Wondering if folks might want to share experiences where they are really happy with what they are getting someone this year.
Mine is really little and silly, but made me smile this morning. My wife and I bought ourselves a puppy, so agreed not to buy each other anything this year. But she has to have something to unwrap …
I was really wracking my brain what to get her. Found myself in Williams-Sonoma staring at the utensil wall (which I always find mildly amusing - but that’s another story…:p), when I remembered last weekend when we cooked a turkey and my wife said “What can we use to get this out of the pan?” There they were - turkey lifters!
But that wasn’t the score.
Wondering if there wasn’t some other gadget I could get her, I saw a heavy duty pizza cutter. We had gone through several at one time, and for the past several years has simply used knives/scissors. So I figured I’d give it another shot. (Who says I’m not romantic!)
This morning I come downstairs and on the counter is A PIZZA CUTTER! DAMNdamndamndamndamn! I innocently ask, “Is that a new pizza cutter?” She replies, "It is our neighbor’s. I borrowed it yesterday when I was baking, and it was really useful. I have to return it, but was thinking we ought to get ourselves another one.
SCORE! I know it is hard to beat the romance of the reusable grocery bags I got her last Christmas, but I think I may have done it!
I’ll bite! Hubby and I exchanged our gifts on Saturday before the family parties began.
We both set a 50 limit on our gifts to each other this year, so my goal was a to get a bunch of little items in a theme. I went with mostly camping supplies, as he LOVED going camping and cooking on an open fire this summer and we plan to make it a regular thing.
But the first little gift I got him was a flying spaghetti monster car decal. We both think FSM is pretty funny, and saw one of these on a car and laughed for a bit this summer.
When our gift exchange began I decided to start with the decal, so I handed the little package over. Husband picked up a small package from his pile and asked “Do you want to open them simultaneously?” I declined and told him we’d do them one at a time, just to make things last longer. He opens the decal and starts laughing hilariously, which was expected, but then said “oh no!!” which was NOT expected. He gestures to the still-wrapped package in his hand and it hits me: “Oh no!” He’s laughing so hard he’s almost crying and hands over the package, which I rip open to find–a Flying Spaghetti Monster car decal.
We nearly peed ourselves laughing. I never thought he’d guess that I got him one of those, and he never thought I’d guess he got ME one. His noodly appendage has blessed our union, apparently.
Also, he totally cheated on our budget and bought me a new macbook after saving all year. But that’s ok!
I got Mom a spa gift certificate which she will totally not be expecting. I had gotten her one for her birthday a couple of years ago and she just raved about the massage she got, so I know she’s going to love it. And since we usually don’t get her anything beyond the usual pictures of the grandkids, it’ll be a big surprise.
Also, my brother is getting an iPod from us. That’s way more than we usually spend on him, but it’s only my son’s old one, plus we bought a charger, earphones, etc. He’ll be expecting something more along the lines of a wallet or a box of candy.
Knowing my soon to be 12 year old daughter was going to be tough to shop for this year, we started asking for Christmas ideas in October. The first, second, and third things out of her mouth were a Wii.
This is after I spent several months being unemployed, and was just getting back to work after taking a significant pay cut, and we told her that there was probably no way that was going to happen this year. Fast forward to about a week before T-giving, and me getting a side job to come through, and my wife just happens to be at Target as they are putting the Wii’s out. We have been hiding it since, and my poor daughter resigned herself to the fact that she is not getting one. I will take much delight in her surprise tomorrow morning!
My boyfriend got me cookware! A matching set of pots and pans that, unlike my current mismatched set, didn’t cost less than $6 a piece at wal-mart! It is almost orgasmic to think of all the things I will be able to cook…mmmm, cookware.
Since he is very into hiking and the outdoors I am getting a room at a B&B in the Catskills and taking him hiking for a weekend in January. He is super excited about the hiking and I am super excited about the jacuzzi tub and buffet breakfast so it is win-win!
Hallgirl1 got Hallboy an electric guitar, but with his mouthy attitude today, he’ll be lucky if I don’t bean him over the head with it before the day’s out. (Right now, he’s sulking in his room after another nasty comment and he was sent there–without television, computer or game cube. Yes, I’m a horrible mother to punish on Christmas Eve.)
Hallgirl1 won’t tell me what she got me, but she’s excited about it. We’re opening presents tonight and I can’t wait.
Papa Tiger and I decided not to get each other anything this year. Instead, we gave each of our elderly mothers (his is 84, mine 88) a year’s worth of the Fruit of the Month Club, which we’ve gotten them a 3-month increment of before and they absolutely adore because it’s not more stuff that they don’t need. And when my mother asked what she should do for us, I told her to donate to my favorite charity, which she did; she made a lovely donation which was much appreciated. His mom lives in a house we own, so her present to us is always something done to the house. I forget what it is this year, but it’s always really nice, like a new floor in the kitchen (which she only buys materials for and then cons one or more of her sons-in-law into installing – she’s good!).
But we never said we wouldn’t make each other anything, so I’m knitting him a scarf and hat set that is really nice for wearing at work, especially since he has to go outside during the day quite often. Although at the rate I’ve been knitting, he may get a scarf and an unfinished hat still on the needles!
My brother in law is a die-hard (but with a brain) conservative, and he absolutely worships Ronald Reagan, so I got him The Reagan Diaries. I figure he’ll enjoy that. My dad loves sports, but his eyes are going, so I got him a book of something like ESPN’s 36 Greatest Moments in Sports. Large print with pictures, so it’ll be easy for him to read.
Elysium, my bf and I did that last year. I thought I was being all sneaky and thoughtful by getting him the first Dexter book as one of his smaller presents.
He got me the first two Dexter books. :smack: He thought it was funny because he had planned on stealing the ones he bought me anyway to read.
I wasn’t very creative with gifts this year…too stressed out. I did get my grandma and aunt (who told me not to buy them anything) some small things they will like. Much needed wine glass charms for aunt and Christmas watch for g-ma. Small enough so they won’t get mad that I still got them something. I had to pester my parents to find out what they wanted (toaster) so hopefully the one I got for them works well. I mainly got the bf and my brother new clothes since they both need them and both dislike shopping. I’ll be more creative for bf’s 25th bday in a few months though, so he will have to deal with his useful gifts (clothes, boxers, small Foreman grill, gloves, travel mug, etc) for now.
Yeah, I know. But I also know she will be really happy to have something to unwrap on x-mas morn.
Me, it doesn’t matter so much. But I didn’t break the bank buying a couple of kitchen utensils…
And MAN are we both whipped on our new puppy - Buster T! Going home from work early this afternoon to give the 2 knuckleheads a bath, so they don’t stink for our company tomorrow …
I got a late paycheck just in time to do a little extra shopping like two days ago.
I went all over the damn place and ended up getting some extras for everyone, but hadn’t found anything for my dad yet.
So I went to World Market because I really wanted some Christmas crackers after reading about them here and someone had mentioned that World Market has them. I was getting really frustrated and ended up in the kitchen stuff area and saw:
an Alton Brown style measuring cup that my dad’s been looking for for years. you know, the kind with the bottom that pushes up. I got a little one for measuring teaspoons and stuff too. i hope he likes them.
Mr. brown’s a big San Jose Sharks fan. I splurged and got him tickets for a couple of club-level seats nearish the goal that the Sharks attack twice. They’ll be playing the Vancouver Canucks, and the game is in early 2009. And the Canucks had better play a better game than they played just last night - they looked damned sorry for such a highly-rated team.
Who am I kidding? The tix are just as much for me. I’m a huge Sharks fan, too.
For a few years in a row, I got my husband opening weekend tickets for the Indians. When we went in 2007, it was miserable. All four games got snowed out and we ended up stuck in a hotel room in Cleveland while the snow fell and fell and fell. He said he didn’t ever want to go to opening weekend again, so last Christmas I didn’t get him tickets and we didn’t end up going to a single game. That sucked (they sucked, too).
So, I decided I was going to buy tickets, but instead of opening weekend tickets, which are the only ones the team sells yet), I went to a season ticket reseller and bought tickets for three games off season ticket holders. And I bought seats that there’s no way we can ever get on our own.
I didn’t do opening weekend, though. I chose the Royals so that there would be a chance we’d see a win.
My wife, it turns out, had an Amazon wishlist. She had probably forgotten about it, so I was pretty happy to get her an amythest bracelet and mataching earrings. I hope she’ll be surprised.
Just got done giving the 2 knuckleheads a bath, so at least their stench won’t offend our company tomorrow. And just swept up a couple of pounds of hair.
I’ll try to get a couple of photos in front of the tree before they get themselves all filthy again…
