Our Family Holiday Wishlist

In the vein of holiday_wishes, and to help a few of you who've asked-- here's my ten item holiday wishlist. :) This year is interesting because of our move last month. We were reunited with about four years of boxed clutter that includes some things we really love, like our books, and some things we have too much of because we bought duplicates or forgot we already had more-than-enough. We haven't unboxed everything yet and we're short on storage space. We already have too much stuff. We're also recovering from an expensive move and a few months of financial uncertainty with Daniel's company. So, we're planning to have a very small Yule celebration. We'd rather give than receive, so I hope you'll post your wishlists in return. You never know--we might have just what you were hoping for or needing, languishing away in a box somewhere, waiting to be loved. :) And really, we need nothing. We'd be thrilled with a letter or a recent photo. With that said, here's our family list! We prefer used, thrifted, regifted, reloved items wherever possible. :)

1. Feed the birds! After six years living without so much as a balcony, I suddenly have a yard teeming with little woodland creatures. A family of chickadees has taken up residence in a run-down birdhouse on the property and three or four pair of cardinals have been spotted flitting around in the evergreens. We have grackles and ravens and blue jays--not to mention squirrels and chipmunks and deer visiting daily. I bought a 'ranch style' hanging bird feeder which I'm stocking with an experimental rotation of seeds and feeds to see what the 'neighbirds' like best. So I'd love bird seed, dried corn, salt licks, bird baths, additional feeders, advice, recipes, peanut butter pinecones, whatever you'd like to contribute to my new friends and their winter welfare. :)

2. Paperbackswap.com Credits Most of my book collection came from Paperbackswap.com. I am frequently out of credits when a book on my wishlist is posted, so I'd love, love, love and get a ton of use out of additional credits there. Graeme loves to browse for Blue's Clues books to order there.

3. Sea Shepherd T-Shirt for Graeme Sea Shepherd, one of my favored charitable organizations, recently introduced toddler-sized t-shirts in their shop. I *so* want this one in a 4T size for Graeme.

4. Viewmaster Graeme adores his Viewmaster. We'd love to repurpose one of those big zippered CD wallets as a Viewmaster reel organizer, if you have one. We also would love additional reels, if you find or have any. Older animal or natural settings images would be the most used.

5. Glamourkin I'd love for my friends, Sarah & Jenn, to have a great season this year at their shop, Glamourkin. Whether you buy Glamourkin items for me, for yourself, or for someone else--I'd consider it a big wish answered. :)

6. Beanie Babies I'm collecting (gently) used Beanie Babies to send overseas through the AnySoldier.com project. Basically, U.S. service members who are stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq request the Beanie Babies which they distribute to local children in the course of their patrols. If you have any unloved Beanie Babies, with tags or without, in good condition and would like them to join the box I'm sending overseas, they'll be ambassadors of love to a child in a war-torn country. (Please nothing USA or religious related. I've also been told to avoid pig and shellfish Beanie Babies--so there you go. :))

7. Schleich Animals Graeme loves his collection of Schleich animal figures. He has plenty of them, no doubt, but they are all well-loved and they spend hours a day talking with each other. His favorite is a glitter and paint-speckled dinosaur figure we found in a thift store--so any condition is fair. :)

8. An Airplane Toy Graeme already has a diecast airplane--a small United jet replica, but he says he wants to have *another* airplane in his toy collection. That's the only thing he's asked for this year.

9. Pajama Program Donations Every year, I collect and donate a large number of new (with tags) pajamas and comforting story books to Pajama Program. The organization, which operates nationwide, distributes new pajamas and storybooks to children living outside of the comfort of home. Many of these children--in shelters, foster care, and group homes say these are the first pajamas they've ever owned. It gets really cold here, so warm pajamas are great. They can be any size--newborn through adult XL for the teenagers. If you'd like to send pajamas or new storybooks, make your own donation to the program directly, or suggest good, warm and wonderful storybooks for children in hard life circumstances, we'd love it. :)

10. A Fair-Trade Holiday Ornament Our favorite fair trade shop in Chicago, Greenheart, has all sorts of beautiful fair trade holiday ornaments. I'd love one, or many, to add to our tree this year! Alternatively, you could make me an ornament! :D

What's on your wishlist this year? :)