What is a fun gift you’ve received? Who gave it to you and where do you keep it?
Julie: Forty years ago (how is that possible?) my mother gave me a bound recipe book where she wrote down some of her favorite recipes. She left me room to write down my own. At the time I loved it because I wanted the recipes. Now I love it because it represents so many memories, and I love seeing her handwriting while looking up Chicken Yum.
Liz: One of my good friends is from New Orleans, and when I would visit I always loved the food. For Christmas she would always send me a giant box of my favorites, like dirty rice, monkey bread, and the absolute best – chicory coffee. The best care packages!
Sherry: Julie, I think you need to share that Chicken Yum recipe! And those are great care packages, Liz! A few years ago my husband put a cheap Wonder Woman bracelet in my Christmas stocking. When I pulled it out he said, “You’re my wonder woman.” It was so sweet. I keep the bracelet on my desk.
Edith/Maddie: Just more proof Bob is a keeper, Sherry! One year one of my sons put a wind-up orange scorpion in my Christmas stocking. My astrological sun sign is Scorpio, and I love the toy. Various visiting children have had fun playing with it, too, and so far it still winds up and crawls across the floor. Scorpie holds pride of place with a few other items on one of my office bookcases.
Barb: I was a little stumped by this question, until last night when I was carefully wrapping three boxes of undies, one for each of my granddaughters. In our family, Santa always brings the children underpants. The tradition goes back to my youth. When my brother was little he was most ungracious about gifts of any type of clothing. He would fling the item over his head without a word and tear into the next package. My parents would scold him for being ungrateful, not thanking the gift-giver, etc. If this behavior continued, they threatened, one year he would get nothing but clothing, in fact, ONLY UNDERPANTS. Sure enough, one year we came down Christmas morning and the tree was festooned with underwear. There were other presents, but the undie tree made the necessary impression and we received undies every year thereafter. And thus it continues unto the third generation. The undies are in wrapped presents, though my oldest granddaughter (newly in on the Santa secret) did suggest draping them on the tree. I pointed out that this is her youngest cousin’s first year wearing underpants and she might be overwhelmed by it all. We are plotting about next year.
Jessie: I loved reading about all your gifts! They are so thoughtful and charming! Several years ago my husband combed through the internet and bought me all of the P.G. Wodehouse books he could find. Since he is one of my all-time favorite authors I was absolutely thrilled! I still read several each year, usually right after Christmas!
Sherry: I just had to come back and comment after reading through all these! What wonderful people we all have in our lives! And Barb that story is hysterical! I wish there were photos of the undie tree!
Readers: What is a fun gift you’ve received?
My favorite gift was a big bear 🐻 doll that my father bought home from Belgium one year. He was beautiful. I loved him.
What an amazing gift!
Barb, your gift giving is priceless.
Isn’t that the best?!
I love these stories! I have a habit of tucking “old lady candy” into each grandchild’s presents and one bag for my son who called it that when he was a kid. It is the traditional festive colored and striped hard candy he always found in pretty candy dishes at his great grandmother’s house at Christmas time. My son has always referred to it as “old lady candy.” Hard to find sometimes if you don’t have a good candy store around. We keep it as a tradition because it reminds us of past traditions as well.
I remember that candy!
One year for my son I got him the sports pkg on cable which back then they had to come to the house to do their thing to do it. I took the afternoon off from work to wait for him to arrive. He gets there and he is soooooooo good looking. I’m just sitting on the couch drooling. When my husband comes home from work he says to me the cable guy must have been good looking. How do you know that? Because you are being nice to me. Hahahaha I don’t know who got the better gift, me or my son.
That is so funny! And it was a great gift!
The most fun gift I’ve gotten would have to be my 6 ft. purple stuffed bear. I’ve always been a stuffed toy girl for as far back as I can remember. Of course, they had to be soft and loveable. As an adult, there were too many necessary things needed than to think of a stuffed toy for an adult. When we were clowning, I had several that looked like stuffed toys, but were actually puppets making them at least part way necessary. Then about 6 years ago, as already a senior citizen and completely without my knowledge, hubby bought me a 6 ft. purple stuffed bear – which came in a big but substantially smaller box than it was – for Christmas. Upon opening my present on Christmas morning out popped this gorgeous, extremely soft and cuddly purple bear. (By the way purple is my favorite color and has special meaning to me.) Burple (our daughter’s name for purple) is still very much loved and has a prominent place in our bedroom along with my puppets.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Love this!
In 49 years, I’ve received a lot of neat things from my husband, but we are past the “things” stage for the most part. Last year, hubby gave me a day of unlimited spa treatments at the Hershey Hotel Spa. And I took full advantage. Everything they had to offer! And a lovely lunch that we got to eat in our luxurious bathrobes. We also spent two nights at the hotel and had delicious meals. A real dream come true.
I love giving experiences!
I feel like I share this story every year. We are a Christmas morning gift opening family, but one year, my brother and sister-in-law insisted that we open one present on Christmas Eve. They were ornaments. Mine said “My favorite uncle.” Yep, that’s how they announced their were expecting their first child, my niece. (And, yes, I was the only uncle at the time.)
I love this!
Oh what fun! Mine was a chicken marionette. A simple one, only four strings if I remember. Every summer all the neighborhood kids would get together and put on a weekly carnival. We had entertainment, games, games of chance – you know I’m from New Jersey, right – and puppet shows. The marionette fit right in. We named it Chickenman!
That makes me laugh!
My husband asked me to marry him. We have been married for 34 years. Thank you for sharing. God bless you. Merry Christmas.