I think I did pretty well this Christmas.

As you all know, Christmas is about getting as much stuff as you possibly can out of other people while returning very little to them. Unfortunately, I kind of screwed things up this year by giving away several very nice bottles of perfume, but otherwise consider my Christmas booty (note: “booty” is another word for “loot” – I realize that it’s also another word for “buttocks,” but that’s not how I’m using it, so let’s just move on) to be, across the board, one of the better hauls of my twenty-eight seasons of Yule.

However, now that I’m back at home, I’ve noticed something very interesting about a, shall we say, theme that runs through the gifts I received. It’s odd because many of these gifts came from people who didn’t know each other, or who didn’t have any idea what other people were getting me.

 Let’s see if you can spot the theme before the sum total is given…

Two (2) bottles of scrumptious Japanese body wash (one (1) pictured)

An Audrey Hepburn movie

Some of my favorite soap – Roger et Gallet: Carnation

A Mario’s gift certificate (Mario’s is an upscale clothing store in the Pacific Northwest)

Another Audrey Hepburn movie

A Saks Fifth Avenue gift card

Season One of Project Runway (reality show about fashion)

I guess I should also mention that I asked for most of these things.

But still…