As kids many of us made wishlists of the toys or games we wanted for major holidays or birthdays.
As adults we still make wishlists sometimes, but there's a societal expectation we'll only list practical or mature or responsible things.
But what if we still want that Lego Millennium Falcon or Barbie's Dream House?
Redditor devious_egg asked:
"Adults, what is something you'd love receiving as a gift but no one even considers giving you because you're an adult?"
Dinosaurs
"I'd like some of them pills that turn into dino-sponges when you put them in water."
- mpapillon12333
"Also the mini dinos you put in water and they would grow 100x their size over night."
- goblingirl
"How about the oatmeal with the eggs that hatch into little jelly dinosaurs?"
"I got some for 'my kids' a couple years ago and I—I mean they—enjoyed them very much."
- Fallwalking
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The Thrill of the Hunt
"So I'm 34 now and no longer with this girl but for my 32nd birthday my girlfriend at the time did a scavenger hunt around the house with little gifts for each step and a weekend away as the final gift."
"Definitely one of my cooler birthdays as an adult."
- Teejaymac
"I'm doing this for my anniversary coming up!! I'm having so much fun making the clues and the gift is one of those Steven Singer gold dipped roses, which I only just found out my wife always wanted."
- abrokenelevator
"My husband did this for my 30th, but went all out. Security at work gave me a card when I left the office."
"It had a short poem that led me to the day spa we went to before our wedding and I got a massage. After the massage they gave me another card and a small gift."
"I went to a couple of other places where I picked up various small gifts from him. After that, I ended up at a restaurant where my husband and friends were having a couple of drinks and waiting for me."
"We hung out for a bit, then headed off to a second restaurant where we had reservations. I got gifts at each of these places too. (The gifts were all like $10 things, he wasn't going all out spending too much.)"
"To top the night off, we headed to a third location to drink too much. Finally, tipsy me was carted home where I got a final card that directed me to a pair of diamond earrings."
"People, when I say this birthday was epic... I mean, it was crazy amazing. It was beyond thoughtful and so romantic in the way he did it."
- terminator_chic
Arts & Crafts
"12 pack of Play-doh, the ultimate 150 crayola crayon set—the one with the sharpener and some drawing paper. I turn into an eight year old!"
- Forsaken_Republic_98
"Totally just ordered the gigantic Crayola box (I wanna say it was atleast 164 colors) and when my husband asked why I said it's for our daughter....who is 19 months, and just discovered crayons and coloring books a couple weeks ago ....he laughed when I confessed they were for me because I am SO EXCITED that she is starting to color and I cannot cannot cannot wait until we can sit and color next week when they get here 🤣"
- Legitimate-Ad1784
"I'm 37 and in grad school and my mom still gets me a big box of crayons every year at the start of classes. I love it."
- wildlybriefeagle
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"My mother gave me a coloring book and fresh crayons every Christmas until one year when I was about 13 she didn't. I mentioned that I was disappointed, though I laughed it off, but she noted it and the next year there they were."
"She continued doing this until she died, when I was 30. I would still like a new coloring book and fresh crayons every Christmas."
"In fact, if I mention this to my son or daughter I know one of them (especially my daughter) will remember it and do it (I'm 49 now and the past two years my kids have had jobs and bought me stuff and I'm always just blown away by their generosity."
"It's the first time in my life since mom died that anyone buys me anything, which has been fine. But not gonna lie, it warms my heart so so much. They give such thoughtful gifts.)"
"But yeah, I love the smell of a fresh box of Crayolas. Such nostalgia."
- NibblesMcGiblet
Reading is Fundamental
"A few Nancy Drew books. My parents didn’t have money for books. The small Catholic school library offered books on saints, US presidents and their wives. The public library wasn’t in walking distance."
"I lied when Susan Sample, a classmate, accused me of befriending her for the “sleuth’s” books."
"55 years later, I’ll fess up; yes, I preferred my time with Nancy more than you."
- gladysk
"This is why I support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. You sign up and get two free kid’s books a month for your kid to enjoy. It rules."
- PM_ME_KITTEN_TOESIES
"Check out the Nancy Drew PC games on Steam! They're adventure point and clicks with tons of mini games, and the originals only take 4-6 hours and are $3-6 USD. They also inevitably go on sale every major Steam sale."
- IggySorcha
"I’ve downloaded Nancy Drew eaudio books from the library. I was stunned to learn that Laura Linney narrates."
- gladysk
Lego is for Everyone
"At 18 my parents would laugh if I asked for Legos—they never bought them for me unless I asked and stopped buying them for me when I was nine because I was 'too old'."
"When I play with my siblings' Legos I get brutally mocked but I honestly think that Legos are ageless and super great not just as a toy but as a hobby in general."
- Future-Parsnip4597
"The box does say up to age 99. Your parents just don’t get it."
- A_70s_Virgo
"It kind of sucks that you're not allowed to play with them once you turn 100 though."
- No-Garlic-1739
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"I got a call from a friend, she said it's a birthday and we should all come over. I got the date/time and event correct, but not whose birthday it was, although I was confident it was for a kid. Why else would she say, bring the whole family?"
"We show up and I'm frankly concerned by by all the craft beer with bows and balloons on it. I set our gift bag down and we join the party. Shortly after, her husband shouts with joy and wants to know who got him the big Lego set."
"Well, that was me, and, uh.... You're welcome."
"So, my answer is Legos. Adults want Legos."
- CanYouBeHelped
Hide!
"Not a gift, but would someone play hide n seek with me please?"
- tbama11
"Let’s do it in Ikea!"
- Low_Loss9934
"I’m in! Pick me, pick me!"
- TwoIdleHands
"Honestly, I wonder if you could book an Ikea for a specialty sleepover—like, food court opened for dinner then ice cream, hide and seek, scavenger hunt? Serious missed opportunity on their marketing department if not."
- Crackinggood
"This has happened before! An IKEA in Denmark got snowed in and 20-30 people had to stay the night. They got to watch movies and eat cinnamon buns and slept in the showroom beds."
"If this happened to me, I’d make a fort with a big pile of stuffed animals in the kid’s section."
- PM_ME_KITTEN_TOESIES
Mini Worlds
"An original Polly Pocket! They were so well made and I just love how perfectly miniature everything was."
- cnfmom
"For Christmas one year, my brother and I got the "boy" version of Polly Pocket: Mighty Max Skull Mountain, it was awesome! My sister got a bunch of Polly Pocket and Littlest Pet Shop toys that I probably played with just as much as Mighty Max."
- tavok_
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Glow-Up
"Legit anything that glows in the dark. I think it’s so fun but since I’m grown I get basic non-glowy stuff."
- I-like-bagels15
"Growing up my brother had glow in the dark stars and moons stuck to the ceiling of his room. I was always jealous of them and I think it would be the coolest thing to have my own little galaxy in my room now."
- acecayde
"I'm 39 and have my walls covered in glow in the dark stars. They make me happy and I don't care what anyone else thinks."
- moonbunnychan
"I have a canopy bed because I always wanted one as a kid, but it's a really modern looking steel tube one that looks pretty chic. I have a mesh canopy over the top with plastic glow stars scattered on it. They tend to gather in the middle after a few weeks so I smack the mesh to scatter them randomly again."
"I also put glow stars in the glass dome under my kitchen light. When I shut off the light the stars are all charged up and glow for a while!"
- bondagenurse
"Anything glow in the dark is still super exciting to me. I've got a glow in the dark phone case at the moment (actually helps me find it at night), silly putty, nail polish, a Tshirt and a little glowy tree spirit from Princess Monoke that sits on my nightstand. In the past I've had glow in the dark stars, stickers, tempera paint and a glow in the dark moon calendar."
‐ lightbulbfragment
*pew* *pew*
"A full laser tag set with at least four guns."
- DrByNight
"…and a fog machine!"
- TexBlack
"Plus strobe lights and black lights and a stick stereo system to pump some techno beats to shoot lasers to."
- SobiTheRobot
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Lava Fun
"I would love a new Lava Lamp."
"Decades ago I lost mine in a natural disaster which is me doing what I usually do which is drop my lava lamp onto the ground."
"By far the most difficult clean up I’ve ever encountered."
- Billsonite66
Nerf Herders
"Nerf guns. Not gonna lie, I’m probably to old for this stuff, but I love screwing around with my friends and just having a great time flinging foam."
- Save-The-Defaults
"Nerf guns or just some toys in general now that i’m older newer toys have come out and weren’t around when i was a kid they honestly look fun sometimes."
- SelectionQuick9153
Wet and Wild Fun
"A Super Soaker with the LATEST Super Soaker technology!"
"My birthday is in August, northern hemisphere, so I would put it to use straight away."
- hangriest
"I'd much rather have a fight with dope-a** water guns than with Nerf guns because there is no clean up with water guns and finding all the darts after a nerf battle really f'king sucks."
- Jordaneer
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Is there a reason we need to stop enjoying certain things when we get older?
There isn't, really, so do the things you love no matter what other people think.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.