We Lost Our Money Tree Crop This Year

D & E came over to spend the weekend with us.  It's always great to spend time with them, but especially as the holidays are approaching.  I love asking them what they want for Christmas.  I play a little game each time I ask.  I try to guess how many things will change on the list and how much the bottom line rises.

For instance, a couple years ago E and I were in the kitchen and I asked her what she wanted.  She informed me she wanted a Wii.  Because they were new that year and the chance of me fighting in a Black Friday line to get one of those was slim, I asked if there was anything else.  She looked around the kitchen, saw the trash can and said she would indeed also like a trash can for Christmas.

The lists for both girls tends to change with their surroundings.  I'm sure if we were at the zoo they would HAVE TO HAVE a tiger or something equally non-domestic.

Last year D wanted a cell phone, laptop and her own room.  It ended being a $42,000 list (with renovations) for her last year.

This creates several issues.  Mainly that we have no idea what to tell the family to get them if they ask.  Not to mention we have no idea what to get them.  I like to ask multiple times because a garbage can is totally within the budget and it takes 10 times of asking to get that affordable, if not practical item on the list.

This year the stakes have totally gone up.  Granted the year D wanted her own room still goes as the largest sum total for the list, but if I've learned anything, it's that I cannot assume I've seen it all.

Here are the lists this year:

D
1.  A mechanical puppy to play with at our house because then Zoe wouldn't get bit.  Specifically she would like one with a bunch of wires on the inside that she can control with a glove-like controller.
2.  A pet fish.  (Thankfully N squashed this idea right away.)
3.  $200 worth of gift certificates to the mall.
4.  Cell phone, but one that flips or slides because those are the coolest.
5.  A manicure and pedicure appointment.  Her toes would alternate between blue and red and her fingernails would alternate between red and green for Christmas.

E
1.  Her very own, very real laptop (she got one of these two years ago, but it was a V-Tech, so it was geared toward learning and she wants to play non-learning games). 
2.  A camera so she can take her own pictures (she got one of these last year, but it needs new batteries or something,  Apparently a whole new camera is better than replacing the batteries).
3.  A pair of high heels.  Not too high because she could fall and hurt herself.
4.  A manicure.
5.  $100

I guess this year they're going for the sophisticated, career woman approach to Christmas.  Which is good because at the rate their tastes continue to increase, they're going to need to contribute.