Over the years, my son’s gift list has gone through the normal phases of childhood and teenage wants and wishes. There were requests made for the latest action figures, Legos, sporting equipment and games, and finally the age where video games and electronics gifts ruled. However, holiday present buying for my now college-aged son seems to have taken on a new (and perhaps a head-scratching) comical twist.
“Toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent …. and socks! You know, because they’re always disappearing and I never seem to have a matching pair.”
No, this was not a shopping list my son was having me write down, but it was a strange list of things that he was telling me that he wanted for Christmas. Yes, this was his wish list, I kid you not.
Apparently, the traditional expected list of electronic gadgets (or even a bottle of cologne) has been replaced by a strange new list of gifts consisting of practical and useful everyday items.
“Seriously??? This is your gift list?“ I was a bit dumbfounded and, might I say, quite a bit amused. Was my son setting me up for some new Holiday practical joke going viral with the college-aged set gone wild, or did he really want toilet paper for the holidays? Dear Lord, please let this be a prank.
“You do know that I send you enough money to cover your expenses and that includes toilet paper, don’t you? If you’re running low, I can send you money to buy it. There’s no need to wait until Christmas.” Does my son not know that toilet paper was available just about everywhere and any time of the year — and since when did double-ply cottony soft tissue suddenly become the hottest holiday gift on the market?
“Yes, mom, but I don’t like having to ask for extra money and these things get expensive real quick when you’re a college kid trying to budget out food, personal hygiene items, and a social life all on a college allowance. So, I figure if I get a Costco sized stash of this stuff to last me the rest of the next semester, then I won’t have to worry about buying these things and will have more spending money each week.” Apparently, this was not a joke and, apparently, he has given quite a bit of thought to this.
My son has always been practical and pretty much of a minimalist when it comes to what he wants, but this was practical and minimalistic taken to a new super steroids level.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to think. On one hand, he seems to appreciate that life requires a bit of balance and budgeting, but on the other hand, these basic necessities aren’t quite the normal gifts one asks for.
“Well instead of a lifetime supply of toilet paper, I was kinda thinking that you might want a pair of AirPods or the new iPhone or even some new clothes, but if you’re set on toilet paper and soap, my wallet might thank you a bit. How about I give just give you extra Holiday cash that you can spend going out and doing other things? You seriously can’t want me to buy you toilet paper!”
“You could give me cash if you want, but I still think not having to go to the store to buy all this stuff when I run out is a great gift.”
When I told a few friends about what my son’s ideal Holiday wish list was, I got the same quizzical expressions that I had when he first told me, and my friends and I had a few laughs. One friend thought about it and said it was actually a good idea to fill up a giant box of necessities to help them get through the next semester and might end up doing this for her child as a bonus gift. Kind of like a Costco sized college version of stocking stuffers.
Another friend said that my son’s request beat her son’s bizarre request for a pillowcase. Not a set of new sheets mind you, but a single solitary pillowcase. Why he would need just one pillowcase is something she can’t wrap her mind around. Is this what Gen Z is all about, super practical (and strange) gift requests designed to drive us parents even more insane? If so, Lord help us all.
So, for this Christmas, instead of wondering if there will be coal in his stocking, my son will be unwrapping, amongst a few mom-picked out gifts, toilet paper! Toilet paper, I believe, might just be the strangest gift request in history — seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.
I’m just hoping that by the time his birthday rolls around he doesn’t start asking for a lifetime supply of underwear — or, a single solitary pillowcase.
Drop me a comment below and let me know what is the most bizarre and strangest gift request your child has ever asked from you. As always, please hit the “Like” button below and be sure to “Share”, “Tweet”, “Pin”, or “Link” this article to share with your friends.
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