All I Want for Christmas

This past year I have been making an effort to minimize and get rid of things that I no longer need or use. Things that take up space and serve as distractions from doing the things I want/need to do. Although I have made a lot of progress, I feel as though I still have a long way to go before I arrive at my goal.

Still… there are a few things on my Christmas list this year that I’ll definitely make space or time for.

M and I just finished our holiday shopping this weekend (phew) so I don’t want to give away any of the things we might have gotten for our loved ones. Instead, here are some of the things I’m hoping to see under the tree on Christmas morning.

All I Want for Christmas

1. This adorable hedgehog ring from Anna Siivvonen on Etsy

2. HSK Test Preparation Books

3. iTalki Credits

I avoided formal tutoring by engaging in self-study for far too long. I recently discovered just how wonderful iTalki language lessons can be and now I’m hooked.

4. Pimsleur Mandarin III

I am currently working through Pimsleur Mandarin II and so I am almost ready for Pimsleur Mandarin III.

5. Free Time to Study Language and Write

I’d love to have a bit more free time this next year to study language and write more often. This is going to definitely play into further developing my minimization skills and is definitely a gift I will have to give myself. I will have to work on improving how I organize my time to make this happen.

As you can see, there is a lot less on my list this year than last year (from which I only ended up purchasing 3 things). As part of my effort to minimize I am trying to be more selective with the language learning resources I buy (as well as everything else). In the past I would visit the language section of the local bookstore and buy everything I didn’t have that I could afford. Needless to say, I have several language books that I have not touched since I purchased them (but I am hoping to get to them one day). There are also other books that I am reselling because I passed the level they were geared towards before getting around to them.

So there you have it. What are some of the things you’re hoping to give or receive during the holidays this year?

PS. Over at Teen Jazz we’re hosting 12 Deals of Christmas. We have different deals going on for 24 hours over a 12 day period. If you are a musician or if you have any musician friends, we’d love it if you headed over to check it out.