Apologies if this thread has already been done this year. I couldn’t find it.
It was a slow year, mainly because my parents took a big hit financially, and so didn’t give gifts. But they did give me fudge. Damned good fudge.
In fact, with only one exception, every gift I got was food-related.
I got a nice framed B&W photo of Gay Head light on Martha’s Vineyard. Also,
A huge bag of chili powder strong enough to kill a moose
A jar of green chili powder
A garlic crusher
A vial of Brazilian green peppercorns
A spice mill
A brush made of space-age material (good for syrups I guess)
An America’s Test Kitchen cookbook
A cookbook dealing with cooking at the molecular level
A Hall & Oates CD (shut up, it was the best they had at WalMart). I paid for it myself and got my money back from the girl-child later.
A cat calendar. Picked out myself, my husband bought it for me and then sold it to the boy-child on December 24th so he’d have a gift to give me.
Dish towels from Grandma, as requested.
Wine from Mom, as requested.
Boots and pajamas from husband, as requested.
Red Lobster gift cards from brother, a total surprise. Unbeknownst to him, we really don’t care for Red Lobster, but I considered this a really thoughtful gift.
We got each other a puppy. That was the only gift we got each other this year…things are kind of tight.
I’m expecting that my mother probably got me something, though I don’t know what or how much. Probably a gift card to Big & Tall, but I won’t find out until this weekend, when I go up to visit.
I got some nice shirts and a pair of pants and, in a revival of an old tradition, my mother got me socks and underwear. Never fails to crack me up.
I also scored some new winter gloves.
And the big-ticket things (not that big, but still) … a new monitor for my computer and one of those iPod docking dealios … not a Bose, but still pretty nice.
And of course, I just had to buy Call of Duty: World at War for myself.
Mine was a hand-me-down x2, and there was a broken valve that just wasn’t worth fixing deep in its hellish bowels. Thus it took a whole container full of water to make just one shot, as most of the water poured steadily (and scaldingly) out the steaming wand. It was an unexpected and much appreciated gift from my parents.
I also received a set of garnet and silver jewelry from my in-laws, and a candle making set and judaica jewelry set from my SO.
My favorite gift this year was the first two volumes of the original Nausicaa manga by Hayao Miyazaki. The animated movie is one of my favorites and I had almost forgotten there was an original comic. So this gift was a complete delightful surprise.
From my dad & step-mom: A gorgeous new scarf and some lip gloss
From my 12-year-old niece: Lip balm (This was an inside joke; a couple of weeks ago she borrowed my lip balm and then announced that she’d had a sore throat all week. I told her to keep it and that Santa had better bring me a new one for Christmas. She wrapped a new one in a huge box and gave it to me on Christmas Eve.)
From my grandma: Gloves to match the scarf dad gave me, plus $10
From my mom: “The Zombie Survival Guide,” slipper boots, and “Bananagrams” game
From my sister: Gift certificate to stay at a really cool, old hotel in the town where she lives. My favorite author (Sinclair Lewis) worked there when he was young. This was a joint gift for my husband and I. We’ve been wanting to stay there, and since my family draws names, she rigged it so her family would have both of us.
From my other grandma: A wall hanging
From my husband: We just set a dollar limit and picked out our own stuff. I picked out three sweaters (one cashmere), a shirt, and a pair of jeans.
We have Christmas with my husband’s family tonight.
Best present was a digital camera from my dad. Strange that I wanted it, as until now I only used trad cameras with 35mm film, but what the hell, it’s the twenty-first century! I am still learning how to work it. Three cheers for instant gratification.
I got money from my mom, which is par for the course. :rolleyes:
I got Starbucks Cafe Verona coffee and black tights and paper for my printer and good bandaids from my sister and her husband, all of which I really needed.
Also, my friend is getting my favorite emerald cocktail ring repaired for me, which I really appreciate.
From my parents: an MP3 player.
From my sister: a Hamilton Beach Stay-or-Go Slow Cooker.
From my brother and SIL: an anime DVD set.
From my brother’s MIL: a Celtic Woman CD and some nice, snuggly slipper socks.
I also got an unexpected gift from my grandma: a Cabbage Patch kid. She bought it for herself in 1985 and never took it out of the box. I’m so touched that she gave it to me.
This was an unusually lean Chrismukkah around these parts. From my mom, I got a TiVo to replace my pathetic cable company DVR. From my aunt, I got the annual check. Inflation this year drove her offering up to $150. From my cousin, in the annual family secret Santa thing, I got a $25 Simon Mall Visa, which I think I can only use in a store in a Simon Mall, which sucks, as I haven’t sat foot in a mall in about five years and don’t particularly wish to. Oh well.
I’ve also been largely forgotten. My husband gave me some R-rated underwear and a re-gifted day spa voucher. His family sent us some money. That’s it.
I tell I lie - one of my mates sent my main WoW character a lifelike mechanical toad pet. I thought it was incredibly thoughtful of her as she knows I’m gunning for Shop Smart, Shop Pet.