Gordon Lightfoot is coming to Houston in February. SWMBO somehow got us tickets for the show.
My in laws told us to update our Amazon lists. We did so. What they ended up giving us was: a tardis bathrobe and a pair of Freudian slippers. This is the third year in a row they’ve given us what amounted to a white elephant gift for Christmas, probably not coincidentally the same number of years they’ve been married. His previous wife was either a better gifter or better at keeping him in check.
I know some of you are thinking the tardis robe sounds awesome. 
Well step away, we already know who we’re regifting it to (and yes they will know it’s a regift…).
I received six issues of Omni Magazine: various dates between January 1980 and January 1984. Completely and utterly unexpected, but totally cool. The ads alone are priceless - *The new IBM PC, featuring a monitor that displays both upper *and lower case characters!
My husband gave me a nicely framed print from this artist
I never expected it, but it was a funny and appropriate gift actually.
the church’s choir director gave me a bottle of wine for playing violin at xmas mass
Oh sure, falconry lessons are wonderful…until the falcon decides to fly away and never come back. 
(I saw this happen once at a “hawkfest”)
I guess my most unexpected gift was one of those cheesy balsa wood rubber-band powered model airplanes–a gift from my brother. Growing up, we used to get them every year as stocking stuffers, so it was a heartwarming blast from the past.
Weirdly (and I am not just parroting my friend, The Prof) but I actually received a package of nice wool socks that fit perfectly in my everyday boots. Quite unexpected, even though they were from one of my clients who sells socks (and other apparel) online using my web design.
Coincidentally, they were also the only gifts I received this Festivus. My darling lady is at her mother’s because of a death in the family, and I had to stay here to host the misfit toys in the valley. So, I have to wait until after the new year to exchange gifts. And that means that the holidays haven’t ended for me, so there! <insert Bronx cheer>
My younger son watched me chop and prepare food until 5am Christmas morning. Later in the day when I opened his gift to me, it was a vegetable chopper. With a straight face he said, “I asked you if I could open one of my presents early and you said no, so…”
Well, the most unexpected thing on Christmas Day was probably the desk decoration from my niece. Glass thing, with lots of quotes from writers and about writing that she picked herself, (including Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman!)
The most unexpected overall was something that I’ve actually known about for a few months, but when my Mom first told me that she wanted to make me a wizard’s staff, I was pretty stunned. 
Wow, very cool. I’m bookmarking that artist for next year.
NeverWet. I wasn’t expecting anything at all, and friends bought me a package of NeverWet, remembering how I’d been blown away by the demonstration video.
Eau My, George Takei’s signature cologne.
Our new downstairs neighbors gave us 3 different kinds of homemade jam for Christmas. I knew they didn’t like the previous ones but I had no idea we were that great by comparison!
A bottle of Single Malt Scotch, or should I say a future of delivery of Isle of Barra single malt, to be delivered when it’s good and ready. It’s the first product of a new distillery.
From my daughter. And I’m Scottish on my mother’s side, from the Isle of Barra, which is off the Northwest part of Scotland. Think Brigadoon.
I get it! [sub]Damn…[/sub]
I mentioned 3 things in offhand comments on Christmas morning. All three turned up in presents I unwrapped minutes later! Wish I had mentioned wads of cash or a new sports car…
I grew up in a Santa-less home. My ultra-strict Mormon parents wouldn’t let anyone compete with Jesus, so they never let us believe in anything magical.
My father was crazy, as in bat-shit psychotic type of crazy, and any time he was around, things were very tense. Christmas was no exception, and I grew up with really conflicted feelings about the holidays. So much tension about everything from decorating the tree to asking for the wrong things for Christmas, watching friends enjoy it and worrying if I was going to do something wrong. Everything was such a disappointment and far too much stress.
My kids are five and three. Last year, we were right in the middle of the move to Taiwan, so Christmas got skipped. We didn’t really do much build up this year either, as we are getting ready to move into our new house and both of us had insane work schedules as well as supervising the final interior construction.
Christmas isn’t big here in Taiwan. It’s not a holiday and out here in the sticks, there aren’t even many decorations up in stores.
Anyway, I got some presents for the kids, wrapped them up and told them that Santa brought them. My son, 3, can’t really understand who Santa is, but loved the toy power shovel, his absolute favorite thing in the world.
Then my daughter’s eyes lit up. She opened up the presents and said that there were just exactly what she had wanted.
Is was one of those moments of unexpected clarity. For my whole life, I’ve heard about the magic of Christmas, but that was such an alien concept. What’s magical about disappointment, tension, and anger?
For the first time, I got to see a little child (mine even!) experience the magic of Christmas. The kids have been inseparable from their toys. They’re happy and they feel special.
But most of all, I got the feeling that these kids are not going to grew up in the same sort of hell I knew. They’re going to be OK, and I’m doing all right as a parent.
I think that’s the best present I’ve ever gotten, and it was quite unexpected.
I generally don’t get anything for Christmas unless my brother and his wife give me a little something. This year though, my roommate’s family invited us over for Christmas dinner. I brought them homemade goodies as my part of the dinner, but when they started doing presents I got a little embarrassed at the pile that kept growing at MY feet. I had never met most of these people but every one of them gave me a gift, including a 25 dollar Visa gift card. Totally unexpected, and the perfect size and color. I had been worried about what I could do to make my daughter’s birthday nice (it’s the day after Christmas) so that card got us lunch and a trip to Target for a special toy she got to pick out on her own. It was the highlight of my holiday.
Whoa! 
Time for some serious cosplay.
Whoops, you’ve opened a giant can of worms now TokyoBayer. You’ve been sucked into the Santa Vortex of DOOM from now on.
Seriously, kids on Christmas morning are the most wonderful gift ever. Shame on your parents for denying you the magic, and good on you for bringing it home.