We asked our ThirdAge contributors and bloggers to share with us their wish lists for this holiday season. What proved to be so interesting – and touching – is that most of the responses had to do with causes, dreams, and goals rather than material gifts. Even the people who mentioned a few items they'd like to see under the tree also added their hopes for ways to make the world a better place.
Here's our round-up of wishes. We'll be back next week with lists from the ThirdAge staff. Happy Holidays from all of us to you and yours!
Robin Westen:
The perfect black skirt that reaches just below my pudgy knees and a black cashmere sweater so I can give everything else in my closet to Goodwill. Oh, and world peace.
Sally Abrams:
Gift certificates! Theatre/concert tickets for two. An iPad. The book "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Eugenides. A renewal of my "Vanity Fair" subscription or a subscription to "Consumer Reports." A meditation lesson. And a donation to the charity of my choice.
Eve Marx:
What I would really love for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa (and having worked for years at a prison, I happily acknowledge all three) is for no animal to suffer or go hungry. I would like to see a ban on puppy mills. I would like to see an end to unwanted horses shipped to slaughter. While hardly a vegetarian, I would like the livestock that we eat to be raised and killed humanely. I would like anyone who is considering bringing a dog or cat into their life to first visit a shelter. I would like to see a commitment in this nation to giving animals a better life.
Bonnie Remsberg:
More room for the things I already own.
Fewer things that I own.
Many, many more glorious Pacific Coast sunsets.
Janet Jacobs:
I wish life were as uncomplicated as it was when I was growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sleigh rides. Skating on a pond even though my ankles were so skinny and weak I had to use leather straps to give me support. The beautiful tree we decorated and then chopped up to burn in the fireplace -- and almost burned down the house! Going to the five & dime with money I had saved from my allowance to buy my mother some smelly cologne and my father a scarf. He had a men’s store, but he was always thrilled. What an actor!
Today, “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”! I want to keep my teeth, which the dental hygienist who cleaned them yesterday assured me I would! Beyond that my wishes are for health, peace, and joy for my family and friends. There is so much misery in this world that I hate to listen to the news. I still believe in this wonderful country and the Constitution those wise men wrote that still for the most part keeps this country great.
Suzanne Braun Levine:
I didn't think I had any holiday wants, but as soon as you asked, I knew: Someone to help me become comfortable with my electronic stuff. Phone. Laptop. PC. GPS. Facebook. Tweeting. To sit with me while I actually use them and then retreat until the next time. In other words, I don't want a day of instruction, but a day's worth of half-hour sessions.
Jim Brosseau:
A presidential campaign season of four months. Period.
Joni Beth Cole:
My fifteen-year-old daughter, who just got her driver’s permit yesterday, to stay safe
A new laptop because mine requires jiggling the chord and won’t play movies
Newt Gingrich to shut up
Spiced eggnog coffee
Peace of mind and romance
New clothes without having to shop for them
An indoor Jacuzzi and the plumbing to accommodate this
A bestseller
More time
An all expenses trip to NYC with my two daughters (including a Broadway Show)
Miracle face cream that really is miraculous
To see all my friends near and far whom I haven’t seen in awhile
A mild winter and an early spring
Someone to clean my house every week
Inspiration
Rum balls
To make a positive difference
Jeri Sedler:
I guess I'm a little boring this year, but I'm not asking for anything tangible but rather good health for my mother, jobs for unemployed friends and lots of good times with my husband!
Staness Jonekos:
Another Christmas with my father, and a cure for cancer.
Meg Serino:
I want to laugh my ass off with my kids, until our sides hurt. Either that or a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. (ha ha)
Tina Sloan:
For our country to unite and not let best friends become angry over politics. To realize we are ONE COUNTRY and not make the two parties become bitterness.
Brenda Ray Coffee:
This time last year, I told my husband the only thing I wanted was time -- more time with him. Sadly that was not to be. James died December 26th. This year there will be a void on all levels so I haven't thought about Christmas and I imagine Santa doesn't even remember me. I'd be over the moon with anything from a batch of the world's best chocolate chip cookies, to lunch with Myrna Blyth, or a gift certificate from Saks.
PS: I'd really like Keith Richards to take me shopping. I've always wanted to dress like a rock star. :)
