Dear Santa Claus, here’s our Christmas wish list
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again -- if you love shopping, that is.
For the Going Mobile crew member whose initials are LK, the purchasing of (incredibly thoughtful) gifts goes on throughout the year. It’s especially fun to pick up souvenirs from some of our favorite places to share with family and friends. LK has purchased a truckload of refrigerator magnets, for instance, and recently scored some groovy socks emblazoned with images from the Grand Canyon.
Coming up with our wish list is a little more challenging because, as we’ve said many times over the years, our tiny home on wheels is short on storage space. So, whatever we buy, it has to be essential. Here’s what we’re asking Santa to bring this year:
An entertainment center update: The CD/DVD player that came with our 2017 Thor Gemini is on the fritz, which impacts our post-dinner cribbage battle. We like to have an old movie we’ve seen dozens of times – hello, “Forest Gump” – playing with the volume muted while one of our fave radio stations is streaming. OK, it’s a goofy tradition, but that’s how we roll. And if anybody’s interested, Leslie’s on track to be the 2024 cribbage champ! Cue the theme from “Rocky!”
New old pans: A trusty cast iron skillet we’ve had for decades has been drafted into service at our new home base in Seattle. It just makes sense that it serves its highest purpose – a platform for baking the fluffiest biscuits – in a full-fledged oven. So, we’re looking for versatile cookware that will fit neatly in one drawer. Please, Santa, make it a pre-seasoned Lodge.
Outdoor gear: A recent break-in wiped out John’s backpacking supplies. Fortunately, he keeps a running inventory of must-haves in the cart of long-standing REI account. Backpack? Check! Sleeping bag? Got it! Water filter? Still need one.
New camp chairs: You can only duct tape those rickety seats so many times before they’re trashed. But this time around, we don’t want the cheapies that break easily. That’s why we’re asking the guy in the red suit to be extra picky. We’d love something that has a side table, too. So, how about a Kijaro Dual Lock Portable Camping Chairs? It was the top pick in a roundup of camp chairs from Travel and Leisure. We’re impressed that they come in a rainbow of colors. On the kind of boring essentials list, we also need a new outdoor rug and another screen shelter, pretty please, Saint Nick!
Giving is better than receiving: Yes, of course, we’d love to find that stuff under our gaudy pink Christmas tree. But when it comes down to it, we truly don’t NEED more stuff. In the spirit of giving, we are going to make a donation this season to 2nd Harvest. We’re especially impressed that this organization offers free cooking classes, sharing budget-friendly recipes. That’s the sort of good work that leaves the team feeling warm and fuzzy and isn’t that what the season’s all about?
