christmas lists

I remember one Christmas, when I was about 8 years old, I forgot to ask Santa for the gift I really wanted. Well, I can't remember if I forgot or was too scared, shy, nervous, whatever, to ask for this special something. It was a green plastic Cabbage Patch Kids stroller/carriage. I wanted that stroller so badly I could think of little else in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But, when it came time to ask Santa for it, I didn't.

After crawling into bed on Christmas Eve, I was overcome with guilt and sorrow that I hadn't asked Santa for the carriage. It was the only thing I really wanted and it wouldn't be awaiting me on Christmas morning. I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning, I woke up, disappointed that I wouldn't see the carriage under the tree but with a certain amount of anticipation as to what did await me downstairs. I remember running down the stairs with my brother and stopping cold when I saw IT by the tree. A beautiful Cabbage Patch Kids stroller/carriage. I truly couldn't figure out how, without even being told, Santa knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas that year.

Fast forward twenty-three or so years and I'm still forgetting to ask Santa for what I really want. Of course, now it's more out of an appreciation for Santa's bank account and the fact that I would have to haul whatever Santa gave me home on an airplane. Like this spice rack from Macy's or a new entertainment armoir. Definitely not fun to lug through an airport. I learned my lesson the year I brought a KitchenAid stand mixer home in my luggage.