First Annual Wishzilla Holiday Wrap-Up
02/01/2010

Well, it was good while it lasted. I hate to break it to you, neighbor-with-the-lights-still-up, but the holiday season is, officially, over.

We are proud to say that lots more families have joined us over the last few months, and it's been exciting to see the new folks experience what it's like to have a delightful, "wow, gifts were awesome this year" sort of holiday. And a few of our long-time users have let us know how much they like some of our new features.

So, are you curious about what sort of gifts people were giving and receiving? We were too, so we took a look at our anonymous usage stats for wishes, and here are some fun and informative facts.

Practical Giving

There were lots of "traditional" gifts flying around, but we saw a big jump in the more practical sort of wishes, as well as things like handmade items and craft supplies for making handmade items. Could it be that the recession has dampened out our rampant consumerism at last? Erm, not so fast.

Some of our top wishes were from the usual suspects, including:

• Amazon
• American Girl
• Barnes & Noble
• Borders
• Cabela’s
• Costco
• Target
• Walmart

Of course, iPods and their related accessories were a top item again this year, along with video games, books, and DVDs. Hey, speaking of iPods, Apple just announced the iPad, so if you think you want one of those (for us, the jury's still out), just click here to add it to your wishlist.

Castle, anyone? Please??

Mixed in with the fun stuff were quite a few wishes for more practical gifts, things like toasters, coffee pots, and yes, even garbage cans. Hopefully these are very fancy, very beautiful waste receptacles, 'cause that just sounds like the worst gift ever. I guess it's all just a matter of perspective.

Rounding out our sensible wishes category are things like meals at Carl's Jr., counted cross-stitch, and yarn (I assume those last two go together?).

Wishful Thinking

A couple of wishes take the proverbial cake. Our first runner-up is the Terminator® 3: Rise of the Machines Pinball. If you received this gift, invite us over for a game or two. If you didn't, well, better luck next year.

That leaves our most astounding, off-the-wall wish of the year to be this 11th Century Templar Castle in Italy. If this wish was fulfilled, you'd better let us stay there the next time we're passing through. If you didn't get your castle this year, though, try adding a few tapestries and suits of armor to your wishlist. That way if you don't get the castle you can still have the appropriate decor.

So, that's our post-holiday wrap-up. Remember to clean up your wishlist and remove those items you received or no longer want!

Happy Wishing!