I haven’t been good to the kid in me lately – in fact, I’ve been downright negligent to him. And, really, if you can’t be good to your inner-child around Christmas, when can you expect to be? In previous years, I’ve been adamant that little Andrew be heard – when it comes to Christmas Lists I’ve ask for iPods and Nintendo Wii, gadgets and gizmos that will allow me to tinker and play come Christmas morning. I’ve delighted in the fact that, in my mid-twenties, I still had the joy of unwrapping that one, last, present that sat under the tree as the pinnacle of Christmas-morning joy.

So, this year, when it came time to provide a list to those that are unfailingly generous to me all year round, my mind started racing with possibilities:

A PS3? Nope, I have a Wii and though the PS3 has Blueray, it’s not something that I have to have.

A new Apple gadget? Nope, I have an iPhone that has left 3 previous iPods collecting dust. And I’m still waiting for the mythical Tablet/E-book Reader/life changer to be released.

Something else for my home theatre, then? For the amount of time I actually get to sit and watch TV or movies, it’d be a waste of money to add to it. So, nope.

Little, inner Andrew isn’t happy. Big Andrew learned, somewhere along the line, the difference between Wants and Needs, and though Christmas is surely a time when Wants should be indulged, sometime Needs need to come first. With that in mind, and today being so discouragingly cold…

Big Andrew needs a new winter jacket. Though it won’t keep him busy playing on Christmas morning, it’ll keep him warm in the months that follow. I’m disappointed to let the little guy down, if I’m honest, but though he throws tantrums and fits, he has always moved on after some pouting. My mom, I’m sure, is exceedingly happy that I’m asking for something she’ll actually approve of for is practicality and sensibleness. She hates the coats I choose for light weight over warmth and will likely delight in the knowledge that as I trample through the snow, I’m as well bundled as she had me in the snowsuits of the 80s made famous by Thomas. After all, she’s just wants her (always) little Andrew to be looked after.