I'm not sure there's anything on my holiday list, as in, anything I would like to receive from others. I've never been very good at receiving gifts, and there's little anyone could provide for me in terms of material 'things' that I actually want to own. Don't get me wrong - there's material things I <i>want</i> - but no one in my gift-giving circle is able to afford <i>those</i> things :)<p>I do typically get a few gift cards for restaurants from family members - these are nice because it lets me and my wife have a nice meal out. That's a key right there - the gift is providing me a nice experience, not a 'thing' to house and maintain.<p>What I've started to do - as a bit offputting as it seemed at first - is sending pics of my gift-card meals to the giver. It's a way to let them know we did actually use the gift, and that we had a good time. It gets around the giver feeling like they just handed over cash with no personal meaning. For other sorts of gift-cards, I will send an email or phone call thanking them and letting them know what I selected.<p>As 'impersonal' as this may be, it's the best balance I've come up with.<p>Side note:
The emails and pics feel strangely a bit like old-fashioned 'thank you' notes that my folks tried to get me to write as a kid after birthdays. I <i>hated</i> that experience, and when I didn't do it I felt like I was a bad kid.<p>Between getting older and getting computerized, I'm <i>much</i> more willing to follow up with email. I don't mind the process of thank you notes, but I <i>hate</i> writing by hand, even as a kid.<p>In my time, we had no real options (well, typewriter I guess) so I was forced in to writing by hand, which I was (and still am) <i>horrible</i> at. I can't write more than a few lines before my hand aches and the writing is illegible (even to me).<p>tl;dr: I wish I'd had email as a kid <i>and</i> been mature enough to use it to keep in touch with well-meaning family members.