If you wonder what kinds of things Steve wants for Christmas, and what kinds of things he gets, wonder no more! Check this out. These are also highly appropriate birthday gifts, too. The lists of what I received are only partial lists, so if you gave me something that's not listed, don't be offended. Just try to get on the list next time :-)


2023

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

My cat got me a cable to replace a Frankenstein-type situation in my home recording equipment, and my neighbours on my floor threw me a birthday party in the hallway.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list and isn't in any particular order.

2022

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate, my cat gave me a microphone, and my neighbours on my floor threw a party with a cake in the hallway!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this list doesn't include everything and isn't in any particular order.

2021

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate!

What He Got For Christmas

Lots of chocolate and some alcohol. My brother and sister-in-law got me the sustain pedal for my keyboard, and my cat Tuxx teamed up with St. Stephen to get me the guitar multi-effects pedal I wanted.

2020

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate, and my cat Tuxx gave me a USB audio interface (a couple of months late, but it wasn't her fault - nobody had it in stock).

What He Got For Christmas

Mom gave me the usual things, including chocolate and Scotch, and St. Stephen gave me the new keyboard I wanted to replace the one I've been playing for the last 20+ years. Tuxx didn't get me anything because the audio interface she gave me for my birthday is a big enough gift to count for both. My business was going to get me a new printer to replace my 15+ year old printer, but nobody had that in stock, either.

2019

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate - yum!

What He Got For Christmas

A bunch of stuff, including chocolate, Scotch, and beer. St. Stephen gave me a new universal remote control for my home entertainment system. My business gave me a bunch of hardware upgrades for the computer I use to run the business. And my new cat Tuxx gave me a current version of Adobe Photoshop Elements, so that when I take pictures of her with my real camera, I'll be able to edit them.

2018

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate! And a book from my cat Sullivan to help me with a project I've been working on.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this list is incomplete. I got plenty of chocolate and beer, as well as scotch, a Beer Store gift card, and an LCBO gift card. My cat gave me a clip-on guitar tuner, and St. Stephen gave me a proper guitar practice amp. My business gave me a new monitor to replace the one it gave me in 2007, which will be headed to a client site where I have an office.

2017

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate! And a Légère clarinet reed from my cat Sullivan.

What He Got For Christmas

Lots of chocolate and some scotch (and an LCBO gift card). My cat Sullivan saw some nice noise-cancelling headphones on sale for Black Friday so he gave them to me early. My business gave me a new phone. St. Stephen was going to upgrade my PVR from HD to 4K but Rogers won't let me do that until spring unless I'm willing to pay a huge penalty (about $50/month). Grrrr.

2016

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, a partial list, in no particular order:

St. Stephen saw that the TV I wanted was on sale and likely about to be discontinued this past summer, so he gave it to me then.

2015

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Beer and chocolate from my mom, beer and chocolate from my girlfriend, and beer and chocolate from my girlfriend's parents!

What He Got For Christmas

A variety of things, including a couple of cookbooks and some assorted airplane models. Other items included chocolate, alcohol, and alcoholic chocolate. St. Stephen got me the new remote control that was on my list, and my cat Sullivan is going to get me a ReedJuvinate once the local store has them back in stock.

2014

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, Scotch, and dinner. And a hairball from my cat Prince, delivered while I was at work.

What He Got For Christmas

Mostly the usual type of stuff, including plenty of chocolate (yay!). My business got me a new BlackBerry, and my cat got me the 60mm macro lens.

2013

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mostly chocolate and scotch, plus dinner and brownies from my girlfriend, and a barf on the hall carpet from my cat.

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this list is incomplete. The usual suspects: chocolate and alcohol (single malt Scotch and various interesting beers); I never get tired of getting these! Three Blu-Rays from my list: Les Misérables and the first two Spider-Man movies. For the first time in many years, I got a girly calendar (from my girlfriend) so I didn't have to buy my own. There was a funny t-shirt, though unlike most years when this comes from my brother or his wife, this one came from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law). And a bunch of other things.

St. Stephen brought me a new centre speaker for my home theatre system. My business bought me a bunch of computer upgrades (new CPU, new motherboard and RAM to go with it, and a couple of other miscellaneous items I'll need to take full advantage of them). Prince is going to get me a monitor calibration product, since the software I'm currently using is old and not compatible with my new system, but he's waiting for the store with the best price to get some more in stock.

2012

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate and Scotch. Good call, mom!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is an incomplete list. I got chocolate and hot chocolate from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law); chocolate and alcohol from various people; a keyboard and carrying case for my Playbook from Prince; a clarinet tuner from my girlfriend's parents; The Lord Of The Rings Blu-Rays, a CF card, and a throw blanket from my girlfriend (the latter being something she intends to use when she's here); and a solid-state drive from my business. St. Stephen is running a bit late this year but he's going to bring me the remote switch for my camera.

2011

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, beer, and socks. Yummy, yummy, and practical.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list and is in no particular order: beer, chocolate, beer bread mix from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law), some novelty items, and a mini softbox from Prince. My St. Stephen's Day present, a 580EX II flash, came early this year, as I saw it on sale a few weeks before Christmas at a price I thought would be comparable to the Boxing Week pricing (and I was right). My business is planning on getting me a new BlackBerry Bold 9900 but will be waiting until it goes on sale, as all the Boxing Week sales on this item are only applicable to new customers.

2010

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For Christmas

The incomplete summary, as usual:

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, booze, and socks, mostly.

2009

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For Christmas

The usual incomplete and unordered list:

What He Got For His Birthday

2008

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this list is incomplete and not in any specific order.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate and socks from my mom, and a Joby Gorillapod from my cat.

2007

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this is not a complete list.

What He Got For His Birthday

Just a few small things. But many of them were chocolate and that's always a good thing!

2006

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this isn't a complete list, and don't be offended if something you got me isn't mentioned.

What He Got For His Birthday

A card, a chocolate bar, two miniature bottles of Glenmorangie, and some money.

2005

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list.

What He Got for his Birthday

2004

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this is only a partial list.

What He Got For His Birthday

Two chocolate bars and a box of chocolates - yum (chocolate is good). A copy of Photo Life magazine, along with a subscription (I'd suggested to my parents that a subscription to either this or Road & Track might be nice). And a hug from a cute blonde.

2003

What He's Asking For

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, the list below doesn't list absolutely everything I got.

Nobody got me the plasma TV - I guess none of my friends or family had a big enough piece of wrapping paper. Nobody got me the camera equipment, either, so my St. Stephen's Day (26 December) present to myself this year was the 1.4x teleconverter.

What He Got For His Birthday

My girlfriend made my birthday special for me. I also got a couple of books (the R&T dictionary and a book on Toronto history), my favourite movie (Sirens) on DVD, and some chocolate.

2002

What He's Asking For

What He Got For Christmas

Again, not a complete list.

Santa didn't bring me the new surround sound receiver I wanted, so I bought it on St. Stephen's Day. My cat Toby had been in and out of hospital with pancreatitis, and he was so appreciative of the time and money I put into making him well again that he bought me a centre channel speaker.

What He Got For His Birthday

Some kitchen stuff, some chocolate, that's about it.

2001

What He's Asking For

For your convenience, I've included a number of items on this list that I'd asked for in the past, just so you don't have to go fishing through prior years' lists for ideas. I've also bought or received some of the previous years' items; I've removed those from this year's list.

What He Got for Christmas

As usual, this isn't a complete list.

After Christmas, I went out and got a couple of things that Santa didn't bring - a DVD changer and an Elle Macpherson calendar.

What He Got for his Birthday

As usual, this isn't a complete list.

2000

What He's Asking For

For your convenience, I've included a number of items on this list that I'd asked for in the past, just so you don't have to go fishing through prior years' lists for ideas.

What He Got

As always, this is just a partial list, and (other than the first item) in no particular order.

My darling kittycat, Toby, waited until after Christmas to get me something - just to make sure I didn't get any duplicates. He gave me the Anna Kournikova calendar - yum! As usual, he got lots of toys (he's playing with one as I write this), along with a turkey Fancy Feast for breakfast and a tin of PC kitty food for later use.

I didn't get any of the photo toys I wanted, so on Boxing Day, I did my usual trip to the photo stores. This year, I brought home the Canon Canoscan FS2710 film scanner.

1999

What He Asked For

What He Got For Christmas

Absolutely nothing that was on the list. Once again, I had to resort to buying myself a photography gift on Boxing Day (this year, it's the Canon 28-135 IS lens). Here are some of the things I did get - as always, if you gave me something and it didn't make the list, don't be offended.

Toby got spoiled again. He got three different cat toys (one from me, one from my brother's mother-in-law's cat Maggie, and one from my brother and sister-in-law's cat Tink). The toy Tink gave him is a Silly Snake, which he loves very much. So much so that within a day he'd already removed its tongue. Any time Toby starts destroying a toy, it means he really likes it. He also got a turkey dinner (again) and lots of love.

What He Got For His Birthday

My birthday wasn't a big deal this year - heck, I wasn't even in town until the last few minutes of it. I got a new answering machine (since my old one was dying), some cards, some money, stuff like that.

1998

What He Asked For

What he got for Christmas

As usual, this is a partial list.

Nobody got me the flash I wanted so I bought it myself. Same kind of thing that happened with my camera last year. Ditto on the calendar; my kitchen wall will be graced by the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar throughout 1999.

Toby celebrated his first Christmas and enjoyed it very much. He got a cat toy from me, along with a special dinner and more attention and cuddles and belly rubs than he knew what to do with. He also got cat toys from my sister-in-law's cat and from my sister-in-law's mom's cat and from my ex-girlfriend's aunt.

What he got for his birthday

Not a heck of a lot off my list. Several of the gifts I got were actually gifts for a kittycat who showed up a week later. But there was one wonderful present that's been on my list for ages - a snow leopard! Thank you so much, Carol!


1997

What He Asked For

What He Got

1996

What He Got

Since I broke this out into its own page, people have looked at it.