Holiday Wishes in 2012!

holiday_wishes is officially open! Time to break out the wishes, gifts, Holiday spirit and good cheer!

The spirit of the Holiday Wishes meme is for everyone to put their hearts' desires out there, to wish for anything they could possibly want, no strings attached. The history of how it all started can be read here.

Since we are collecting all of these lists in a single forum, we do want to keep things as fair to everyone as possible. For that, we ask that you follow a few simple rules.  These are outlined below, but you can find the complete and detailed rules and posting guidelines on the community wiki.  Everyone who posts their wish list to this community is responsible for following these rules, as well as any updates given in mod posts. 

Please note that, with the exception of mod posts, only wishlists are allowed to be posted in this community.  For general conversation, please chat in an open thread.  To thank another member for a gift, we recommend that you post in the holiday_thanks community.

When you post a wishlist, we ask...

• That you post your wishlist once, and only once. Posting your wishlist twice may result in both wishlists being deleted.
• That you keep your lists limited to no more than 10 wishes.
• That you do not modify your wishlist once it's been posted.  You may not add or change items as wishes are granted.  Also, because people often use the number of comments a wishlist has received as an indicator of the amount of attention that list has been given, do not delete or screen comments containing offers of items.
• That you only include no more than one external wishlist (i.e. Amazon) and no more than 3 types of giftcards.
• That you do not include a PayPal button or solicit general PayPal donations.  Asking for financial assistance for a specific reason (e.g. buying school textbook) is fine, but share your PayPal email address only.
• That you tag your wishlist, at minimum, with your country or continent, and preferably with the types of items that you're wishing for.
• That you do not change the default font size or color, and do not post images over 400 pixels.
• That you do not use a cut-tag unless your wishlist is unusually long or has images.  (This sounds strange, but cut-tags make it harder for wish-givers to browse the lists!)
• That for your safety, you do not post a home mailing address.   Although we will allow adults to include their home address if they choose to, we encourage you to use a P.O. Box address or to leave your e-mail address and only provide a mailing address upon request via private email to those you are comfortable giving it to.
• That you do not solicit in comments for your own wishlist.  Do not comment on someone's wishlist with a link to your own list or otherwise solicit traffic to your own wishlist, unless the original poster has explicitly asked for a link to your wishlist.

When you want to grant a wish, we ask...

• That you bookmark the wishlist of the person who's wish you're granting. That way you won't forget who wanted the last Coldplay CD, or who asked for the Battlestar Galactica icons.
• That, when mailing something through the postal service, you include some sort of identifying information with your package or card (LJ username or e-mail address) so the recipient can thank you (unless you're trying to remain anonymous). Also, be sure to use proper packaging and check local regulations for items that may not be sent through the mail.
• That you don't ask for anything in return.  This is not a gift exchange community; if you send someone a gift, they are not obligated to send one back. Also, note that no money is to be exchanged in connection with items distributed through this community. If you are selling something, please use another site.

When you receive a gift, we ask...

• That you thank the person who gave it to you directly (via e-mail or commenting on their wishlist, or their journal), and if you wish (or if the gift was anonymous) thank them publicly on an open thread or on holiday_thanks (but please remember that not everyone watches that community, so the person who sent you the gift might not receive the Thank You.)
• That you consider granting a wish in return and spread the love!

And finally, if a moderator asks you to edit your post, please listen to them. We are doing our best to keep this community fair and fun for everyone. Unfortunately, in a community of this size, this means we need to enforce our rules pretty strictly. Thank you for understanding!

If you have any problems, would like to report a problem with another community member, see a rules violation on a wishlist (i.e. someone who edited their post to include more than 10 items, or 2 wishlists that appear to be posted by the same person), please use the links on the left side of this community or contact a moderator through an open thread or e-mailing us at wishlist.project (at) gmail (dot) com.  Please do not contact moderators on their personal LiveJournal accounts.

Your moderators,

bookaddict88, twilight2000, outoftime, kindergoth, alchemia


P.S. This is your open thread for the week, so feel free to discuss anything at all in the comments!

Hi, my name is Anjali, I'm 31, and I live in Manchester, UK. I've participated in this community before and am doing so again as I don't have any family - just assholes I share genes with - and most of my friends don't even live in the same country, much less the same city, as me.

All I ask when it comes to this list is that people don't say they will do something and then not follow through on it. This has happened to me way too many times now and given the general state of my life, I can't deal with more disappointment.

One last thing before I get to the list - thank you to all who have granted me holiday wishes in the past, and thanks to everyone who has ever made someone else's holiday season a little brighter by granting a wish.

Without further ado:

No cost:

1. Sign up to be an organ donor. And make sure that your family, the people who will have to sign the papers, know that it is what you want. And even if you cannot sign up, for whatever reason, spread the message and encourage others to sign up to be potential lifesavers.

2. Art - graphics(esp. wallpapers)/fanart/pixels...
To help out with subject matter...
Wallpaper: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, CSI: NY, Teddy Bears, Space, Cute Animals - esp. Otters.
Pixels: Bears, Sheep, Hedgehogs, Otters, Owls.


Low Cost:

3. In lieu of a card, a donation equivalent to a card and postage to charity. I don't mind which charity you choose so long as it isn't:
- a religious one,
- one that is known to have bigotted views towards certain groups, or
- a women's cancer charity that indulges in pink-washing.

(In case anyone wants some ideas, I support the following: Amnesty International, Greenpeace, WWF for Nature, Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, Cystic Fibrosis Canada - Vancouver Chapter, CF Trust (UK), RNID (UK), Equilibrium (UK), Macmillan Cancer Support (UK), National AIDS Trust (UK). Local versions of these would be fine.)

4. If you live in a city or town that is cold this time of year, buy (or make, if it suits you) a pair of gloves, a pair of thick socks, a scarf or a woolly hat. Give the item/s you bought to a local homeless person.


Not particularly expensive:

5. Goldfish Crackers. Whilst we do have something similar over here in the UK, and they do taste good, I still love Goldfish Crackers more.

6. Pretty much anything Yankees related - books, DVDs, merchandise. (If you want to check to see if I have something already, you can email me.)

7. Amazon gift cards. I'm really bad at keeping my wishlist up-to-date so I thought this would be easier. Even small amounts are cool.

8. Crochet stuff. I love crocheting - and to a lesser extent, knitting - and would love anything related to that people want to send my way, but most especially yarn and patterns.
(With regards to yarn, I find working with acrylic yarn difficult as it causes irritation of the skin on my hands.)


Could happen:

9. I collect baseball bats and have been trying to get a game model DJ P72 for ages. However, Louisville Slugger don't accept orders from outside the US, so I'm adding it to my wish list in the hope that someeone will take pity on me.


I really DO wish, but maybe there is someone reading who can do this:

10. I'd totally love to get something signed by Derek Jeter. I'm not really fussed what the item is - a baseball would be cool but even if it was a postcard, I'd be happy.


I can be contacted at shaneadelic/at/gmail/./com if anyone needs to do so.

Merry Christmas, Happy Dewalli, Happy Hanukkah, a Kewl Yule & .....dang it, I'm missing one.. Kwanza! Joyous Kwanza!

This is my eighth (?) year in the community.. I grant tons of wishes every year - Usually small ones, but wishes nonetheless... I found last year's community to be pretty small.. I hope things pick up this year!

1. Click on the Hunger /Breast Cancer /Rainforest /Child Health /Literacy /Veterans /Autism /Animal Rescue site, or buy something off the site - for you... or me...

2. Snail mail.. be it a letter or a festive holiday season Greeting card (I do the Christmas thing, but not everyone does), or a Birthday Card come August (my birthday is the 27th), whatever the message or religious affiliation.. Non-English languages are cool too, but pls include a translation!

3. Coins.. I know there are collector coins in Canada & the States, so those would be great, plus any non-Canadian, preferably coinage..

4. Plushies.. any type of stuffed toy

5. Books.. whatever might be on my amazon list..( & this ebook, The Custom of the Army that I can't add to my wish list) List includes books by J D Robb, Diana Gabaldon, Farley Mowat, The Left Behind Series, pet health, etc..

6. Check out my website at http://www.KelliAEllis.com

7. Small Toys & treats for my Puppy (http://www.LillyThePuppy.com).. She goes through them like there is no tomorrow..

8. Women's boxers.. 3x/4x

9. Home Hade Christmas Decorations

10. Subscription to Cesar Millan's magazine.



My Additional Two Cents..

Remember ~ if you receive a gift, Say Thank You!!

IMO big items deserve a Personal Thank You.. do so after you receive the item so the sender knows it's been received.. ...I have been disappointed in the past with the few thank yous I've received for gifts I've sent, esp the DVD I sent to England a few years back..

Request about tags.. pls include your country & continent.. I dunno about others, but I search by country & for those over the pond, by continent. Also include, as listed, your wishes, like mine will include stuff like cards, coins, recipes, etc..

Also keep an eye on your spam boxes; I've had wishes go awol in there

Leave me a link to your wish list, so I might be able to reciprocate..

My addy is here
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I am happy to see this community again, and can't wait to get to other people's lists! I forget how long I've been participating, but a couple years at least.

Contact: I can't post my home address this year, but if you message me on LJ, comment on this post, or e-mail me at greenwickpress@gmail.com, I will get back to you ASAP.

Here is a little about me: I am an FtM transgender pagan/atheist artist who organizes books for a living. I love crafting, puppetry, gardening, small cute animals, and my fiancé. I am a huge fan of decoration, and adore all things decorative baking. (Sprinkles and frosting ftw!)

TANGIBLES

1. Holiday Mail: Cards and postcards! Secular or pagan would be most appreciated. Sparkly and glittery are my favorite. :) I string these up on the wall every year, which is always my favorite decoration.

2. Stamps - I love to send cards, and this would help immensely.

3. Unscented Candles - Candlelight is warm and relaxing, and helpful during this time of year when the sun goes down so early.

4. Decorative food supplies (gluten free if edible) - Food is something everyone needs to eat, so I have made decorating it my hobby. Anything for decorating or shaping food would be awesome.

5. Craft supplies - I am part of a puppet making team, and I also love crafting and costuming in general. Anything would be awesome!

6. Emergency Gluten Free/lactose free food supplies: I have emergency food supplies for my fiancé and I, but our gluten sensitive, lactose free roommate won't be able to eat it. Auguson Farms is the brand I already have, but it doesn't have to be from there. We would get the most out of baking mixes/flours, and cold also use meat/vegetarian meat substitute, vegetables or fruits.


INTANGIBLES

7. Watch The Story Dragon My fiancé, roommate and I have started a puppet show online, called The Story Dragon. You can check out the first episode here. We are planning on expanding the project in the future.

8. Be kind to your local anxious person: Nearly every job I've had has involved one or more people assuming I was rude and standoffish, and I can not express how hard that has made things for me. I am lucky to have received a diagnosis and treatment for my social anxiety this year, but I could easily have gone my whole life not knowing what was wrong and how to fix it. So please, before you assume a quiet, awkward, weird coworker is snobbish and rude, consider whether they might just be anxious.


CHARITY

9. Food Bank - Please consider donating some special diet items to your local food bank. It is so helpful and uplifting. Also, check with your local food bank about expiration dates. Most canned goods are good for 3 years past the sell by date, but many people just toss them. Instead of doing that, consider donating.

10. Heifer International - They do awesome work.



Have a beautiful winter season, everyone! (And thanks, Mods, for the awesome job you all do to keep everything fair ad running smoothly!)

Hi everyone,
Well the comm faq says you should try honey rather than vinegar but here's a purely selfish wishlist.

1. Commission work
If you are interested, this is my pricelist and here are samples at my sketchblog
If you need more clarification or would like to discuss, feel free to lj message me or email me at feignedsobriquet@gmail.com . I will also do trades for items on my wishlist: http://www.wishlistr.com/eel/ particularly the hd adapters

2. Sales for my friends: sparkles and fuzzies and wire wrapped jewellery. If you make jewellery, there's also a supply shop for you to peruse!

3. Please make a donation to an animal shelter in your area or one online. Food, toys, litter or volunteer your time. Please please spay your pets, it leads to an overall healthier life for them as well!

4. While I would love to have holiday mail, I have to refrain and hope instead that the dollar you would use in postage could please be made as a donation to my Paypal for a new/refurbished mac mini(my pipe dream). My current mac is a hand-me-down G4 that I have had for close to ten years, and it's finally tottering towards the pearly gates. (Let me give you an idea of how old it is, it has trouble loading standard view for gmail, ahahahah, sorry I have to laugh or I would cry) it has died and my backup has died and I am using the computer service at the library.
If you had like to even tip me a dollar to that goal, I would truly appreciate it as pretty much all my savings are being channeled towards medical bills (I have SLE, arthritis and fibromyalgia and have been unable to get a full time job since I graduated or get disability approved) Having this little extra to help would be amazing.
My paypal email is feignedsobriquet@gmail.com

Thank you for reading!

edit:updated the link to my friend's shop as she made a storenvy

I've been rather ill of late but I'm going to be trying to grant wishes to be less isolated, don't know how successful I'll be though. Hopefully I'll be able to grant some! Anyway, here's my list in absolutely not particular order:

1. I'm modding My Little Ponies from the current friendship is magic series, I'd be very interested in receiving any my little ponies or accessories (clips, brushes, outfits etc) from the current (friendship is magic) generation that you don't want or to small ponies from previous generations (I don't really have much interest in the fall sized ponies from early generations but the small, moulded with no hair ponies would be interesting.

2. I'm part of a campaign for getting better facilities and acceptance for non-binary-gendered people (i.e. people who's gender is neither male or female), and also intersex people. My wish would be for you to have a look at our website and if you are willing you help by a) request that a individual toilet facility near you is made gender neutral, b) a form that you are aware requires a binary gender has either that question removed or includes an "other" gender option or c) contact us if you would like to help out in some other way - the correspondance email is contact@totb.org.uk, help with getting a nicer webdesign especially appreciated.

3. I'd love any stories, icons, art, homemade items etc, will help with isolation and I enjoy things that other's have made. Things I love include: cats, AtLA, Korra, Friendship is magic (though preferably nothing too negative) and all things Japanese. You can get more of an idea of my tastes at my pinterest (which I hope to add more to over time).

4. I'm involved in setting up libraries at my local student union for both LGBT+ people and disabled people. These are open to everyone and designed to provide a safer space for people to access books and resources that they wouldn't otherwise do. The LGBT+ library was started when the trans rep who was a close friend of mine committed suicide just over a year ago and is run in his name. I'd love any suggestions for either of these or donations for them - as money or resources. The current catalogues are linked above. There should be contact details there but I believe it's lgbt-librarian@cusu.cam.ac.uk and disabled-librarian@cusu.cam.ac.uk. If you'd like to donate and don't know which the Disabled Students' Library is in need of resources.

5. Awesome access advice (and actual access devices). I'm a wheelchair user and would love to be given and pointers to nifty devices people have found that makes life a lot easier. I'd particularly be interested in any innovative ideas for communication when talking isn't possible.

6. Almost anything Japanese themed. I visited year for the first time and only ended up loving the place more and wanting to stay for longer. If you live in Japan or visited I'd love a postcard.

7. Interesting fabrics, knitting supplies and other art material - I want to do more art, both in terms of the my little pony projects and in general, and in terms of learning to knit again, I'd be really interested in anything you've got hanging around and don't want for me to use in various projects.

8. Cards/contact/care packages - I'm currently very socially isolated due to illnesses - both physical and mental - receiving cards and other things in the post or emails - especially if you don't mind short responses if I'm not up to more would be very helpful for feeling less alone. Please no cards that are very strongly christian/evangelical please.

9. Have a look at my photos at http://numberland.artician.com/ - comment if you want to - I am wanting to take and post more photos and this would be useful encouragement/feedback!

10. Pinterest wishlist board (can be used both specific requests or a general idea of what I like).

( Cut of my access recommendations - this bit only I may add ideas for other's if I think of anything I should include but have missedCollapse )

Hi all! I'm baaaaaack (I know, you're all "who is THAT?") ... but I digress. :)

I'm Demmie, long-time listener, first time caller.

Okay I kid, I kid. I blame the coffee. Or lack thereof.

I'm Demmie, 40-something mom here in central Florida. Been a member since more or less the inception of this cray experiment, and it's become a tradition for myself, my husband, and my chilrens. We make it a habit to anonymously fulfill at least ten wishes a piece before we dive on in. Good habit to get into :)

No sob story. I'm an acerbic person by nature, but I've learned to take everything life throws at me, no matter what the circumstances, as a lesson to be learned, and to grow. And while I don't always succeed, I've found myself a better person by following that philosophy. Sure, it's been a rough year, but instead of pouring out my soul about all that's gone wrong, I choose to focus on the awesome, no matter how small. And that's what I impart upon my kids, the feeling of, no matter what's going on in your life, it instantly improves by doing something unexpected for someone else. <3


Okay so... Joel McHale style.... here's...casting these to the wind and see what happens, if anything.

THE LIST

1. If you do nothing on this list, please check out this post by my husband. I've been pretty consumed with this project since July, and we have 19 days left. I'm biting my nails and trying hard to not believe that we won't make the goal for my little girl. But it's tough. There's a Facebook that you can like and share (with some words of encouragement maybe?), a Twitter you an follow and retweet stuff (we could use the help), a Youtube you can subscribe to (lots of videos), and then of course, the Indiegogo. Even if you don't find it in your heart to contribute (ANY amount helps, really), please share with someone who can, maybe, with some words of your own added. I do try so hard to stay positive, but well, watch the video on the Indiegogo page, and you'll see what I mean. Any help at all would be ... awesome.

Besides, tomorrow is GIVING TUESDAY. True story. Don't believe me? http://givingtuesday.org/ <-- Check it :) Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday <3

Edit: And just for the record, I know it says we made the goal. No, we actually didn't. If you read the page, it'll tell you why while we cleared the big hurdle, we still need your help.

2. Bpal, especially bath oils. My fave scents are the dark/foody scents like Creepy or Bite Me, and I have recently fall heavily in love with the bath oils. I would LOVE to start getting some of those... *drooool* *twitch*

3. Cat toys. You see, we recently lost our very beloved and darling Akita suddenly a couple months ago. Our family hasn't recovered, and won't for a while. For the kids, we did adopt a kitten to help them get through it (and it's helped wonders), and she goes through cat toys pretty quickly. Anyone who is willing to contribute some cat toys, that would be awesome. Kittens get bored so easily, so we have to constantly get her new stuff :)

4. Pay it forward. When you go to Starbucks, pay for the stranger behind you. Or pay the toll for a few cars behind you on the road. Anonymously take care of a check for a random family at a restaurant. That sort of thing. It's +50 karma points every time you do it, you know :)

5. My Tassimo Hot Beverage maker saves my LIFE (and probably lives around me). Any Tassimo T-discs of coffee, espresso, cappucino, etc. My lifeblood.

6. A Magic Bullet. I eat like crap, and am a creature of comforts. I was eating MUCH healthier and hooked on the Smoothie train when I had a Magic Bullet. It died on me recently, and my habits have suffered for it. :(

7. For each of you to grant ten wishes in this community. You know, pay it forward.

8. A coffee mug that says "Good Morning, Gorgeous!" That would be amazing.

9 and 10? Well, see above :)

If you find it in your heart to want to fulfill a wish? demmigoddess at gmail dot com with the subject "holiday wishes"

Thanks so much for reading :)

Happy happy! *throws confetti*

Hi, I'm Rebecca! I'm 35 from NYC, and I've been a mod here for (I think?) 4 years now! I'm a college student in my senior year and work part time at a movie theater.

1. Wishlist: Anything from my Amazon Wishlist
2. Giftcards for: Target, Starbucks, Amazon
3. Christmas cards! Getting cards during the season always helps to cheer me up!
4. So much of the area around me was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Please consider donating to the Red Cross' Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.
5. Stealing this idea from someone here: Send a card to a recovering soldier. Find information on the program here and send your card to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

6. Anything owls, turtles or elephants.
7. Winter hats. I can never decide on one to buy, and my head is always cold ;P
8. Watch Cougar Town - it returns to TBS in January and I would love if more people discovered this AMAZING show!
9. Perspective: Try (though I know it can be difficult) to realize that sometimes in life the bad things are just necessary steps to the good things. When I was laid off, it was horrible, but it eventually led to me going back to school, and now I think it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Have patience - good things don't always happen easily or smoothly.
10. Surprise me! (aka I am out of ideas lol)

Thank you so much in advance!

( my addressCollapse )

Hi everyone! My wife and I have been members of this community more or less since the whole thing began. We love doing this every year, and our kids have especially enjoyed helping others.

This year, I only have one thing to ask of you.

Please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/goteamrobin

Our daughter, Robin, has cerebral palsy. Her current wheelchair is in a ridiculously awful state, and we've been fighting the state and insurance for ages, so we decided to take matters into our own hands to get her what she so desperately needs. We discovered a power standing wheelchair, which would really give her a new lease on life and open a whole new world of opportunities for her. Her oldest sister, Lisa, spearheaded a campaign for her (a video she recorded for it is at the above listed indiegogo site), which we call "Team Robin". We have the social media network covered, from Tumblr, to Facebook, to Twitter, to Youtube (all listed at http://www.goteamrobin.com). We've been at this since August and we have 26 days left in the campaign, and we could use some help. ANY AMOUNT would help. All we ask is that you visit the page, check out the campaign, and if you find it in your heart to contribute something to help Robin, fantastic! If not, please just pass on the link (accompanied with a few words) to help us realize this dream for Robin. Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Tumblr. If you keep up with the Facebook, you'll see updates and all sorts of awesome stuff going on.

That's all I want for Christmas, for Robin's story to be heard, and just maybe... this dream for her be realized.
Thank you, everyone, and Happiest of Holidays to you :)

Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. (Well, in my opinion, it's a bit early for all the songs and decorations--it's not even Thanksgiving here in the US!--but it's never too early for the spirit of giving, gratitude, and joy!)

I'm a math teacher and tutor, and spend most of my time these days developing an individualized curriculum to use in my remedial math class, as well as in the future. Someday, I hope to have my curriculum completed and be financially stable enough to use it part of the time to volunteer as a tutor for underprivileged children. There's nothing better than seeing a child's confidence grow as he or she realizes, "Yes, I CAN do math!"

That being said, I'm afraid several of my wishes have to do with math or teaching, lol. Bear with me. It's my entire life these days, it feels like.


1. Program me a piece of software? This is, perhaps, an unusual request. It's also one borne of desperation. I spend four hours every weekend creating homework and quizzes for the following week. Each piece of homework and each quiz is individualized, customized to what that child has mastered. None can be reused another week or for another student. I'm using tables upon tables in Writer documents to keep track of which questions I've used for which child when. What I really need is a custom-built piece of software that's a combination database and frontend, allowing me to mark which concepts a child has mastered and randomly generate a specified number of questions (which it will pull from the database that I've stocked), dumping them into a document and leaving me with no more work than the formatting. My entire family would thank you; they would prefer to see more of me on a weekend (and less of the stressed me too!). There's nothing else out there, as far as I know, that will work with the curriculum I'm developing--it has to allow the specific categorization of questions that my curriculum uses. I typed up a document of specs here if anyone would like to see it. I've had one person do some plotting out of it, but they ended up with 60+ hour workweeks soon after and haven't had time to work on it since. I don't suspect I will see it any time soon from them, but they'd probably be happy to collaborate if you use a repository of some sort and want to synch code.

2. Program me a different piece of software? Yes, another piece of software! This one is less necessary, but very much desired by me--and several friends, when I described it to them. I have yet to find a music player/organizer that has separation of genre labels vs. tags, multi-genre labeling, filtering on said labels, etc., all of which I very much want in a music player. So I typed up a 14-page document describing what I thought it should do (plus a few sketches which are tucked away in a drawer). I also have old code that a boyfriend started for the program, but never polished beyond the basic engine and one or two columns in the library.

3. Any math workbooks you haven't used? I'll always keep my eye out for a useful math workbook. I don't use lesson plans so much, since everything is individualized (I can teach a concept on the fly), but I do collect workbooks and worksheets (textbooks too, to a lesser extent, but workbooks are more useful). I have an electronic collection already, but I'll always take more. I never know when I'll spot the perfect page of practice to help a concept sink in. I can't create them all myself, lol.

4. Any mechanical puzzles you have laying around? Used or new, I'll take anything suitable for elementary children up through 8th grade (13 to 14 years old). You can see some examples of said type of puzzles here. If you only have something harder, feel free to send it my way anyway! My students will pay me (via my classroom's "currency" system) for the opportunity to willingly put themselves through that sort of torture--those puzzles seem to have that sort of grip on children. Something about the physicality of it, maybe. Either way, I don't mind stretching their brains. :D

5. Donate to ADRA. It's a development and relief agency that goes into countries after a disaster--and stays there for years to help the infrastructure recover. They're also involved with everything from protecting vulnerable girls in Asia against sex trafficking, to digging wells for villages without clean drinking water, to providing goats and chickens to families to help them with food and income, to feeding, sheltering, and educating children all over the globe (orphans in Ghana, street children in Kazakhstan or Moldova, Tanzanian children with albinism, etc.). The easiest way to give is through their Really Useful Gift Catalog--you can pick the project that appeals to your heart the most and give specifically to that one.

6. Got any old hymnals, particularly shape note books? In the last year I have learned about shape note singing (also called fasola or Sacred Harp singing, after a common book in the tradition), and I love it! I currently have both the Denson and Cooper revisions of The Sacred Harp (I'll have the newest Cooper edition in just a couple months), but none others. If you're having to choose between a four shape or a seven shape book, four shape is my preference, but I want to collect seven shape books too so if that's what you have and you want to share, please do! And if the hymnal is a plain old ordinary round note (and you're wondering, just what IS this shape note stuff?), I'll gladly take anything published before the 1900s, no matter what shape the notes are. (If you can't bear to give up your beloved shape note book, I understand, truly, I do--and you're welcome to tell me about it, lol.)

7. Write me a fic! You can find my Dear Yuletide Writer letter here (which discusses Sue Thomas F.B.Eye, Stick It, and Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain), if you know anything about that challenge, but I'd also happily take fic for Rizzoli & Isles, X-Men movieverse (first two movies only), Narnia (bookverse only), or The Pretender. Feel free to ask me about my view of the canons in question--I have previous DYW letters for R&I and The Pretender, and will gladly talk about my love for any of the fandoms!

8. Doc, the TV show? This is the TV series starring Billy Ray Cyrus as a doctor. My mom LOVED it when it was on, and would love to see it again. I managed to find the first season but don't have the rest of the show.

9. Sew me a skirt? I have a jean skirt that I absolutely adore. It's super long, very full (I can sit cross-legged and the skirt goes over and around my legs entirely), and swishes wonderfully if I twirl around (plus the jean fabric makes it wearable and very comfortable for long periods of time, where I normally am ready to get out of skirts pretty quickly). Unfortunately, the elastic waistband is gone, and the stitching is such that it would be a nightmare to repair. I kept it because I hope to someday find a skirt like that, but I've never seen anything remotely similar in any store I've been to (I probably got it at Goodwill originally). I'd be happy to provide necessary measurements and whatnot (the cut is very plain so it's not horribly complex), but I am so swamped that even if I could stand to try sewing (it drives me up the wall, lol), there's no way I could find the time to create this. I have an aunt who could do some alterations if it were too large, but she doesn't have the time to create something new like this, which is why I haven't gotten a replacement in the many years I have had to do without wearing it. (Thankfully I haven't changed in size in the meantime, so it would still fit perfectly.)

10. Something from my Amazon wishlist? This request is a Holiday Wishes tradition for me, lol. I don't care if items are used--if they qualify for used on Amazon, they're in good enough condition for me. (I also don't care if you go through Amazon or not to get anything on there.) Feel free to surprise me! Wishlist is here.

My e-mail address is doranwen-AT-yahoo-DOT-com (hopefully that will avoid some of the bots skimming for e-mails). I don't mind being surprised--feel free to ask for my address, and I will not ask what you're sending me unless you decide to volunteer it. :D

Hi everyone! I'm glad a friend reminded me about this community, I haven't posted here in a few years.

I'm Revé. I'm 27 years old and currently live in the Chicagoland area.

Introduction: Well...let's just say that the one upside to the year/life I've had is that I'm finally fully inspired to write a series of amazing memoirs, as I've been encouraged to do for years. Keep a look out for the If I were you, I wouldn't believe me either series, written in English and Spanish, coming to an Amazon site near you. I've said quite a few times that the upside to a bad situation is a good story...and I have 3 books worth of interesting stories to tell and lessons to impart from them.


Now that I've thoroughly introduced myself, here is my wishlist...


1. Amazon wishlist. Some items I state that I would actually prefer used.

2. Pretty much anything that is a shade of purple, is sparkly, or has glitter. Purple has always been my favorite color...and I like sparkly/glittery things, as much as I don't like to admit it lol

3. Materials (books, pdfs, etc) to teach English or Spanish to non-native speakers

4. Chocolately/sugary foods - This is particularly delicious if you'd like a suggestion (I bought it with a Groupon once) and located in Chicago, so if you wanted to get this for me you could tell me to pick it up myself to save you money on shipping. That's what I did anyway when I bought the Groupon ;-)

5. Giftcards - Visa, Walmart, Target, for myself and my parents

6. Educational/Job/Career Advice - I'm looking to possibly get an online MPH degree at University of Illinois at Chicago and a CELTA certification with the intentions of studying and working overseas simultaneously. I'm hoping to be able to do the CELTA course in Boston in winter/spring next year as my sister goes to school in the area, so in theory I could stay with her for that month and save money. Any advice you can give me related to this would be appreciated, especially regarding finances and other logistics (e.g. how can I fund an online master's degree aside from loans since assistantships would not be an option)

7. Care package - toiletries, homemade stuff if you're crafty/artistic/etc, packages of things for a family with young children, whatever you would like

8. Surprise me - whatever you feel like sending via postal mail or email

9. Advice on a guy - we live 4000+ miles away from each other, both broke, trying to figure out how to [hopefully/possibly] be together and start a family; he's why I'm working on #6

10. Good thoughts/prayers sent my way - here's hoping that next year is better than this one


You can message me at profe.reve [at] gmail.com if you want. I'll reply to you from either that email address or my main email, as the above gets forwarded to it :-)

Hey there, I'm Sasha, a 28 year old Australian queer pagan and almost-graduated politics student. I live in Western Australia. I feel like this year has gone really fast, but I'm glad it's going to be over soon. I haven't worked since January, and I'm missing the Awesome Power of Having Money in my bank account. I'm keen to have this degree finished so I can start working fulltime again and earn some proper money.

I think this might be my fourth? time participating in holiday_wishes, and I've had such a great time with it. I'm not sure how many wishes I might be able to grant this year, because finances are really tight right now, but I'm still going to try anyway. I love granting wishes, so if you're granting one of mine, feel free to leave a link to your own list so I can see if I can return the favour. <3

1) Snail Mail
Holiday cards, letters, pen pals, postcards, small gifts, random mail, I'm happy to accept all of them if you're interested in sending me something. Holiday-wise, I celebrate Christmas and Midsummer/Litha, and my birthday is Dec 27, so I'm happy to accept cards/mail/letters/etc for any or all of those holidays/occasions as well. If you like, feel free to include a return address so I can send a card/letter back.

2) Amazon wishlist
Used is more than fine, and if you already have anything on there that you're willing to pass on, I'm happy to accept it too. This is the wishlist I'm passing on to my family as well, so please mark things as bought/purchased so I don't end up with duplicates.

3) Rayon scarves
I use rayon scarves as head coverings/veils for my religious practice. I already have green, black, and blue coloured ones, but I'd love a few more colours like reds, oranges, yellows, purples, white, gold/silver, etc, or even just ones with nice patterns.

4) Gen I and Gen II Pokémon figurines
I got some of these last year, and I'm always up for more. Totodile and Marowak are my favourites, but I'll take any from these two generations, if you've got any to spare, large or small.

5) Beads
I'm starting to get into beading again, and I'd love to increase my stock of beads so I can make religious jewellery and prayer beads. Small round wooden beads (of any colour) and gemstone chips/beads are preferred.

6) Coloured unscented pillar candles
I'd really like some unscented pillar candles in either red, blue, yellow/orange, green, purple, and/or pink. I can find white candles no problem at the supermarket, but coloured ones are harder to find, particularly ones that aren't scented because scented candles can trigger migraines for me.

7) Japa mala beads for Ganesha
I've been working with Him for years, but never managed to get any proper mala beads. I'd really like some sandalwood ones, sans crystals, but any basic wooden ones would do. I don't need anything fancy, just something I can use for mantras and meditation.

8) Brian Jacques' Redwall books
He's one of my favourite authors, and I adore this series. I have five at the moment, namely "Eulalia!", "Mossflower", "Mattimeo", "Martin The Warrior", and "Outcast of Redwall". I'd love some more, but I never seem to see them in bookshops anymore, so if you happen to find any going cheap, send 'em my way. I will happily rehome used and/or second-hand books as well. <3

9) This statue of Ra Horus Khonsu
Apparently this is the statue Ra wants me to get for Him. He doesn't seem to want anything else, and believe me, I've looked. Yes, I know it's Khonsu. He knows that too. He still wants it anyway. *irrational Gods are irrational*

10) This statue of Hestia
It's not the one I really want, but the one I really want just won't fit in my shrine at the moment, so I'd rather get one that does fit for the time being until such time as I have more room available for shrines and the money to buy bigger statues.


Email me at ibdjehutyATgmail.com with 'holiday_wishes' as the subject for contact details.

Hello everyone! I forget how many years I've been posting here (three or four?) but I'm always excited to come back and see what wishes I can grant as well as post a wishlist of my own. I'm Nashay. I'm a 28 year old artist who is currently two semesters into an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts degree at Goddard College. I am in love with all things paint and fiber, and lots of other things besides. Onto my list!

Teas. Whether it is in bags or looseleaf, I love tea and have been wanting to try new varieties. 
Tea mug with infuser. Something like this one, for loose-leaf teas.
Yarn. I'm a new-ish knitter and have been wanting to build my stash. I have no fiber allergies and am still experimenting to find out my favorite fiber types. I would really love this blanket kit.
Knitting Needles. Specifically, Knit Picks nickel-plated interchangable circular knitting needles.
Gift Certificates to Dick Blick (art supplies), Knit Picks and Loop (yarn).
Academic Advice. As I mentioned above, I am currently a grad student in the arts. My research interests are truly interdisciplinary; I am researching monologue and storytelling, feminism, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender, and LGBT culture in African American communities. My primary media are painting, printmaking, and mixed media. I'd like to apply for a Fulbright grant someday, as well as get a Ph.D in Africana Studies (I'm most interested in Brown University's program, because of its interdisciplinary nature). But how do I get to those goals from where I am now?
Website Design Help. I have no portfolio website. None of the template based sites I've seen seem quite right. Can you help me design something that would be just right for me, that I could learn to maintain?
My Amazon.com Wishlist. Used is fine, as are Kindle versions of books (if available).
Candy and chocolates from everywhere! Nothing with coconut, dark chocolate, licorice or banana flavoring please.
LGBT pride stuff. Buttons, pins, jewelry, whatever! I'm really proud of the person I am, why not show it?

If you'd like my address, please send me a PM. Thanks everyone and happy holidays to you and yours!

Hello, everyone!  This is my second year participating and I can't wait to see everyone's lists go up so I can start gifting. :)

My name is Kei, I'm genderqueer, and I live in BC, Canada.  I'm currently on disability assistance and live with my 17 year old tuxedo cat and friend/roommate.  I lost my best friend last month and am hoping to both give and receive a lot of love over the holidays to help deal with the loss and keep some positivity in my life.

For all material gifts, I am more than happy to accept used items and give them a wonderful home. :)

1. Something from my Neopets wishlist, which can be found here, in the All On Me section: http://www.neopets.com/userlookup.phtml?user=kei_blossom.  I have both Neopoint and Neocash items listed, all varying in cost from cheap to super expensive.


2. Badges or badge albums gifted to my Pogo account pogo.com/profiles/Blysse.  I'm a total badge addict and spend all of my gems on them!


3. A new-to-me computer.  My current desktop is a franken-puter made from parts which are mostly about a decade old.  My OS is Windows 2000, I have 254MB of RAM, and I only have 40GB of harddrive space.  To be honest, my computer's probably not going to last much longer and I don't have the money to replace it.  A new-to-me computer would be wonderful, even if it's just an upgrade to Windows XP and a bit more RAM.


4. Stuffed animals!  Big, small, new, old, cats, dogs, bears, or any animal you can think of.  I absolutely love plushies and my bed is covered in them. :)


5. Send me something tasty from where you live!  I have no allergies and dislike spicy foods, but everything else is fair game~


6. This Izaya Orihara figure made by Alter/Altair.  But if any Izaya figure/toy/merchandise shows up on my doorstep, I'll be just as excited! :D


7. Gift cards for Subway [I'm not sure if the American cards will work up here in Canada?].  It's my favorite fast food place and there's one just down the street from me.  I'd love to be able to have some more subs!


8. Art of my fursona--anything from a simple, silly doodle to a super fancy full-colored digital painting!  PM me or comment and I can give you some references of him to work with. :)


9. Anything Hello Kitty-related.  I collect HK stuff and would love to add to my collection~  Drawings, icons, toys, cards, food, clothing--if it exists, I want it, lol!


10. Please, donate to your local foodbanks.  If you can, do so year-round--help isn't just needed during the holidays.  I, myself, rely on my local foodbank to get by.  I go there as often as I'm allowed, all year long, and donations tend to run thin during the Spring and Summer months.  Also, please consider donating things aside from the usual canned beans and tuna.  Many families use foodbanks and need baby food and diapers.  People are in need of toiletries and pet food.  If you wish to donate pet food, I strongly urge you to give cat food--every foodbank I've been to always has piles and piles of dog food, but rarely anything I can bring home for my cat.

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Re-posting your wishlist or posting two wishlists under different LJ usernames is strictly forbidden and will be dealt with accordingly.

The moderators always do their best to keep on top of any re-post problems, but this can be difficult since it involves triple-checking information, making inquiries, etc. If you think that you have come across a wish list that has been double posted, please report it in a comment here, and the moderators will deal with it as soon as possible.

We'd also like to take this moment to remind everyone what this community is about -- as it says in the original meme:

The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

This community is about people being nice enough to try and help grant wishes - not place for people to try and take advantage of someone else's generosity with greed and neediness. Everyone gets one post. Everyone has the chance to make that post more accessible using tags (see Adding Tags To Entries if there is still confusion about how to do this or if you want to request a tag). Please do not let greed ruin the holiday spirit for others.

Comments are currently public. Once a mod has dealt with the situation in question, it will be screened (this may take several hours.)

Have you lost a list? Told someone that you'd send them something and forgot their username? Hard drive crash and lose your bookmarks?

Post here, and maybe others can help you out!

There is a link to this post in the community sidebar. Try to check in here every once in a while to see if someone might be looking for you, or someone you know!

Why Tag?
Tagging is a quick way for others to be able to find your wishlist, and also makes it easier for you to browse through wishes other people have made. There are tags for the sorts of wishes you've made, where you're from, which holiday you celebrate, when you posted your wishlist, and what the first letter of your username is.

If you look at the main page of the community, you will see a section of links on the left and more tags on the right. By adding tags you can make your wishlist accessible to others when they choose to browse the wishlists using the various tags. All it takes is a few mouse clicks and you can add your wishlist too.

How to Tag
On the screen where you edit your post, simply click on the blue link that says either "Select" or "Select Tags", and choose the tags that apply to your post. You can also go to the "Edit Tags" link from your post, and choose your tags from there.  Do not manually type the tags. Because members may not add tags, if a tag you manually enter does not match one of the preset ones, it will not appear.

Tag Categories
Please tag your wishlist using at least one tag in each of the following categories:
1. Continent
2. Country - Using these tags will make it easier for people closer to where you live to grant wishes for you if they only wish to mail things out within their own country. If there is no tag for your country yet, please don't be offended - let us know here via comment and we'll gladly add it to the Tags list!
3. Username - Tagging your wishlist by the first letter in your username will make it so that people searching for your wishlist will have a better chance of finding it if they remember your username.
4. Holidays - Which winter holiday(s) do you celebrate?
5. Week - Tag your post with the week in which you posted it. This helps if people lose the link to your wishlist and remember about when you posted it, or if they want to grant posts that are a certain number of weeks old.
6. Category - This helps people find wishlists that include certain types of wishes.

NOTE: Please do not use any of the tags preceded by an exclamation point (!), as those are mod tags.

Requesting New Tags
You can view all of the Wishlist Tags - here. If you are unable to find a tag that fits your wishes, please feel free to comment on this post and make a suggestion. We'll try to accommodate your needs as soon as we can.

That's right, it's that time of year again!

The official opening date of the holiday_wishes community for the 2012-2013 holiday season will occur on:


Saturday, November 10, 2012


Stay tuned for more information!  And consider this your open thread for the week, so chat about anything you'd like in the comments while you wait for our opening!

Hey everyone. I discovered this community last year and I am still in love with it.
Here's my wishlist for this year.


1. Pens. I love to collect pens, so if any has any pens, I will happily accept them.

2. Notebooks. I love collecting notebooks as well, so any would be nice.

3. Some Uncharted icons would be nice.

4. Indiana Jones DVD's. Any one of them would be nice.

5. Movie posters, particularly from Sherlock Holmes.

6. Anything Uncharted related, besides the games, I already own the games.

7. Holiday cards.

8. Mystery Science Theater 3000 related stuff.

Okay, I can't come up with ten, sorry. I hope you all have a lovely holiday!

Contact info: please contact me at ciprianocms@gmail.com and I'll give you my address.