[Skoob]

Christmas isn't a 'retail event' for me like in decades past. I look forward to time with close family and friends and simply being thankful for a roof, a full gut, a warm bed and no emergencies.

I use e-tail wish-lists, but modern collecting doesn't lend itself to seasonality: things get pre-ordered and shipped year-round. Anyway, I dread spending money on disappointments, so need personal time to pick and choose and evaluate and change my mind as new information comes in about a given product. The list is a constant work in progress, in other words, so unsuitable for Christmas shopping by others. Besides, most of my family is older, and there's a generational perception that grown adults don't collect toys, and I respect that even if I don't agree personally. So if they want to give me something, let it be an expensive vintage or a good box of chocolate!