In my family, we’re wish list people. I love shopping from a wish list. It takes away so much of the stress of holiday shopping because I know exactly what my people want and I can get it for them. I don’t have a wish list to buy from for everyone on my Christmas gift list (friends, my stepdad, my sister-in-law to name a few), but knowing I only need to think about presents for a handful of people makes things a lot easier. I also don’t have to worry about buying teacher gifts or gifts for postal workers/trash collectors/etc, so that makes things easier, too. And even though we’re a wish list family, I try to find a few items for my mom that she didn’t put on her wish list. That’s one of my favorite things to do!
For a while, my family was just sharing our gift ideas in a group chat but it quickly got messy. So I found an app called Giftster where you can set up wish lists, add links to the exact items you want, and keep everything neat and organized. Other people can mark items as “reserved” or “purchased” (the gift receiver will not see anything!) so you don’t accidentally end up buying multiples of something. You can even set up lists for your pets (if you’re the kind of family that buys gifts for the pets; we definitely are). It makes things so easy! (This is not any sort of paid ad – I genuinely love and use the app!)
Okay enough about all of that. Let’s get into my Christmas wish list. Here are some of the items I added to my list this year:
1) Cycling shoes ($76) – I’m attending spin class once a week now and enjoying it a lot. I have never had cycling shoes for spin (not even when I was doing Peloton) but for some reason, I find the cage pedals on the spin bikes at my gym to be really awkward. They’re hard to fit into and then I never feel totally comfortable with my foot placement when I’m cycling out of the saddle. I didn’t do a ton of research on the best cycling shoes, but chose the Tommaso Pista cycling shoes since they have over 4,000 ratings and 4.4 stars.
2) Book Lover’s Reading Challenge ($30) – I saw this reading challenge at a bookstore and loved the idea, but I didn’t feel like paying $30 for it. Onto the Christmas list it goes! There are 25 different challenges (examples: reread a favorite book, read in a place you’ve never read before, etc.) and you get a fun prize when you complete each one.
3. Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler ($45) – I want to be a basic bitch (<– is that still the term?!) and have a Stanley like all of the other hydrated girlies, so I put one on my wish list. Plus, this water bottle is bigger than what I’ve been using so hopefully it’ll help me drink more water!
4. Water bottle holder ($26) – Speaking of hydration, how awkward is it to carry a water bottle around when you’re at an event or walking around a city? Very awkward. This water bottle holder makes things a lot more convenient. There’s even a zippered pouch and phone holder so I could use it as a makeshift purse if I needed to.
5) Reading tracker ($26) – Do I need yet another way to track my reading? (I use Goodreads, my blog, and a very detailed spreadsheet.) Probably not. But this one looks like something I very much need in my reading life. (This isn’t the one I put on my Christmas list—it’s sold out on the Etsy shop I linked to on Giftster—but it’s similar.) There’s a place to write reviews, list out the books I’m reading, fill in some reading challenges, etc.
6) Egyptian cotton pillowcases ($15-18) – This is the most boring thing on my wish list, but sometimes you need boring things. I want to upgrade my bedding with really luxurious sheets and pillowcases because having a decadent place to sleep feels like the dreamiest thing ever. These pillowcases have a 500 thread count and look so cozy! I asked for a set of king and queen pillowcases.
7) Reading pillow ($50) – I’m not sure why I added this pillow to my Amazon wish list, but it would be a lovely present to receive. I love how versatile it is – I can use it to prop up my legs when I’m reading or use it for extra back and neck support when I’m sleeping. It’s pretty expensive, but maybe I’m on Santa’s nice list this year.
8) Coffee mug warmer ($20) – Is there anything worse than taking a sip of coffee and realizing it’s cold? Yuck! This mug warmer would come in handy since I sometimes get distracted in the mornings and forget to drink my coffee in a timely manner!
9) Makeup organizer ($42) – I would use this fancy organizer for more than makeup, but also elastics, clips, claws, etc. I put this on my wish list because I want a way to showcase my makeup in an organized way. Right now, I keep it all hidden away in a bag in my closet. It’s not very well-organized, and I find myself a lot less apt to pull it out. This is quite the stack of drawers, but it is probably exactly what I need.
10) iPad ($300) – Do I think my family is going to spend $300 on me this holiday season? Absolutely not. But one day, my mom was telling me I needed to add more things to my wish list so I added an iPad just to be funny. My mom thinks I’m a real riot.
What’s on your Christmas wish list?
