All I Want for Christmas....

I was at an absolute BLANK on what to write about today. I like the weekends to be on the lighter side, and I am working on research for some hard-hitting pieces. (Stay tuned- GREAT controversial topics are coming up, but the research on these things is paramount) I am cleaning my house, listening to the Glenn Beck programs that I have missed out on this week. Friday he did a show on what to get your spouses for Christmas. I am humored by all the answers, and figured I had better save you men from yourselves.

First off, women aren’t getting the point across on the whole gift-giving issue. Honestly, what women want, you men cannot buy. We want YOU to CHANGE. We want your whole gift-giving thought process to be transformed. It is ridiculous to hear men say they just don’t know what to get. This is a copout. It is a desperate plea to get a list. A list keeps them out of trouble and in the “safe zone.” A list is easy to follow and requires very little effort towards thoughtfulness. Women don’t help this. We say things like- “All women like jewelry.” Or “All women want to be pampered,” i.e.- trips to the spa, night off from making dinner, etc. WRONG! ALL WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT! Sorry guys- no easy, fix-all gift idea that puts you in the winners circle.

Let me give you an example. What I would want from my husband is to do this. Think about ME. What does Sherri like? What are her favorite things? HMMMMM. Sherri’s favorite movies are The Sound of Music, Fiddler On the Roof, and My Cousin Vinny. My favorite hobbies are fishing, politics, and writing. I also love listening to talk radio. My faves are Glenn Beck and Rush. I love President Bush, I love studying, and I love eating out. My favorite thing to do on a night out is to go to dinner and Karaoke. My favorite color is yellow and I love getting my nails done. So this is what my husband should get me:

• A sound track for Fiddler on the Roof with theater tickets to The Sound of music taped to the front of it (in a nice envelope). If The Sound of Music is not available, try Theater Gift Certificates or another show, like Annie.
• A yellow fishing pole and tackle box. If you can’t find them in yellow, put some effort into it, and paint them yellow yourself. I would CRY with joy of his dedication to give me something JUST how I would like it; especially because I would have never thought of it myself.
• My Cousin Vinny on DVD signed by Joe Pesci. Hard to come by? Try just the DVD and movie passes.
• A gift certificate to get my nails done. SEVERAL!
• A book on Bush and a picture signed by him. This is possible- just takes a little effort!
• Gift certificates to a bookstore so I can get books on politics that I like.
• Maybe a shirt from the Glenn Beck Store and a Book by Rush.
• A night out. A coupon for this. Create it yourself on the computer. It should be for a night out, at MY convenience, to the restaurant of my choice and Karaoke afterwards. This should be redeemable to be used either as a couple, or with a friend of my choice, and HE needs to be responsible for arranging childcare for this outing!
  
  All these gifts require some thought about who I am and what I like. Some of them require a little extra effort from just running to the mall. These gifts would show me he is interested in truly making me feel appreciated and thought of, not just a desperate act of a man afraid of the wrath if he gets something wrong on this holiday that forces him to feel like he MUST think of me and get me something. It is really quite simple. We want you to really care about what we want, and put some real effort into getting it for us.
  
  Since I am a single mom, I don’t want ANY of these things. Mostly what I want for Christmas is to be able to go Christmas shopping for my children and pick out their gifts myself. I want the joy of looking at the shelves and picking out the items I know they will be excited about. Part of the joy of shopping for someone I love, IS thinking about THEM and WHO they are. We women wish men felt the same way when shopping for us. Also as a single mom, what I really want for Christmas someone already gave me this month. A friend got me flowers, which made me feel like something more than JUST a mother. Being a single mom truly erases much of ANY other part of your identity. He also took my girls out for a movie and some playtime. I got a few hours to relax and take time for myself in my own home. I even got some things done without the stress of being interrupted every few moments. If you know of ANY single parents out there, this Christmas give them time to be themselves without feeling guilty!
  May God Bless You and Happy Shopping for a MERRY CHRISTMAS!