Making A List...

Oh, how Christmas Day has changed.

When our kids were little, Christmas began with letters to Santa and ended with spreadsheets for Santa’s helpers. The lists were handwritten with poor spelling and were nearly indecipherable. The spreadsheets were color-coded and practical. Someone had to keep track of who wanted what, who was fulfilling each request, and how to make sure Santa didn’t give the same gift twice, or worse yet, a gift was missed.

Santa’s Task Force

Our family has always been more of a village, as reflected in the Santa’s Helpers Google spreadsheet. There were columns for grandparents, parents, friends of the village, each one part of the covert “Operation Santa Claus”. There were sections for each kid, with columns indicating which helper was assigned to each gift, whether it had been purchased, delivered, and wrapped. It was filled with hopes and dreams, all compiled like an annual shareholders' presentation.

Christmas Chronology

In the beginning, before the kids fully understood Santa or the sheer gift bonanza available, it was easy. Then they learned the concept of ask and receive, and the floodgates opened. I still have those lists—over fifteen years’ worth. They are a time capsule in progress, documenting the journey from birth to graduation and beyond. In the early years, the gifts were simple and interchangeable. Three boys within four years of each other were perfectly content to share the Little People farm, zoo, and airport as they migrated through the living room. We even had the nativity scene. Mary and Joseph often arrived at the stable via the Little People school bus.

Product Divestiture

Matching pajamas were tolerated for several years, then eventually phased out and replaced with matching T-shirts for the obligatory photo in front of the tree. As the boys grew, their personalities emerged in their requests. One wanted anything with wings—WWII airplanes, especially. Another gravitated toward Rubik’s Cubes, Lego sets, and science kits. The third leaned toward sports gear and action figures. Popular movies influenced entire Christmases. The Cars franchise sent Santa’s helpers on a frantic search for missing characters. Oh, Rip Clutchgoneski, where are you?

The Gifts That Keep On Giving

Some toys refused to fade quietly into memory. Thomas the Tank Engine and the entire Island of Sodor dominated for years. Star Wars came and went—and came back again. Original trilogy, prequels, sequels, standalone films, and animated series. I gave up trying to track it all. What I do know is that for a very long time, lightsabers, spaceships, and action figures reliably appeared under the tree and, like Thomas, still live on as ornaments.

The Great Hamster Panic

Then there were the trends. The year of the Zhu Zhu Pets still stands out. Fake hamsters, everywhere. Santa’s helpers scrambled to find every version, terrified that Christmas would be ruined if Mr. Snuggles didn’t make it under the tree. And of course, the hamsters needed tunnels, cars, and a playhouse. I wondered if a real hamster would have been less effort.

Santa Steps Outside The Box

Sometimes the requests required creativity rather than shopping skills. One year, my five-year-old asked for a grocery store. Santa delivered a shopping cart, fake food, money, and a cash register. The living room became a fully operational market, complete with a produce section.

No Respect For The Due Date

Each boy had his own list-making style. One started months in advance and joyfully announced in July, “Only six more months until Christmas!” Experience taught us that July’s list would be obsolete by November, and nothing was final until December 20th. Still, when a last-minute request for a pogo stick appeared on the 22nd, Santa moved mountains—and the internet—to make it happen. Watching a kid bounce his way to a personal record of 100 jumps was worth every effort. Every year, we swore we would not indulge those last-minute requests, and every year, we went on the hunt again. How could you explain on Christmas morning that Santa needed all requests by the 20th? Time management was a concept that eluded a seven-year-old. To be fair, it eludes a lot of us.

We grew wiser as the years went on. No toy purchased unless it has a volume control. Batteries are placed into any toy that needs them. Each toy was unscrewed, untied, and freed from its packaging restraints so gratification could be instant and meltdowns reduced.

Leveling Up

Eventually, the Wii arrived, and we slid into the world of video games: DVDs to DS to Xbox to Nintendo Switch. Early games were family-friendly, and bowling tournaments were a holiday staple. Later came Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. Still, every year, Mario Kart and Wii Sports got dusted off and brought out of retirement, opening the door to childhood for the day.

From Toys To Transferable Funds

As the years passed, the lists grew shorter and the items more expensive. The boys who once charged down the stairs at 6:30 a.m. now had to be prodded out of bed. Cash and gift cards replaced toys. More practical, yes, but not much fun to wrap or unwrap. Still, I take pride each year in finding something unnecessary and delightfully toy-like. Something from Santa that sparks a smile and, for just a moment, brings back that childlike wonder.

In a new twist, the boys now get us gifts. Christmas is no longer one-sided. And whatever they’ve decided to wrap up for us is the best gift ever. (But seriously, the Polaroid camera was way cool.)

Different, Yet Still The Same

Click to read the story of the Tiny Tree.

Kids are bigger, the pile is smaller, but the spirit of the day remains. We still gather; the parents in comfy sweats, three young men in matching t-shirts, all awaiting the great unwrapping. The process and the gifts have evolved over the years. This year, the first present wasn’t unwrapped until well past noon, setting a new present-procrastination record. And in the end, it’s never the packages under the tree that matter as much as the people gathered around it.

Regina Stoops is a storyteller, comedian, writer, MS Warrior, and Autism Mom living with her wife and three kids in the San Francisco Bay Area. Click here to subscribe to her Normal Notes blog.