It’s that time of year – the time for making lists and checking them twice.  

The time for shopping trips to Tonala for Mexican pottery and hammered tin mirrors and ... oops, I gave those last year. Time for a new list. 

My grandson made his list at preschool a few days ago, drawing pictures of what he wants and giving it to his teacher who will put it in a balloon for lift-off to the North Pole at the annual Christmas pageant.

I was impressed when he told me that he added some things for his brother this year – a teddy bear and a race car. Both perfectly appropriate and easy to find.

I was a little less impressed with his own list.

“Too many things to remember, Grandma,” he said, reminding me of his mom’s list many years ago which read simply, “Dear Santa, I want it all.”

With a little prompting he remembered two things: a transformer and a person who makes cakes. 

It’s the last one that had me puzzled about what to add to my own list. Although I’ve never seen my grandson turn down a piece of cake, I’ve also never heard him request one.

It had me wondering if what he was asking for wasn’t cake, but time. Time to spend with a person baking a cake. One on one time with someone special.

I read about a study recently where kids were asked to write letters both to Santa and to their parents. The letters to Santa all listed toys and physical things that they wanted. The letters to parents were all about time – playing catch, more bedtime stories, going to the playground, taking a day off work. 

I have a revised list. A transformer has been added and Tonala is still a destination.

But “cake mixes” are at the very top.