Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#21

Post by itg » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:28 PM UTC

xenophanes wrote: post #10

Christmas gifts are dumb. If I wanted something in gift price range I would have bought it for myself already. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. If you're really stumped, maybe think of something you don't like to shop for (clothes, bowls&plates, a lamp, laundry detergent? boring household stuff) and ask for that and let them pick what type.

"Christmas gifts are dumb. If I wanted something in gift price range I would have bought it for myself already. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck."

This is not the reason why people get each other gifts.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#22

Post by zackattack » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:30 PM UTC

maw wrote: post #20

A good introductory classic Greek (Attic) textbook. A nice, small tube amp. I'm unlikely to get either since I haven't made these wishes known to anyone who's going to be buying me anything. In any case, they're both the sort of thing you're better off buying for yourself.

You should make them known. People REALLY want to help, they often just don't know how.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#23

Post by xenophanes » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:32 PM UTC

itg wrote: post #21

xenophanes wrote: post #10

Christmas gifts are dumb. If I wanted something in gift price range I would have bought it for myself already. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. If you're really stumped, maybe think of something you don't like to shop for (clothes, bowls&plates, a lamp, laundry detergent? boring household stuff) and ask for that and let them pick what type.

"Christmas gifts are dumb. If I wanted something in gift price range I would have bought it for myself already. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck." This is not the reason why people get each other gifts.

Yeah, but it is the reason it's dumb.

The reason some X is dumb rarely has to do directly with the reason proponents of X say X is great, but rather with something they don't think about.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#24

Post by dunham » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:34 PM UTC

maw wrote: post #20

A good introductory classic Greek (Attic) textbook. A nice, small tube amp. I'm unlikely to get either since I haven't made these wishes known to anyone who's going to be buying me anything. In any case, they're both the sort of thing you're better off buying for yourself.

Maybe there is something in Google Books you can use:

http://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1,bkv:f&tbo=p&q...

(query is for "attic greek" restricted to "full text available".)

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#25

Post by DanielBMarkham » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:38 PM UTC

Time to continue working on my startup. More runway.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#26

Post by _cbsz » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:39 PM UTC

A WakeMate. Here's hoping they ship before Christmas...

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#27

Post by zackattack » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:40 PM UTC

1) tooth whitening- brightsmile or whatever the best in-house solution is (I hate applying the disgusting gel)

2) anything from here: http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3CLNZ1QEZAO6S/ref=cm... (the first page of the list especially)

3) a new timing belt for my Camry

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#28

Post by cypherpunks01 » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:42 PM UTC

DannoHung wrote: post #13

cypherpunks01 wrote: post #6

I have waaay too much "stuff", so I usually strongly discourage anyone from buying me anything. Trying to give things away instead. Anything that can fit on a hard drive is OK though.

Ditto. I actually asked my parents if they could help me get rid of some stuff as a Christmas gift. I did ask for one book though: http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/ Since it's formatting heavy, I'd rather have a hardcopy of it.

That sounds cool. I usually just dig http://www.cookingforengineers.com !

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#29

Post by seltzered » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 6:53 PM UTC

most of my family is trying to be more minimal, so we stopped giving each other gifts years ago unless it was something important (baby, etc), or something they needed but was easier for someone else to find.

What I'd value personally: high quality outdoor clothing. I'd be happy if it was just a merino wool pair of socks. I'm tired of buying cheap jackets and want to finally invest in a good layering system for wintertime outdoor fun.

I like books/music, and things that get me out of the house.

What I hate: Best Buy gift certificates. I usually end up donating these to someone else.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#30

Post by nzadrozny » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 7:03 PM UTC

Anything related to the production and consumption of coffee and tea. Mugs and the like fit nicely in the gift price range, allow the giver to express themselves a bit, and are easy to collect and enjoy. Really, who doesn't love an awesome mug?

Then there's my other Christmas list, the one with the SSD featured prominently on it… ;)