The Best Gift

[Danny]

What gift did you get or give that was a big winner?

For me it was getting everyone a Sonicare.
I had 3 20-something year olds excited to get an electric toothbrush - brushing their teeth 3 times a day and making repeated remarks about how good their teeth and mouth felt. I felt as great as my teeth do!

 

[REWahoo]

No oral hygiene gifts here.

Given: An acoustic guitar to DW who wants to learn to play after recovering from hand surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Received: A comfortable leather (retired) executive chair since I spend waaayyy too much time in front of this computer.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

DVD player with a bunch of Pacino/Duvall movies.

JG

 

[Outtahere]

We bought my parents a case of Maxwell House Coffee, you would have thought we gave them a box of gold.

 

[JPatrick]

The best gift was having our 12 year old dalmatian with us for Christmas.
She was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer (not operable) a few weeks ago and I was hoping she would hang on so the kids could see her one last time.  She's actually much more active than this pic shows, but she has always enjoyed her sun.

By the way, before all of this bad news hit us we had entered her in the DogShow USA in the cutest face category.  If you'd like to vote for her, you can do so at this link.
Molly and me thank thee.
http://www.dogshowusa.com/dog_gallery/default.sps?detail=2433

 

[Eagle43]

Grandkids gave us a Conair Sound Therapy Player. We got Waterfall, thunderstorm, rainfall, songbirds, tropical forest, hearbeat, ocean waves, summer night, and running stream sounds. Love it. Played thunderstorm last night upon going to bed. Slept soundly. Tonite, it's gonna be rainfall or ocean waves.

 

[Martha]

JP I voted for Molly--five bones!

Gave everyone plastic clogs. They look at me and think "that crazy hippie aunt of mine."

 

[Danny]

JP I voted for Molly--five bones!

Molly's a sweetie - has my 5 bones too!

 

[Outtahere]

Molly got 5 bones from me too!

 

[KB]

5 bones here too....love the blue boa

 

[TromboneAl]

I most enjoyed making and giving about seven of these mallets, which I made from pallet wood.

I enjoyed getting a set of coupons redeemable for house cleaning, garden work, from DD while she's home on Christmas break.

 

[sailor]

I most enjoyed making and giving about seven of these mallets, which I made from pallet wood.

No wonder everything is so obscenly expensive on the left coast - they make pallets out of oak wood.
T-Al, what gets shipped on oak pallets?

 

[TromboneAl]

I don't know the history of them, but I'd say that 50% of the pallets I get are oak. I just pick them up for free at the recycling center (for firewood).

I read a post of someone who found a teak pallet.

 

[Nords]

What gift did you get or give that was a big winner?

Wireless headphones. $40 off eBay.

Our kid gets a cheap thrill out of listening to the familyroom TV from the bathroom.

Of course the family is wondering who the gift was really for. I'm not grumping around the house anymore whining "Turn that thing down!"-- priceless.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Last week my wife called to say that the living room tv had started sparking and smelled like it was on fire, so would I stop on my way home and buy a new HDTV...our second new tv in a couple of months.

After thinking about it, I think it was a desperation move. She couldnt think of anything to get me so she shoved a screwdriver into the old living room tv so I could get myself a new one.

Mrs. () got a couple of 1ct asscher cut diamond earrings that match her engagement ring.

 

[Jeb-NY]

Had told my parents we would be home around Christmas but not on Christmas because we were planning on spending Christmas with our son. Week before Christmas I talked my son into making the 500 mile trip to see his grandparents for Christmas, we traveled the 425 miles and we had a 3 generation Christmas for the first time in years. My Mother and Dad were thrilled to have us all at home at the same time.

Second best present was a new Honda Civic for my wife. Win win present. I figure depending on gas prices it will save $1500-2000 a year over the Explorer she was driving and she loves it. Didn't think I'd ever get he to downsize but she fell in love with it the first time she test drove one.

Best for myself was the years salary and benefits my company gave me when I signed up to retire early. Been retired for 11 days now. So far so good.

Jeb

 

[Sheryl]

Mrs. () got a couple of 1ct asscher cut diamond earrings that match her engagement ring.

Wow! I bet Mrs. () was a happy ()!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Thats my primary job, making Mrs. () happy. Cuz if Mrs. () isnt happy, aint nobody happy...

 

[Danny]

Had told my parents we would be home around Christmas but not on Christmas because we were planning on spending Christmas with our son. Week before Christmas I talked my son into making the 500 mile trip to see his grandparents for Christmas, we traveled the 425 miles and we had a 3 generation Christmas for the first time in years. My Mother and Dad were thrilled to have us all at home at the same time.

Second best present was a new Honda Civic for my wife. Win win present. I figure depending on gas prices it will save $1500-2000 a year over the Explorer she was driving and she loves it. Didn't think I'd ever get he to downsize but she fell in love with it the first time she test drove one.

Best for myself was the years salary and benefits my company gave me when I signed up to retire early. Been retired for 11 days now. So far so good.

Jeb

Jeb - This is all very Cool. Congratulations! and welcome to ER world.

 

[SteveR]

Thats my primary job, making Mrs. () happy.  Cuz if Mrs. () isnt happy, aint nobody happy...

You got that one right!!

Our Christmas was pre-announced as our last "big one" for gift giving. We scaled back this year, but you could not tell it and will cut back much more next year.

I am still the big spender with DW since we have only been married a little over a year. I enjoy blowing good money buying nice things for her that makes her happy. Women are like crows; they both like things that sparkle and shine.

 

[Sarah in SC]

My new sparkly and shiny automatic gate opener for the front of the property is my best Christmas gift! Don't have to get out in the rain to open it anymore! Yeah! Something to "crow" about!
Sarah

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's an email exchange with my sister that you might enjoy:

Sister: I love the jacket very much, but look terrible in the color unfortunately. Is there a way to exchange it for a different color?

Me: Too bad it didn't work for you. Sorry, there's no way to exchange it, since we bought it at a garage sale for $4. Maybe I could find that house again next summer, and I could exchange it for a slow cooker or an old telephone.

 

[KB]

Sister rolls eyes :

 

[Helen]

My partner Molly hinted for a MP3 player for Christmas.  I jumped at the chance as it meant we would have to buy a new PC (have always used what they give me to dial in for work) to store the downloads (OK, I could have just bought an external hard drive but she won't know  )  and upgraded to DSL. Weeeeeee !

I bought a souped up Dell XPS 400, 20" ultra sharp flat panel display, 160 gb external hard drive, DSL modem, printer and two (after researching I decided to get on for myself !) Sandisk 2G MP3 players with upgraded headphones for $2,150 !!! Our 18th anniversary is January 1st, so it's a combo gift to both of us.

I did it all from my Mother's 28.8 kb dialup - My God this is painful, 56kb is slow enough !!!!

-helen

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Finally found something I liked to get myself for christmas, as Mrs. () hadnt yet withdrawn her offer that I should buy myself whatever I wanted.

I now have a 32" LCD monitor on my computer.

Its fun having to move my head to see from one side of the screen to the other...