(no subject)
Dec. 3rd, 2011 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyotterfaeI did this a few years ago. It's a nice idea. There's a community as well, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
holiday_wishes, which is a good place to post, though watch the posting/list rules, it's slightly different there.
STEP ONE
Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. [Note: Your home address is not required!]
Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal so that the holiday joy will spread.
STEP TWO
Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use - or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.
You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. 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.
1: cards/notes/stickers/pictures/trinkets, you know, things what come in mailboxes - I've been feeling very cut off for quite a while now. My own fault for living where I do, I suppose, but I miss my friends.
2: leads on work for D. He's a computer engineer (hardware, in other words, rather than a software person), with some training in factory automation stuff, and a strong interest in audio hardware.
3: leads on work for me. I do filing and paperwork, help with large projects, do light cleaning/organizing, and cook/bake/make candy on request, as well as my massage practice. Because of my chemical sensitivities and chronic pain problems, taking a full-time job is not in the cards, but I would happily take on more work, particularly as two of my regular non-massage clients have had to cut me for personal or financial reasons this year.
4: a laptop. Mine croaked a while back, in a non-reparable way. I used D's for a while, but it needs a full overhaul now, and I was never really comfortable using his toy. We're sharing the desktop these days. I'm certainly not saying I'm computer deprived - we have a desktop to share! - but it would be really nice to have a portable machine of my own again.
5: stuff from my amazon wishlists, here. I have three wishlists (home, work, and me), but that's the main one. Used is of course perfectly welcome and encouraged.
6: gift certificates/cards. as much as D and I try to buy most things used, or get by without, some stuff just doesn't show up at goodwill or other thrift stores reliably, and we can't yet get by without things like food and fuel. :P (useful and very welcome: target, QT, hardware stores, groceries, restaurants. the dream stuff: penzeys, recollections (historical clothing), antique malls, bookstores (half-price, B&N, local used stores, whatever), lizzie and rocco's (or other good pet supply place), clovers or other natural food store)
7: reading/author suggestions, with or without an accompanying sample. ;) For starting points, I enjoy Pratchett, most Lackey, Anne Bishop's Black Jewels stuff, Mary Jo Putney, and a decent amount of Mary Balogh and Jo Beverly's work. I'm a voracious re-reader, and I will happily admit that I have a fondness for well-crafted fluff with enjoyable, resonant characters, though I can appreciate the kind of novel you read deeply once, then set aside for years while it percolates. For non-fiction, I love Pollan's writing style and readability, and the topics I'll read about are pretty far-ranging, with history, food, fashion history, food history, sustainable living, frugality, biological sciences, health, and herbalism/natural health being fairly common trends.
8: assistance sorting/hauling large quantities of heavy things (books and bookcases, mostly) between an upstairs apartment, the house, and a few storage units. I need to get more of my stuff out of the apartment to try and clear it for mom, but my hauling ability is severely limited, and my drive is minimal because I find it overwhelming. This has the potential to be frustrating, because things will likely wind up being moved multiple times as they get sorted and re-sorted to determine what stays, what goes, what gets sold, etc.
9: donations for no-kill pet shelters. Since we're practically running one at the farm (recovered ferals, and several FIV+ kitties), I wouldn't turn down donations for their care, but mostly I just know how much the shelters are struggling. The number of pets coming in certainly hasn't gone down, and often has gone up, even as donations keep dropping because money's tight everywhere. Have more space or time than money? A lot of the shelters rely on in-home foster care for the pets, and volunteers to help at adoption events.
10: clothing inspiration - I need to start making more of my own clothing, for various reasons including fit problems and a style that stores don't really cater to. Not only would a cheering section be appreciated, but I could use diagrams/patterns/photos for dresses/skirts/outfits that would fall into one of these categories: pioneer/heritage clothing (think living history exhibit stuff); south asian/middle eastern traditional; 60s-70s 'back to the land' styles; simple medieval that can be readily adapted for work - ie, not just the nobility-wear; things you think I'd enjoy or look good in. Fabric or clothing is of course welcome as well, I just figure most people won't have those on hand.
holiday_wishes, which is a good place to post, though watch the posting/list rules, it's slightly different there. STEP ONE
Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. [Note: Your home address is not required!]
Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal so that the holiday joy will spread.
STEP TWO
Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use - or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.
You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. 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.
1: cards/notes/stickers/pictures/trinkets, you know, things what come in mailboxes - I've been feeling very cut off for quite a while now. My own fault for living where I do, I suppose, but I miss my friends.
2: leads on work for D. He's a computer engineer (hardware, in other words, rather than a software person), with some training in factory automation stuff, and a strong interest in audio hardware.
3: leads on work for me. I do filing and paperwork, help with large projects, do light cleaning/organizing, and cook/bake/make candy on request, as well as my massage practice. Because of my chemical sensitivities and chronic pain problems, taking a full-time job is not in the cards, but I would happily take on more work, particularly as two of my regular non-massage clients have had to cut me for personal or financial reasons this year.
4: a laptop. Mine croaked a while back, in a non-reparable way. I used D's for a while, but it needs a full overhaul now, and I was never really comfortable using his toy. We're sharing the desktop these days. I'm certainly not saying I'm computer deprived - we have a desktop to share! - but it would be really nice to have a portable machine of my own again.
5: stuff from my amazon wishlists, here. I have three wishlists (home, work, and me), but that's the main one. Used is of course perfectly welcome and encouraged.
6: gift certificates/cards. as much as D and I try to buy most things used, or get by without, some stuff just doesn't show up at goodwill or other thrift stores reliably, and we can't yet get by without things like food and fuel. :P (useful and very welcome: target, QT, hardware stores, groceries, restaurants. the dream stuff: penzeys, recollections (historical clothing), antique malls, bookstores (half-price, B&N, local used stores, whatever), lizzie and rocco's (or other good pet supply place), clovers or other natural food store)
7: reading/author suggestions, with or without an accompanying sample. ;) For starting points, I enjoy Pratchett, most Lackey, Anne Bishop's Black Jewels stuff, Mary Jo Putney, and a decent amount of Mary Balogh and Jo Beverly's work. I'm a voracious re-reader, and I will happily admit that I have a fondness for well-crafted fluff with enjoyable, resonant characters, though I can appreciate the kind of novel you read deeply once, then set aside for years while it percolates. For non-fiction, I love Pollan's writing style and readability, and the topics I'll read about are pretty far-ranging, with history, food, fashion history, food history, sustainable living, frugality, biological sciences, health, and herbalism/natural health being fairly common trends.
8: assistance sorting/hauling large quantities of heavy things (books and bookcases, mostly) between an upstairs apartment, the house, and a few storage units. I need to get more of my stuff out of the apartment to try and clear it for mom, but my hauling ability is severely limited, and my drive is minimal because I find it overwhelming. This has the potential to be frustrating, because things will likely wind up being moved multiple times as they get sorted and re-sorted to determine what stays, what goes, what gets sold, etc.
9: donations for no-kill pet shelters. Since we're practically running one at the farm (recovered ferals, and several FIV+ kitties), I wouldn't turn down donations for their care, but mostly I just know how much the shelters are struggling. The number of pets coming in certainly hasn't gone down, and often has gone up, even as donations keep dropping because money's tight everywhere. Have more space or time than money? A lot of the shelters rely on in-home foster care for the pets, and volunteers to help at adoption events.
10: clothing inspiration - I need to start making more of my own clothing, for various reasons including fit problems and a style that stores don't really cater to. Not only would a cheering section be appreciated, but I could use diagrams/patterns/photos for dresses/skirts/outfits that would fall into one of these categories: pioneer/heritage clothing (think living history exhibit stuff); south asian/middle eastern traditional; 60s-70s 'back to the land' styles; simple medieval that can be readily adapted for work - ie, not just the nobility-wear; things you think I'd enjoy or look good in. Fabric or clothing is of course welcome as well, I just figure most people won't have those on hand.
