My Christmas List (5 photos, dial-up warning)

[shireen]

Gift-giving is the worst part of Christmas, esp. when you can't afford it. So every year, i have to send a message to some dear gift-happy friends, begging them not to get me anything. Each year, a few of them ignore me.

This year, I decided to send them an impossible Christmas gift list. :P

-----------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

here's my Christmas list. Unless you can find it and afford it, please don't get me anything.


1) Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus, live specimen only)
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gallus_gallus.html




2) Microscope slide specimen, Pelagohydra mirabilis.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/RecreationSeaAndSky/Beachcombing/4/ENZ-Resources/Standard/2/en




3) Gigantoraptor egg clutch
http://tinyurl.com/6hlddy




4) "Poppies near Vetheuil", Claude Monet, original only
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/02/11/world/11swiss2ready.html




5) 20 acres of lakeside property
http://www.lunarinternational.com/moon-property/dreams.html





Thanks!


P.S. you're not getting anything from me, except my love. Sorry, but i'm cheap and broke.

[boozepusher]

1. You may want to make it clear

that the first item on your list isn't just a big cock.

[shireen]

3. rofl! yeah, i think they can tell the difference. nt

[CatWoman]

9. lol

now "that" is what "I" want for Christmas!!! :rofl:

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I hope you believe in Santa Claus.

[drmeow]

4. Why do you ask them not to get you anything?

Is is because they get you things you don't want or can't use? Is it because it makes you feel obligated to get them something in return? Is it because you disagree with the commercialization of Christmas? Is it because you know they can't afford it?

[shireen]

6. yes to all, except the last question.

I know they can afford it. But I'd rather they saved the money for themselves or their kids. Or contributed to a cause to benefit others less fortunate.

Besides, they've already given me the best gift of all: their friendship. :)

[drmeow]

8. As far as the obligation part is concerned

I personally love to give people gifts - in particular I love to find something they would really, really enjoy but would not think of getting for themselves (I have often gotten family members items that are not on their lists but which they have really loved like when I got my brother, who LOVES ice cream, an ice cream maker as a wedding gift ... not on their registry but he LOVED it). I especially like doing so when I have been traveling to foreign (especially exotic) locations. I have made it clear that I do not expect anything in return but get great pleasure out of giving. We finally had one Christmas where I had not been anywhere and my family agreed to do a secret Santa thing where each person gets assigned one person to get a gift for (I had been telling them to do it all along but they always said that if I was going to buy gifts while traveling, they would feel obligated). Ever since then we've done the secret Santa thing and if I see something I like for someone when I'm traveling I buy it and give it to them "anonymously" (they know its me). This year will be the first time I haven't done that because the exchange rate was SO bad when we went to Spain that I wasn't willing to spent the money (the best year was when I went to Senegal - cheap and very hard to get gifts).

However, it doesn't sound like your friends fall into the same category if they are giving you things you don't want, don't like, or can't use. If that wasn't the case I would say to just accept the gifts in the spirit given and not worry about giving something in return (especially if you've made your feelings clear).

[IndyOp]

5. Science & Art - you have a way cool list of impossible gifts!

1. I want One Billion People to each donate, in whatever amount they desire, to one of my favorite organizations:

Kiva.org -> http://www.kiva.org/
Feeding America / Second Harvest -> http://feedingamerica.org/
One Laptop per Child -> http://laptop.org/en/laptop/index.shtml
American Friends Service Committee (Iraq & Israel-Palestinian) -> http://www.afsc.org/
Rainforest Action Network -> http://ran.org/ (Brand New on My List Today!)
Or to one at http://www.justgive.org/ or http://www.charitynavigator.org/

2. I want One Day of World Peace - http://www.peaceoneday.org/ - actually, since I am a selfish glutton, I really, really want more than one, but I'll accept just one this year -- 24 hours, worldwide, no conflict between or within nations.

3. I want a house suspended by magic over the ocean in a location where I can hear gray whales and humpback whales singing all day and all night for at least a few weeks each year. Whale songs: http://new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/whales/avi.html


4. I want a trip to the Crab Nebula (a hat tip to N2DOC whose "Friday night Eye Candy" posts let me travel to a new deep-space destination every week) --


5. I want to scratch my kitties' ears -- both died years ago... They looked like these two:

[shireen]

7. your list is wonderful too, esp. the kitties.

The donation idea is wonderful. There is so much need out there, it breaks my heart.