Form 007 · Departmental Guidance

Field Notes

Guidance, intelligence and standing orders from the Department. Read before gifting.

A house-shaped wooden advent calendar with 24 numbered drawers and a velvet bow, beside a wooden train, a small tree and a toy deer in winter sunlight
Field Note 07Filed Under: Holidays

The Advent Calendar Report

Twenty-four small doors. One very clear deadline. The Department's briefing on the calendars worth buying while there's still a choice.

Filed 14 Oct 2026
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Latest Filing
The Archive
Holiday toy catalogues spread open on a marble table, flagged with coloured tabs, showing dolls, plush, slime, trading cards and a hatching dinosaur egg
Field Note 06Filed Under: Trends

The Lists Have Landed

Every October, the big retailers publish their holiday toy lists. The Department has read the major ones, so you can skip to the findings.

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A red velvet Christmas stocking laid flat beside its contents: a clementine, gold chocolate coins, a satin sleep mask, a puzzle cube, playing cards, gummy sweets, earbuds and other small gifts
Field Note 05Filed Under: Holidays

The Stocking Manifest

Eight items. Five categories. One very full sock. Every piece under $20, with Special Dispensation granted where it has been earned.

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A hand squeezing a translucent pink squishy cube on a sunlit desk, beside a dish of colorful squishy toys
Field Note 04Filed Under: Trends

The Squishy Situation

An official briefing for adults on the small, silent, sold-out object currently running the playground.

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Binoculars, an orange journal, a compass and a folded map on a wooden table
Field Note 03Filed Under: Travel

The Travel Edit

For planes, road trips and the long hour before anyone arrives.

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A sunlit sewing table with a white sewing machine, floral fabric, spools of thread and a pin cushion
Field Note 02Filed Under: Gift Ideas

Gifts They Didn't Ask For (But Will Love)

The wish list is a starting point. The Department's best work happens off it.

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A birthday still life: a cake with lit candles and gifts wrapped in striped and polka-dot paper
Field Note 01Filed Under: Birthdays

The Birthday Guide

Standing orders for every age, from the first candle to the eighteenth.

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Form 001 · Gift Assistance Request

Prefer a direct answer? Open a case.

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