For the past 4 or 5 holiday seasons, my family has been playing a Christmas secret pal game. We draw names at my birthday party in August, and then buy our secret person a gift for Christmas. That way every family member receives at least one gift and gift costs stay down, which is especially important this year due to the fantastic economy that we are currently living in.

Right after Halloween we begin compiling our wish lists then send them to each other via e-mail the day before Thanksgiving. This system works very well because we always have a base idea of what to buy our secret pal, but we can always buy them extra goodies that we find along the way.

Having just finished creating my Holiday 2008 wish list, here are some helpful tips.

1. Write down every thing that you want at this moment. Seriously.

2. Make sure you have a enough items to provide a range of prices. A gift list item could cost as little as $0 (I wish for time spent together with my Aunt who lives half a country away) or it could cost $100 (Colortunes Clock Radio for iPod with Interchangeable Speaker Grilles. please.).

3. I always have items on my wish lists that stay the same every year. This helps when I want to write my wish list but can’t think of anything to put on it. It also helps if these items work on the wish list year round. Then you can use it for your birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, valentines day, your unbirthday, graduation, etc. My static wish list items are: mermaid stuff, fire king jadeite and target gift cards.

4. Don’t put anything embarrassing on your wish list. Private personal wish lists should be given to those who will buy what we actually want.

5. If you are wishing for gift that can be found online, include a link to the specific website where your future gift can be found. The easier it is to find a gift, the more likely it will be gifted to you.

6. After you have gone through all of this save your wish list and walk away. Do not e-mail it to anyone right away. Take a few days to really think about the items on your list and add or subtract as you need. You will find new things to add to your list and you will realize that you don’t really want a giant brobee doll.

Links:
• check out the colorful holiday Christmas Gift List Mind Map from creativeinspiration
• FamilyFun has a creative 2008 wishlist
• share your wish list with the world on Wishlistr

What are you wishing for this holiday season?