All I want for Christmas

Wes and I agreed this year not to do presents for Christmas. We've spent a lot of money on the house, cars, and my education, and that's plenty. Everyone in my family needs a year off from gift giving, so it seemed like an easy thing to do. Just no gifts.

But then I was in Target. And I occasionally get Oliver a new toy when I'm there. He really and truly doesn't have a ton of toys. He has plenty, for sure, but it's a reasonable number. I only get him something new if I really think it's different from what he already has and will really like it. Usually I'm tempted by toys that are way past his developmental stages. So when I was there last week, I bought a toy. And decided to wrap it up and put it under the tree. So Oliver has at least one gift for Christmas (which is one more than we gave him last year -- our reasoning for both years being that we spend tons of money on him all year, buying him things as he needs them).

The only gift on my "wish list" this year is a camcorder. Just one of the pocket camcorders that uses a USB drive or an SD card. Our camera, which is fantastic for pictures, doesn't have the capability to do video clips, and while I've finagled the web cam to do a few videos over the last fifteen months, there's so much more that would be fun to have. I feel like I forget so quickly what Oliver was like when he was a baby, and the video clips help me remember and see how much he's changed. And it's fun to share with friends and family who get to visit so rarely. I have my eye on a Kodak Zi8, but there are some other versions that are cheaper and probably sufficient. I doubt Wes will surprise me on Christmas morning -- we have a deal, after all -- but as someone who loves those kinds of surprises, there's a little piece of me hoping he will. And if not, we might make a decision to go get it together.

There are other things on my wish list for next year. I hope I get into my PhD program. I hope I feel more at home in my house. I hope Oliver starts talking. I hope Wes gets more time off. I hope I get to see my family more often. And most of all, I hope those that I know and love are blessed in their lives, too.