Sunday 19 December 2010

"What Do You Want for Christmas?"

When I was first asked what I wanted for Christmas by my Family, I didn't have a very good answer.

"Nothing or Food."

"What kind of Food?"

"Anything. Fruit... Chocolate!"

Later when I thought about the idea of actually receiving things I wanted without having to buy them myself (something I haven't been use to after a while of taking care of myself - except when my work took care of them for me), I realized I do have a few things on my wish list.

However, telling people of my wishes has led to a bit of confusion.

Three family members now want to get me a Blender (to make fruit and vegetable and yeah sure, sometimes ice-cream smoothies) and my desires for a subscription to two of my favourite magazines has been whispered to my Mother. Now, I have to let one of the family members know that they can't buy me the blender. It's so absurd. It should just be a surprise. But we're all too thrifty in my family. "Don't waste your money on something I don't want," is a very popular and well-rehearsed sentence for us.

Other things I would like is for my Record Player to play and for a ticket to all the ballet performances I can get and for Netflix to be available in Australia (I miss youooo... I love you) and of course, an abundance of Chocolate.

So, what do you want for Christmas?

6 comments:

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

I've specifically requested that I only receive one gift this Christmas. Not one per person, just one. I can relate to that sentiment of things not being a surprise any more, I know exactly what I'm getting (the cheapest thing on my list).

But what do I want for Christmas? A digital SLR camera. It would be nice to have a camera with more manual features than "flash on/off"

I hope you get the best damn blender ever! (and some other things that you'd enjoy)

Merry Christmas ~a week in advance.

Sidsel said...

I love presents and I love giving them. I'd argue that the best part of the gift exchange is before a single one has ben opened. They're beautiful like rows of books.

Hopefully a lot of books with my name on them will be under the tree this year. Maybe "Nine Short Stories" by J.D. Salinger, "Anne of Green Gables" by L.C. Montgomery or "The Ryby in the Smoke" by Pullman. I would also like the cd "Riverside" by Agnes Obel, a poster of the world, a red watch and a new bookcase.

But mainly I wish for a lovely Christmas Eve with my entire family with delicious food, interesting conversation and good hair.

Have a merry Christmas on the other side of the world, Caitlin be that in the U.S. or Australia.

Victoria said...

I couldn't think of anything to ask for. I know it sounds kind of snobby and self-righteous, but really, I still live with my mom, she buys everything, so it's like she gives me a gift every day. I don't think I have the right to ask for a special one on Christmas.
Although if everything comes through with the new job and I start earning my own money, a new camera would be nice... we shall see. Merry Christmas, Caitlin!

ADB said...

Ok, I'm replying way too late to answer for Xmas 2010, but in all honesty it doesn't matter. My wishlist comprises of DVD's of films and TV series that I haven't bought yet.

Maybe I'm getting old, but Christmas doesn't feel that magical anymore (maybe having a wife & kids sometime in the future will change that?). Here in the UK Christmas adverts start appearing in August and it is rare for us to actually have any snow around Christmas - its usually arrives in February and March now, if at all.

Hope you had a great Christmas 2010 .

taktin said...

Caitlin,

It's been another while, and another one of these creeptastic comments is long overdue. We haven't heard from you in almost half a year ('we' being your blog or youtube, the only two things which those people who check only those two things check) and I'm sure all or almost all of us hope you remain well and thriving and young at heart, and so forth. Since there's nothing new I can respond to, unfortunately, I can only attempt to interest you on what's new over here, with me.

Long story short, I was at a startup with a ton of funding and connections that wasn't going anywhere (this apparently is very common), I led a rebellion, it succeeded, I was collateral damage, and I left, all in six months. I have come a long, long way and I feel years older. I feel much more confident in general in my ability to pick up new skills and play new parts. A lot of things I used to be deeply insecure about I realized were false or just irrelevant. I lost a lot of starry-eyed admiration for money and power and credentials. I also think I have the opposite of ADHD, and not in a good way. Outside of work, I spent time with family, tried to save some nonagenarian family friends from the fires of Hell (really), and I think my best friend is falling in love with me. Also, there's an outside chance the US economy may be collapsing. Some really trustworthy, smart, respectable, 'mainstream' people are telling me this. It's all become so crazy Caitlin, my life, I don't know what to do sometimes. I wish you would post more if only to distract from it all, but hell, I barely check any of your (and Frezned's and Natalie's and Tony's) stuff once a month, if that - and seem to have utterly lost you to the oblivion of real people.

Speaking of which - is there such a thing as distinctly Aussie comedy? Not that I'm in touch with today's American comedy either. A roommate is playing British nonstop. It's very different, entertaining but not funny.

I still spend a fair amount of time wallowing in despair and cynicism, but for the most part, the future, at least from the perspective of my opportunism, looks quite bright. I think even more is going to happen in 2012. I will have to start changing more and faster. I have to get out of these ruts, Caitlin. I lie about my age - can you believe it? At first it was a joke, but by now, when I do this, I think - who the fuck am I? An actress? Would you? I'm starting to forget my actual age, having to do arithmetic, when I actually want to tell anyone the truth.

The truth is, despite being smart (whatever that means), unworried about money, and blessed with the most amazing friends I could possibly ask for - much of me is someone I hate; (excluding whatever this is) I hate talking about myself to strangers, and I invariably change the subject to them and what they're doing and how they see the world. Right now it is three things. I don't have emotions, other than those accompanying profit or loss. I see everyone I meet as a potential asset or connection (lol); and everything that people do, from transportation to ballet, my mind jumps to implementation and ROI. Okay, I'm not always this ridiculous, but increasingly, frighteningly.

Rarely am I myself anymore, able to write stuff like this, just communicate to people without purpose. I tell myself I will regain this composure when I'm 70, because you might as well do now what you can't later. Maybe, just maybe, my ambitions will take me nowhere, and I will settle much sooner.

I bought the awesomest gifts for everyone. Absolutely spot on selections (couple amusing exceptions) and I am getting quite good at gift-choosing and card-writing for people I barely know. That has to count for something, no? Well, I cheated a fair number of cases by asking friends and significant others. I think you know someone really well when you know exactly what they would want, but don't have and wouldn't...

taktin said...

... think of putting on their wishlist. My very best friends are always unpredictable though so it's a nightmare with them. Our parents, too, always had us write a wish-list for Santa (do you have Santa in Australia?) - none of us really knew each other at all. And still don't.

I should have wished for a time machine to send back what you had wanted last year, December 19th, 2010. Too late! Guess I can still do that next year.

Totals