not Mom, makes dinner at least one night a week, preferably Mondays. (I specify family member to rule out Ronald McDonald, The Colonel or Pop Eye.)
• Snow in the month of December. Just a little to make it all Christmassy.
• A heartfelt hug when I look like I need one.
• Buy or make me a gift that you think I will like.

The last one would be the hardest for most people because you have to put some real effort into it, especially when you're on a tight budget like most of us this year. My mother, wise woman that she was, used to tell us to buy or make a gift that we would want to receive ourselves. This works well with most friends because you usually have a lot in common and you can sort of put yourself in their place. It's much harder to do this for your mother. I'm trying to instill thoughtfulness in my children by making them think about the person they're giving gifts to and not just picking up something sparkly from the store. Will it work? I'll let you know after Christmas!