My Christmas List

Before we get to my Christmas list (and it's not to get married, in case you were wondering), a quick update on a couple things:

1.) You know the Facebook group I mentioned on Tuesday's post about the bubble tea joint that was giving their customers a lot of attitude when they found cockroaches in one of their drinks? It's up to over 5300 members now - and counting. The group started on Monday. That's more than 1000 new members a day - absolutely incredible. And the discussion boards are utterly fascinating. Nothing brings people together like scandal, and scandal is such fun when you're not the party involved!

2.) Have you entered my holiday giveaway yet? If you haven't I really hope you do, because I'm giving away a superchic 2009 desk calendar and magnets from she was stunning. The winner will be announced on Monday - go apply now!!!

So yesterday I was doing what I do best - bothering my brother over MSN while he's at work, when I deftly reminded him to get me a present by asking him what he wants for Christmas, like I do every year. He unfailingly gave me his standard response:

"Oh, yeah, you have to send me your list."

You see, my brother's awesome. He never gets presents wrong because he asks me what I want and he sticks with my list. I always get so miffed at relatives who ask you to send them a wishlist and end up buying nothing on it because if they weren't going to get me what I wanted anyway, they shouldn't ask at all. And I always include items that fit all sorts of budgets, from the super modest (under $10) to, well, more expensive things.

Anyway, that was when I came to the shocking realization that I don't have a list this year. This is weird because I've always been unapologetically materialistic, being the daughter and grand-daughter of two self-identified Material Girls. Normally, by November or so, I'll have already compiled one, usually a selection from what I wanted most out of my ever-growing To Buy list, which is like a long, 7-page list of my life goals, ranging from the attainable to total fantasy items.

I can certainly refer to the list now, which I haven't really expanded for months now (also rare), but there isn't anything that I particularly want, that I'm especially hankering over. Living in glamorous poverty in Nice has sort of reduced me to this state of commercial indifference, where I can go shopping and see the most stunning things or the best deals, and not feel the urge to get it, because I'm so poor that I shouldn't be spending any money at all if I could help it. Just providing myself with necessities is already perilously close to doing me in, financially.

There's really just one thing I want this year, and it's not an actual material item, but it's something a lot more precious and sentimental. All I want for Christmas this year is to see my mom. I really, really miss my mother. And thanks to my aunt, who invited us to visit her for the holiday, I will get my one wish for Christmas, and I'm so, so excited. It's going to happen in less than a week! EEE!

Okay, all I want for Christmas is to see my mom, but I wouldn't object to some really good food either, which I'll probably come across in Japan on my trip. You see, the kitchen sink in my apartment has been completely plugged, and I absolutely refuse to cook if I can't do my dishes. So for the past week, I've been living on bananas, clementines, tea, and the occasional baguette or slice of prosciutto. It's really sad. I really miss cooked food. And when I walked into my building today and smelled someone making what I'm assuming was grilled steak, I was ready to sob into the baguette I was lugging home.

6 more days...