Yes, that’s right, GIVE. Since ‘the true meaning of Christmas is giving’, what did you give out this year?
I gave my sister a Back to the Future dvd box set, The Man with the Golden Gun dvd, and a Die Another Day original movie theater poster. Mom got a Build-A-Bear Workshop gift certificate, and a couple of “Best of The Muppet Show” tapes. Dad got some alpaca socks (yeah, it’s boring, but he loves socks, and his old wool ones were really thin) and a shirt that says “The man who dies with the most tools, wins” (we have an absurd number of tools in our basement).
And those are just the gifts that I personally chose. There were other gifts and other people we gave gifts to as a family.
So, how about you?
Since hubby and I are fairly poor, i couldn’t buy my mom that Hummer she wanted, but maybe next Christmas I’ll get her a tank to make up for it.
Seriously though, I got my mom a ‘gizmo’, one of those cordless can openers that pops onto the can and does all the work itself. Dunno why, but she’s got a thing for can openers. The woman’s got about 15 or so already.
For pops we got one of those electronic organizer deelios – the kind that have the date/time/address/phone number stuff. He never is able to figure them out, but hey, he likes having them on his desk. Maybe one of his students can teach him how to use it.
For my brother I got one of those hot/cold pack aromatherapy pillows. No, he’s not effeminate or into aromatherapy, but I knew his fiancee would appreciate it, and I felt guilty about spending a lot on her already, so decided to just give it to him. (FTR we got her a reeeeeaaaallly nice necklace/earring combo.)
I gave the hubby permission to go buy a new gun and a new sword. That’s what you get when you’re poor. Permission to use the money. heh.
Also, I managed to make some homemade ornaments for all my coworkers (or at least the ones I don’t despise too much). I soldered some wires together in the shape of a snowflake, strung some pretty glass beads on them, and voila!
I’ll have to make up for my stingy giving by getting everyone tickets to Disney World next year (except for the coworkers – they can buy their own!)
I gave my best friend a Mr. Potato Head and a rubber duck. I like to consider it as part of my revenge for all the really weird stuff she’s given me in the past…like a bottle of Orangina and a stuffed monkey for my birthday two years ago. And the…ah…romantic kit that included a mask and a book of “hints” she gave me for Christmas last year. (said friend turns 18 in about 2 weeks…I need to come up with a really interesting present for this, ah, special occasion…) But she did claim to like the Mr. Potato Head.
Other friends got books or stuffed creatures and candy.
My sister got a set of bath gels and stuff and a picture frame. I was a bit worried that she wouldn’t like it, since she’s gotten enough bath stuff to clean 20 people for a decade this Christmas, but she seemed to like it.
My brother got a pack of bouncy balls and some other little toys I found.
My mom got two scented candles since she loves them. (Maybe next year I’ll save up and get one of the pretty carved candles that the same candlemaker does…if only they weren’t so expensive for just a candle…)
I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to get my dad, so I made him a collage of family pictures I had taken. I forgot to buy a frame for it, so I suppose I’ll do that soon too if he wants. It’s not the most gorgeous thing ever, but I think he’ll like it. I’ll see tomorrow, I guess.
I got my folks a smoked ham and turkey combo and a couple of smaller food items. They HAVE just about everything they want or need, and, in fact, their possessions are crowding them out of their house. So they’re always glad to get the ham and turkey, saves cooking.
My daughter got some new PJs (which, in fact, she asked for) and some perfume.
My husband got himself a farm. Yeah, as in Forty Acres (but no Mule to go with it). So I just got him a new belt, as his old one was wearing out and he hates shopping for clothes.
I also made a big batch of raspberry hard candy, with chocolate middles. I think that this was a big mistake, as both my husband and my daughter are talking about this becoming a Holiday Tradition.
I gave the kids at church candy canes and gum; I got my brother Pearl Jam’s new CD Riot Act; and I got my sister a decorative wall tile with a pig on it. (when I told Spoz about it, he said to me: “a tile??? for a xmas present? wow… that’s abstract…”) Nah, it’s all about the pig! (hehehe)
For one set of young cousins: Darda Cars (super-cool fast toy cars with tracks that you can build into various shapes. Fun and also creative)
For the other set of young cousins: Several books. One was The Golden Compass, but I’ve forgotten what else
For Grandmother: A little stained glass window hangy thing of a Degas painting
For my sister: A bathrobe from a hotel that we both stayed at a while ago. She pretty much commanded that someone get her this, and as she is very hard to buy for, I happily obliged
For my parents: I treated my parents to a night of dinner/show/hotel a few months back as a combined multi-holiday present. But for xmas I also got my mom a Monet cutting board, and my dad a book by a favorite author of his
For my SDMB secret santa: I’m not telling
I’m toying with the idea of splurging and taking one of my friends to a Raiders playoff game… depends on how overpriced the tickets are.
I am in the rather interesting situation of not having gotten everything I’m going to give yet. This is partially due to laziness our own government has trouble matching, partially due to the fact that I won’t be up there to give my fambly stuff until two or three days from now, and partially due to the fact that I want to see just what kind of prices I can manage to find.
However, I have already gotten B something and have a collection of movies I’ll either give to my brother, father, both, or father brother and mother. That leaves my two sisters, for whom I’ll probably just stop in a christian whateverstore and pick up something relevant.
Y’all should see the … existence of presents B’s nephew got. There were about two rooms of stuff for him … the living room was at half-capacity because of the piles of his gifts (four feet high. No, I’m not kidding), and there were also some in his grandparents’ bedroom. And I am told that the stacks were equally high at his father’s house (parents divorced), so he is probably getting the equivalent of a personal Toys ‘R’ Us. I hope one of those boxes is a box of boxes for him to store all those toys and clothes in.
Watching my three year old’s face when she saw her new baby and all the accessories we bought was one of those perfect moments. She spent the rest of the evening dressing, diapering, feeding, and walking her baby in the stroller. She is a good little mommy. There’s even a car seat so her baby will be safe on the trip to Grandma’s tomorrow.
What I found amazing is that her new baby is the same size she was when she was born and got put into one of my daughter’s newborn sleepers that was in one of her drawers. It reminded me of how quickly time passes and how precious childhood is.
Our five year old daughter was playing mommy too but she also spent quite some time playing her Veggie tales games on the PC and had to watch Lilo and Stitch twice before given into the sleep fairies.
The heir and the spare were kept busy with their Bionicles and their Bay Blades.
Lola and I watched the LOTR Special Edition tonight as we relaxed on the couch, the extended version is wonderful and there are 16 commentaries with the four disk set. She was lounging in new jammies with her feet tucked into her foot cozy.
With all this Christmas stress she will appreciate the gift certificate she received for her favourite spa… nothing like a good massage to ease those muscles.
The SIL should find some time in the next couple of days to enjoy the E.T. boxed set while she lounges in her new jammies.
The BIL should enjoy the Spiderman D.V.D. boxed set and the multi tool while our “adopted” daughter is was ecstatic to receive new jammies, a hair straightener and a new fountain pen… something she’s been asking me for since August.
My gifts were also very cool, it’s the first time anyone has bought the pen geek a pen.
Gave Dad a t-shirt that says "You never see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist’s office. Gave mom two books she collects. Gave younger nephew a Thomas the Tank Engine playset, and older nephew a Harry Potter Lego set, and some toy called Bionicles. One sister got a gift certificate, the other got bird themed ornaments. One BIL got a took gadget thingy, the other a gift certificate. Grandma,(in the nursing home) will be getting some fruit candies she likes, when Fed-Ex deigns to deliver them.
Dad & StepMom: Olive Garden gift certificate (enough for dinner & dessert for both)
Mom: Waterbed sheets (she wanted some), her favorite perfume, and a book that she mentioned wanting a few months ago (she forgot that she had told me about it so she was surprised).
3 little brothers: Each got a hooded gray sweatshirt. Youngest got Sponge Bob Square Pants (he loved it), Middle got Green Bay Packers (he adores them), Oldest got a Christian themed (he’s very in to church/youth group and therefore loves the shirt).
Best Friend in the World[sup]TM[/sup]: Jewelry box, Smoothie Machine (and smoothie mixes), a book she really wanted, a CD she wanted, candy.
I have more fun shopping for others than I do for myself! Merry Christmas.
Mom: A double CD of Beatles songs (the “cute Beatles”, as opposed to the “hippie Beatles” - “She Loves You”, “Love Me Do”, that era) and some candy.
Dad: A small desk calendar with interesting, possibly useful random facts and a panettone.
Sis: She’s a couple years younger than I, just so ya know. Got her one of those teeny-tiny books: Conflict Strategies from The Art of War.
Best Friend #1: “Beauty Queen in a Bag”: Bubble bath, shower gel, a shower poof, a little tiara-haircomb, and a sash that says “Beauty Queen”, all in a little flimsy pink plastic suitcase-thing. She’s been aching to give me my gift for three weeks now.
Best Friend #2:#1 and I went in on a body massager… We figured instead of just a foot massager, we’d get her a little all-over one. She’s a bartender who works long hours, so I thought she might appreciate it.
Dad: This cute statue that looks like it’s made out of graham squares that is roasting a hot dog over a fire with his coffee cup in hand (Dad’s a camping freak)
Susan: Little Mary Moo Moo statue of a cow playing with a tractor (she loves cows)
Matt: a shirt saying “Caution: Drinking is the leading cause of unexplained rug burns on the forehead”
Brother: Money, he refused to give a clue to what he wanted but he always needs money for gas and stuff for his car (he’s 16)
Cousins: These really cute bug things to hang from their walls/roof
Aunt: Cute cat stuffed animal
Grandma: lightly scented candle
Aunt/Uncle: Chocolates
Mom: No clue yet, won’t see her till new year so that can wait a few days.
