12/28/08
Okay, another short holiday week, but for those who crave a little company, mind sharing with us your favorite holiday gift this year? No matter how large or small, what was simply delightful?
[working out the kinks in the comments section - please keep writin' em! -ed]
Posted by Ian Williams at December 28, 2008 10:23 PMA warm fleece Carolina jacket; warm enough for the Southern winter, but light enough and cool enough not to get too hot. And, did I mention that it had Carolina on it?
My best gift this Christmas was getting to be Santa. At 4, Ben was completely into the magic of Christmas, with reindeer food on the lawn and everything. It was one of the best Christmases ever.
Being married and not having to go to the "Matzo Ball" with all the single Jews on Xmas Eve.
Also, my Bushnell Ambient 7-Day weather station is pretty cool.
The Rabbit corkscrew set – no more shiraz on the kitchen ceiling :)
My stepmother basically went through every picture ever taken of me and my siblings growing up (before she was even in the picture)...school pictures, sports, block parties, cub scouts, you name it, and scanned them all into a really cool album so that I now have them for my own collection. Even included childhood pictures of my father and grandparents, etc that I'd never seen before.
One of the coolest gifts I've ever gotten, from anyone.
A gift bag of fragrant, luxurious skin products from Bath and Body Works. I know it doesn't sound very original, but I appreciate the chance to pamper myself with things I wouldn't ordinarily buy.
Ian, did you surprise your wife with something amazing as in years past? What was Lucy's favorite gift?
Hope the Greater Xtcian Community (GXC) had a relaxing holiday.
The blue Swedish national hockey team jersey that I got from my wife. It was unexpected and I love the fact that she was willing to scour the internets to find it.
I got a personal DNA analysis kit....not really sure what to expect but I have to spit in a tube and mail it back to the company and they will analyze my DNA.
Santa brought me a set of Snow Cat rims:
http://www.allweathersports.com/winter/snowcats.html
I put them on the mtn bike I rode around Chapel Hill 20 years ago, and with knobby 2.3" tires at 15 PSI it will go anywhere in the snow. Almost.For my wife, I installed a dishwasher in record time on Christmas Eve, with only one trip to Lowes!
The kids got some cool stuff, including a couple of shelter dogs that fit right into our family. And, like an O. Henry story, the kids enjoyed dishwasher box as much as any of the toys Santa brought!
Ian and Tessa gave me a great early present. They know what I'm talking about.
I was reunited with my youngest brother - the one that hadn't spoken to me in 2 years - and took him to his first game at the Dean Dome on Sunday. As nice as material things are, nothing beats getting a brother back.
As far as tangible items go, my husband completely suprised me with personalized, officially-licensed UNC license plates. In Virginia, you can have personalized license plates, but you can also have personalized designated plates (colleges, dog lovers, cat lovers, fight autism, remember 9/11 - you name it). So I now have the official UNC seal to the left of my JSP 93.
As for intangible - it was the best gift to have both sides of the immediate families in one place and all getting along. Can't remember the last time when a get-together like that was so tension-free. Does this mean I have to cook for 15+ from here on out???
Our nephew Inman was definitely the best present of all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fktoBvobfJs
: >
I got a used Ovation 1612 acoustic/electric guitar with a hard case, and the case had a sticker with an old Dwayne Powell caricature of Jesse Helms on it, along with the words "Jesse Can't Shag."
That was pretty great. The free tickets to the UNC-Rutgers game were pretty great, too.
It was a late gift, but my daughter's reaction to feeling the baby kick for the first time on New Year's Day was priceless. Of course, I can't keep her hands off my belly now, but she's so excited who cares! Happy 2009!!!
An Amazon Kindle. Fun.
New hockey skates! And my son finally has the bug and has asked to go skating every day for the last two weeks!!
I also received a Kindle, then promptly sold it on ebay for $400. Not because I didn't want it (I totally did!), but because I was pretty sure that version 2.0 was going to be released in February. I have placed my order on Amazon's site for a Kindle, and I have my fingers crossed that they'll automatically shift my order to the new version when it's released.
Physical gift: A DVD of a rare performance of Beyond the Fringe -- the precursor to the Monty Python people.
Emotional gift: My son coming to grips with his clinical depression and getting on meds. Big exhale.