Dear Santa… (2015 Edition)

An ode to holiday wish lists…

‘Twas the week of Black Friday and Cyber Monday when all through the bank statement;

not a black number was stirring, not even a penny.

The End

Thank you and goodnight. I’ll be here all week. 🙂

Happy Spend-All-Your-Money-Week, Friends! Did you go out on Black Friday? Troll the world wide web on Cyber Monday? Has your email been inundated with “continued Cyber Week” sales? Good thing stores are starting to accommodate for my poor initiative of getting my act together to do Christmas shopping by Black Friday by extending the BESTSALESEVERDON’TMISSTHEM a whole week! A lazy girl’s dream, really. 🙂

I’m kidding… mostly. We actually did go out on Black Friday this year (catch our full Thanksgiving recap here) and it was surprisingly enjoyable! But the same thing always happens to me whenever I attempt Black Friday…

Anyone else? Just me then… ok. New Year’s Resolution 2016, here I come.

All jokes aside, I thought it would be fun to round up a few things that have made Mitch and my Christmas lists this year. Some of this stuff we’ve already gotten for each other, some are just wishful thinking, and some are not necessarily on our personal lists, but things we thought could be good picks for generic his and her lists. Hopefully, you’ll get a few ideas for whomever you may be shopping for this year (if that person is you, I won’t judge you… please reference the graphic above). Or maybe you’ll find a few things to add to your own list! This happens to me too… I always have a kick butt wish list running all year long EXCEPT FOR the day that someone asks me what I want for Christmas or my birthday. And then my brain can literally think of not one stinkin thing. So this one’s for you if you’re in that boat. 🙂

Let’s do this… here are my 2015 Christmas Picks!

1. Workout Leggings: I have more plain black yoga pants/leggings than I know what to do with, but I must have bought them all at the same time because the elastic is slowly starting to go on a bunch of them. Plus, I’ve been craving color and pattern in my workout life, so these fun printed ones from Target fit the bill perfectly!
2. The Second Young House Love book has been on the top of my list since it came out in September! Their blog was one of my all time favorites and I am really hoping Santa can fit this one down the chimney this year. I wonder if Santa follows our blog… 🙂
3. Wedge Booties! I love wearing heels because I am five feet short and barely an inch, but stilettos don’t always jive with my line of work. Wedges, though? Yes please! And the fact that these are more of a fall/winter shoe is perfect. These ones are from Target, but can find them anywhere.
4. Iphone Case… There is a reason I have a Lifeproof case (my students call it “Leslieproof”) for my phone. My current one is begging for retirement and I am really liking the navy/coral/gold color combo of this one! It’s not Lifeproof, but I think I can handle it. Quick, someone find me a piece of wood to knock on.
5. This necklace from Forever 21: It’s beautifully simple, but elegant all the same. I think you could wear this with jeans and a pretty top just as easily as pairing it with a dress on Christmas Eve. Ahem, Mitch… are you paying attention? 😉
6. Joggers! Another item I’ve been chomping at the bit for. I realized I have two types of lounge-y pants: yoga/workout and ratty pajama that should never leave the walls of our house. These joggers seem like a dressier version of pajama pants and not so skin tight that you look like you should be at Zumba class… I could definitely see throwing on a pair to go grocery shopping or to youth group.
7. Arrow Rings: Also from Forever 21 (their jewelry is great because it’s so cheap!)… love the arrow design and the fact that they could go with anything.
8. Silver Arrow Cuff: Are you sensing a trend? Yes, it is from Forever 21 and yes, more arrows. Need I say more?
9. This game… Bean Boozled is all the rage right now and I’ve been dying to try it! It’s almost like a version of Fear Factor that you can play from the comfort of your own home. Spin the spinner to find out what color you’ll be trying… each color could either be a tasty flavor or totally disgusting! Will you get Peach… or BARF??

Ok, that’s it for me. Annnnnd…. here are Mitch’s picks!

1. Resistance Bands: Although, if you look again, these are no ordinary resistance bands… these (from Target) come with three different strength bands that can easily clip on and off the handles. At any time, you can use one, two, or all three for a different workout level. Aka. this is something both Mitch and I can use.
2. Mitch picked out these shoes from Kohls… the perfect mix of casual and professional. I think they’d look great with a dark wash jean or a pair of khakis. Gotta love versatility.
3. The Waboba! Have you ever tried it? It’s a ball that bounces on the water and we LOVE it… it’s so much fun! This kit comes with three different types of balls (some for water, some for land) and a whole bunch of games you can play with them.
4. Gray Sweater from H&M. Mitch is a huge H&M fan, so it is no surprise that he liked this sweater. Just for fun, let’s picture this sweater with those shoes from Kohls and dark jeans. Sounds like a winning Christmas outfit to me!
5. Omaha Steaks: Last year, Mitch’s dad and step mom got us a whole slew of products from Omaha Steak and we enjoyed them ALL YEAR LONG. It was the best! Whenever we wanted to have a classier dinner at home, we pulled out one of the entrees and went to town! They got us an assortment of steak, good quality burgers and hot dogs, fish, chicken with crab meat on top, and the best potatoes au gratin I’ve ever had. If you’re looking for something to get that hard-to-shop-for guy… look no further.
6. This beard trimmer was hand selected by Mitch and came with pretty decent reviews on Amazon and Target. Might be just the thing to ask for this year on your list!
7. Pie Face: Just as I’ve been excited to try Bean Boozled, this is Mitch’s game of choice. Add some whipped cream to the plastic hand, put your face in the opening, roll the die and turn the lever, and pray it doesn’t release the mess right into your face! Both of the games on our lists this year are great because two people can play them… there are a lot of games that we enjoy, but don’t get to play very often because you need more than two people to play. These ones fit the bill, though!
8. This bracelet from H&M reminded me a lot of Mitch because he always likes to wear something on his wrist. Usually, it’s one of those colored knockoff Livestrong bands from work, but when I showed him this braided faux hide option, he gave it a thumbs up.

So there you have it! Two lists, two people, one Santa. Have you made your list yet? Are you working on buying for and checking off your friends and family? Just remember… YOU.CAN.DO.THIS. If you feel inspired and want to add the additional 17 things above, I can certainly give you our mailing address. We wouldn’t say no to a pile of presents outside our door. Promise. 🙂

Happy Hunting!