It's well and truly shopping season (except for the uber organised people that finished back in like July - that would not include me). Every year we give and receive probably more gifts than we can remember but what has been a standout gift for you? Last week, last year, years ago? Not so recently, if you remember the Alf tv show (alien from Melmac), i got a tiny Alf clingy clip-on toy one xmas, by no means the main present that year but it was my fave and what i remember most, possibly because it was a trend and i loved the show and my family never really went with trends. More recently, blue tooth earphones have made life so much easier - no whiplash from getting cords caught on cupboard door handles as i'm cleaning or washing up!
I live 3000 miles from my family, so anytime hubby surprises me with a ticket home for a visit, those are always the best/favorite.
big set of faberware cookware, including in a 12 inch skillet, before glass lids. still shine like new. My mom got for me, while here/and cats still alive, so would estimate 1988
The best gifts I ever received were not usual gifts or actual things, but vacations with my mom's side of the family. It would be my grandmother (VA), parents (NJ), Me and my family (NJ) my Uncle and family (CA), and my Uncle and family (SC). Since we were all so far from one another it was hard to get together. For a number of years before my grandmother passed, she would rent a huge house somewhere, (and give everyone money for airfare) and we would all show up for the Thanksgiving week, and hang out, relax and enjoy our time together. Usually it was in the Florida Keys. We fell off the schedule after she passed, and I really think we should get this started back up again. I miss it. I'll have to mention it to my mom.
I'm nt really a girl for diamonds, or flowers or fancy things and DH is not really a gift type person. He asks, so what do you want? and expects me to go and pick and then he pays. Generous, he never faulted any of my choices, even questioned, or refused me, but I always wanted him to just think of something and surprise me. I should say here that my husband is a mechanical type of person. His thinking is as an engineer. One year he finally agreed to surprise me. He brought various wrapped packages to our tree. I shook and tried to guess to no avail. What could these things be? Christmas morning I first opened a bunch of wires with various connectors. I moved on to some sort of control panel. Finally revealed was a remote start for my car for those really cold Canadian winter mornings. Caring for me in his way... This was the best gift I ever received.
i find your story both funny and heartwarming Lindzee- my DH is also a mechanical engineer so i can relate to this part but i dont think i've opened a box to find wires before - glad it turned out to be part of something good for you and a unique surprise at the same time
@Lindzee What an awesome gift! I would have bawled. LOL Just because it was still him but he went out of his comfort zone to try to surprise you. My best gift . . . geez . . . I have so many . . . in recent years . . . Antique silver flatware Tickets to see Barry Manilow My desktop computer (it was my everything gift that year ~ Mother's Day, bday, Christmas, etc.) Sterling silver hoop earrings that are perfect ~ smooth, light and everyday wearable
My DH is much like @Lindzee's. He will ask what I want and tell me to pick it out and then he will pay for it. But a few years ago he did surprise me with a new DSLR, and last year he actually picked up on a necklace that I shared on FB and ordered it. The funny thing is, it took it like 3 months to come in and when it did it was awful, nothing like the photo, but the fact that he surprised me and did it on his own meant the most. DS gave me a coffee mug shaped like a camera lens last year and it is one of my all time favorite things ever.
@Celeste Yes, me too, a few yrs ago hubs decided we needed to get ipads. I had a google nexus tablet (the small one) and didn't realize how much more I'd love the ipad until I got it. Now I couldn't imagine not having it. Best gifts over the years have been kitchenaid mixer, itouch (yrs ago, way before everyone started getting tablets), GPS for my car and last year I got an electronic pressure cooker and a big crockpot that you can also brown food in which I was pretty thrilled with. I love kitchen gadgets and appliances.
DH likes to joke that "he" bought our house as my Mother's Day present (we closed near Mother's Day). I like to say (1) you're not my child so you can't get me a gift for that day and (2) IF you decide to give me a gift, buying me a home so early in our children's lives is a bad idea. What do you do to top that in the years to come? Buy me a mansion? An airplane? An island??? But I can't think of my best gift. I'm just happy when DH remembers to get me anything. He's a scientist, and like the wives of engineers here have already said, that logical brain doesn't really "get" giving gifts. But recently he came back from Europe with my fave Starbucks mug. That made me VERY happy. Not an expensive gift, but it meant he knew how much that style meant to me and he was willing to try to bring me back intact mugs (he's not the most... aware person lol). And he did really well! Nothing broke!
my family lives at 600 and 7000 miles...so same here, every holiday I get to spend with them is the biggest present ever- We used to spend not only the holidays but the whole English Winter in South America when I worked,couple lof times we managed to stay until Easter there.... but after the operations 2003 to 2005, it has been less and less, we can only go for a month or so, and some years weren't able to make it because of the cost of the tickets.... so yes, best present is being able to travel and spend it with family
Growing up as an only child it was standard for me to write out a very detailed list and I usually got what I asked for. I didn't ask for a lot as I knew my mother had to work hard for $$. Neither husband I've had has been much good at presents. They have not seemed to be able to figure out what I'd like. With xh I do recall one year getting lots of things that really suited me and could not figure out why he was getting crankier and crankier. Turned out our 4 year old son went shopping with him and said...Mama would like that...Mama would like that. Guess that's why he is an xh. Our first Christmas with current dh, we said no presents but I got a lot of little but perfect for him presents for his stocking....he got me nothing!! I was hurt but he was right. We said - no presents. All his male friends looked at him like he was really stupid. Now I accept what he is - an engineer - and if I say I want something and don't feel like doing any of the research e.g. my new iPad Pro, he does it all and then asks is this exactly what I want? A Yes, and he orders it. It was the same with my current car. I itemized all the requirements and he searched the whole East Coast til the exact one was available and thus I have had my VW Golf for 14 happy years!
