When I was in high school, the Internet was really starting to take off. Being the nerd that I was, I started charting my Christmas wish lists using Excel. Well, those days are long gone and now I’m an even bigger nerd. Luckily, there are a couple tools that satiate my thirst for that yuletide nerdery.
Amazon Wish Lists
Adding items to the list couldn’t be easier. Simply find the item you’re looking for, then click the “Add to List” button. You can create multiple lists for specific occasions or people. List management is trivial with Amazon. This is all contingent on the fact that you have an Amazon account.
The creator of the list can email the link to anyone if the list is public. You can leave comments on the item if necessary and can set priorities for items. The best thing about the Amazon list is that you can buy items for other people directly from their list without going to external sites. You can also avoid spoiled surprises by changing the setting to exclude showing items purchased during the month of December. That way, the list builder doesn’t know what they’re getting. I wish there was more flexibility in this – like the ability to set it for 2 months preceding Christmas – but overall this is my preferred method.
The convenience factor drops off significantly with this service, as the user has to enter all the details about an item manually (price, store, link, image, etc). That’s not to say this isn’t a good option – because it is. It’s got all of the major functions of the Amazon list, plus the ability to find a better deal elsewhere. If Amazon isn’t your bag, this could be a suitable alternative.
Similar to the premise of YourChristmasList.com, PleaseGetMe allows you to create lists for any occasion and add items to the list. It’s very basic; all the info you enter is the item’s name, priority, description, and approximate price. Everything else is left up to the shopper. Once you create your list, you get a link to that list and the shopper can browse it. If someone’s interested in purchasing the item for you, they can reserve it with a PIN that they create. If they don’t buy it, they can unreserve it with the same PIN. If the item is reserved, it gets crossed off the list, which ruins the surprise. Still, this is a very basic, functional site.
Spreadsheet/Notepad
If you like to kick it old school, this is a good way to create a list that you can email directly to third parties. There’s certainly no shame in using these methods, but there’s no guarantee that the person on the other end has Excel installed.
Pen and Paper
If you’re really old school, this is the way to go. There’s nothing like a completely free letter written to Santa to get you in the holiday spirit. Of course, you might get laughed at if you publicly admit to writing a letter to Santa, but this is something you can take with you and chart your wishes when they strike without being tethered to technology.
