And to you, dear Ellen.
We didn’t get a lot of presents growing up because my parents were too busy squirrelling for our educations. They would always point to my sister.
So yes, my sister, is actually the best present I have ever received because besides my parents she is my only family and the only piece of them that I will have left after they pass on. Also, she is awesome and funny and comes shopping with me and didn’t cut me out of her life after she got married and a million other things annoying people do and whatnot.
The second best? All that money my parents never spent on gifts? They gave us a phenomenal education from primary to the end of graduate school. No, they didn’t pay for all of it (loans, scholarships, our assets, some of their money)…but they always made sure we had great opportunities, bought a crappy house in an insanely expensive town so we could get the best high school education etc. etc…
Caricci, I’m happy for you. Enjoy the ring and everything that goes with it.
I’ve been lucky, I’ve had a lot of wonderful gifts, but one that touched me the most was from my husband. I opened a large package, and inside were a lot (more than a dozen) of smallish wrapped items: practically every small item I’d mentioned liking or wanting in the few preceding months. It just showed me how much he listened to what I said. I was very touched.
That’s very sweet. It’s so wonderful when they pay attention. One year I challenged my husband to figure it out on his own and was extra delighted at how right he got it: a gift certificate for a facial “To Mommy, from Bobby and Gideon”. They’re our dogs, whom he dislikes. So it was great that a) he knows I like to get a facial but find it a big luxury I am hesistant to spend money on and b) that he included the dogs because he knows I love them too.
And thanks for the kind words.
In the late 60’s, I got a three inch reel-to-reel tape recorder. 
You may think this was lame. But this was before the advent of VCR’s.
Not only could I record songs off of records, but from the radio and from the audio track of TV shows.
I recorded the 1968/1969 Emmys. I recorded Outer Limits, Star Trek, Dark Shadows, The Avengers, etc.
For my 21st birthday, my parents paid for me to have Lasik correction for both my eyes. Having been nearly legally blind before that, it made a profound change in my life immediately - and I appreciate it all over again whenever I think about it, though it has been a while.
(I thought it would be a convenience, and keep me from having to fuss with lenses of one sort or another. I entered a world filled with magical concepts like “peripheral vision” and “seeing my legs to dry them.” It really was a phenomenal change.)
NightRabbit, this pushes the boundaries of IMHO. Watch it.
This smashes through the boundaries of IMHO and is pure Pit material. Don’t. You were this >||< close to being warned.
One woman went to a store, stood in line and got me an author-signed copy of a book. It was a lousy book by an unknown author, but it meant a lot to me that she actually *thought *about who I am. Most people just say that I’m hard to buy for and ask me what I want. She put some real thought into it, know that I love to read, she went and got me a gift that no one else ever thought to. I guess it seemed to show that she cared about me enough to *think *about what might please me and surprise me.
My son was born 3 months preemie and lived through it with little complications. He was released from the hospital on his due date. (several yrs ago)
And then my 2 daughters who were born with no complications and at full term.
My BFF - for sharing our crazy lives
My BMF - for igniting the passion of life inside of me (and he gave me an autographed copy of his first published sci-fi book)
My Bestest Friend and Partner - for igniting the passion of Love inside of me, and restoring my ability to trust.
What more could I want or ask for? 
Cool! Like Dung Beetle, I got contacts at 14 having no idea my father was planning on doing this for us (my bro and I both got them at the same time). It was a great surprise and went a long way toward feeling more comfortable in high school.
Sorry Frank! I couldn’t ignore that, but I’ll try next time.
Dad is a professional sports photograper. He is upgrading his camera and lens. He was going to surprise me, but then thought he should tell me early so I could arrange my carry-on luggage plans.
He’s giving me his old Nikon 2DH with a 300mm 2.8 lens! :eek:
Nevermind.
Thanks for sharing your story, A Priori Tea. How amazing! Both as a gift, and to be able to improve your visions to such a degree! I wouldn’t mind hearing more about how your life has changed.
Night Rabbit: :rolleyes:
Your dad has just made me tear up. What an awesome awesome dad he is.
You are so very lucky.
My parents gave me a car for my 16th birthday. It was a Volkswagen Beetle that was 10 years older than I was, primer grey, with floorboards that had rusted through. It’s battery died about twice a week - we plugged it in at night to recharge it, and I got very adept at push starting it. Even so, I never drove it after dark because the headlights drained the battery too fast. The doors didn’t lock, which meant that many a practical joke was played on my very identifiable car. But, it was a CAR! Of my very own! Very exciting stuff.
This fall I passed my Ph.D. specialty exams after much stress, anxiety, and general crankiness for the past six months or so. My hubby surprised me by giving me a present to celebrate. A present of any sort was a bit unexpected, but what he got knocked my socks off - a iPhone! I’d been admiring them, but would never in a million years have bought one for myself, or even have thought to ask for one for Christmas or something. It seems like such a ridiculous luxury. After my positively giddy reaction, I suspect that there will be more electronic gifts in my future, which is just fine with me.