A friend recently gave me a holiday gift which, to my surprised pleasure, was an item from my Amazon wishlist. He never asked me what I wanted, and I never told him. He simply found my wishlist (perhaps inspired by a previous SZ post) and got something from it. Genius! This is the way gifts should work, people. Not the only way, to be sure-- getting something you didn't know you wanted is an unparalleled delight-- but it's a sure-fire way to make someone happy and avoid the Frozen Smile of Fabricated Enthusiasm.
Those of you who don't have Amazon wishlists should make one forthwith, adding some personal facts about yourself so that your friends and family can find it easily. There are other sites, like The Things I Want, that let you create meta-wishlists that include items from any retailer, but unless you explicitly tell people about it nobody's going to know to look there. Amazon is the default online store for most people, so an Amazon wishlist gets you the most coverage. It's the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.
Posted by Peter at January 4, 2007 4:49 PM