By Anne Nicolai

The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the house is cleaner than it’s been since this time last year, and now all I want for Christmas is a tall glass of eggnog, followed by a nap.

But first I’m going to make my gift list, and guess who’s on it this year? Me and my aging body! Hey, we’ve earned it. And we haven’t been as good to ourselves as we could have been. It’s time to remedy that.

So here’s what I’m giving my aging body this holiday:

• Membership at a gym or tennis club (about $30/month where I live). Staying strong and in motion is more important now than ever, and I find my attitude improves with exercise.

• A monthly massage—either a professional spa massage ($30-$60 per session), or a sofa session wheedled out of my partner (free but for a bottle of $10 herbal massage oil from the natural remedy store). I’m a firm believer in the healing power of touch; not to mention that massages work magic during menopause. (Note to male readers: Men benefit from the same stress-reducing, blood pressure-lowering, performance-enhancing effects of massage as women do. Consider putting this on your own aging body’s gift list.)

• Comfy inserts for all of my shoes, especially my high heels (about $15/pair at drug stores). No one should have to quit dancing—Fred and Ginger never did!

• Fabulous face cream (custom-made for my skin type at a dermatology clinic, $80-$120 for a six-month supply). In fact, maybe I’ll go ahead and use the same thing on my hands, where the wrinkle count is vying with my forehead for first place. Yes, it’s expensive, but so much of the over-the-counter stuff we’ve all used for decades has been found to be toxic, and it seems to me that smearing petrochemicals onto skin that’s not in its prime is adding insult to injury.

• Thought-provoking books to keep my mind sharp and active (from as little as 99¢ for downloadable e-book to $25 for a hardcover or audio bestseller). I plan to renew my library card, too ($6.50/year). By the way, of all the books I read this year, my number-one gift recommendation for male and female literature lovers, teens and adults alike, is Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River (Grove Press: 2001). Trust me on this.

Still on the wish list, pending a budgetary windfall:

• Teeth whitening treatment at the dentist’s office ($300-$1,200 depending on number of sessions). If whiter teeth make me look younger, it’ll be worth drinking wine through a straw from now on.

• Nips, tucks and ’tox ($400 and up per procedure). Call it vanity, but with the many safe and simple fix-ups available these days, why not look as young as I feel?

• The Xbox 360 game machine and Kinect sensor (around $400), with the new Nike+ Kinect Training “game” ($50) that turns the TV room into a personal fitness center. I can’t believe I want an Xbox at my age, but I do.

• Airline tickets to visit faraway family and friends ($500-$1500 per coach class round-trip ticket, depending on destination). Having discovered that career and possessions aren’t the source of happiness, I want to spend as much time as possible with the people I love, no matter where they live.

That’s my list. What’s yours?

Anne Nicolai is an American writer and editor living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.