Best Christmas present you have ever had?

[bubbleicious]

Yep, me again with another Christmas post ( i love Chistmas! WOO!) But what's the best gift you have ever received or given?

I brought my mom a Royal Doulton figurine called Maureen (her name) it was discontinued and i searched for ages to find it as she collects Doulton China. I found it in America and it cost a lot more than i expected, but to see the look on my moms face i would have paid twice that amount and more.

My best gift was from my husband he brought me lots and lots of Fimo and craft items, i also had a parachute jump voucher as i always wanted to do it ( i did and loved it)

What's your best given and received?

[freshfruitsalad]

Best given was a day out in London with my mum, as we don't often get mum daughter time
The best received would be a necklace bought for me by my husband, it has lots of meanings

Or, Last Christmas record by Wham, when I was 10 I was bought it for Xmas, never forgot

[removed10]

My biggest surprise and wow present was my Ashford spinning wheel. I totally did not expect it. My husband had actually contacted the Austin Weavers and Spinners Guild, and the woman who owns Hill Country Weavers, to ask about what to get. He bought an Ashford Traditional, and about three pounds of of gorgeous roving (wool and mohair) to spin, and their book.

The wheel was disassembled and in a box, so I had NO idea what it was. It was heavy, and the other box was not....I was dying of curiosity!!

On Christmas morning we'd been watching the kids open their things, and finally he handed me the big box....as I pulled the paper off, I began to see the picture of the wheel, but it never occurred to me that's what it was, duh....then I got all the paper off, turned the box to see it right, read it, stared at it, looked at him (he was grinning to beat the cheshire cat) and I absolutely burst into tears. All I could say was "I have a spinning wheel, I have a spinning wheel!" Then he shoved the other box at me and I opened it, and then it was all hugs and kisses time! He put it together for me in the next hour while I made brekkie, and then I sat down, read the Ashford How to Spin book he had gotten, and started spinning! Well, it took a few tries... =)


Can my other story be a different holiday?

THe best prezzie I enjoyed giving the most was ... Halloween! My husband had gotten a settlement (WAY too small) after being run over - it was a long recovery, and with some of the money we took a 6 week long camping trip across the SW US and up to San Francisco (stayed in a hotel there). We were homeschooling so school was not a problem. We knew before we went that we would probably not get back in time for Halloween, so I went out and bought everything I could find to decorate for it. I got a spooky tablecloth, plates, cups and napkins...orange candles, black plastic flatware, inflatable ghosts and pumpkins, purple party lights, a book of scary stories, streamers, string...everything was packed up in my suitcase and NO one, not even my husband, knew i had all this stuff.

We were on the way back - had just crossed back into AZ and unbelievably found a fantastic little bakery that had pumpkin pies....I bought two (They were probably the best pumpkin pies we ever ate!!). (It was chilly weather and I put them in the cooler with some ice anyway. The next night we were somewhere in NM and I said let's stop at some grocery store and get a pumpkin, just in case we get home in time. (No way as the next night was Halloween. Gosh, was out 6 year old son despondant! Susannah was 13, had recently been dx'd with type 1 diabetes, and was a little sad about missing it). They each picked out a pumpkin with their father, while I sneaked off and bought candy, and away we drove. The next day we got as far as Balmoral State Park in the middle of nowhere in west Texas. They had nice covered camping spaces, and a huge natural swimming pool fed by natural springs. It was chilly but the kids wanted to go anyway, so my husband took them first to the little museum and then to the pool.

As soon as they were out of site, I went to work. I was a decorating fool - zooming around like crazy....I was standing on a folding chair trying to string up the lights and streamers and ghosts and pumpkins, when an elderly Mexican man came over from his camper and held the chair....then he did the rest and built up my little campfire. He did not speak English. I thanked him in Spanish and gave him a hug. Somehow, I had everything ready....the table looked fab and their sleeping bags had a bunch of candy in them. The table was set, the hot dogs were ready on sticks to roast....I had marshmallows, too. As they came closer (it was dusk) I plugged in the purple party lights, and you should have seen their faces - even my husband. I started to cry because they were SO excited. Jonathan could not believe it. He was crying, too. They got changed and I pulled out two masks for them, and told them to carve the pumpkins while we roasted the hot dogs. We put candles in the pumpkins, ate our dogs and chips, ate pumpkin pie, sat around the fire and read the spooky storybook...
THey sat there in their masks...and finally they said it...no candy. I said well, we have a great looking spooky campsite! They were happy, but sad. So I told them they may as well go to bed. So they got jammied and crawled into their sleeping bags and started whooping and hollering....CANDY!!! Then Susannah had a little cry because she couldn't pig out, but we pointed out that hers would last a lot longer than her brother's...so she had a candy bar and they went to sleep happy. To this day I still have all the decorations, packed away in the attic. =)

[Fluffy Squirrel]

Susan, I absolutely love your Halloween story and it made me cry with happy tears... I can't imagine how emotional it all must have been for you.

My best ever Christmas present as a child was my dolls house which was handmade and decorated by my dad, including the furniture, etc - I still have it now, although it desperately needs redecorated!!

As an adult my most special Christmas memory was the first Christmas that Gordon and I spent together - we were at my mum and dad's house... lots of yummy homemade festive food, drinks and lots of decorations, bucks fizz while opening our presents on Christmas morning, delicious dinner followed by snuggling on the sofa while watching Christmas movies followed by mulled wine by candlelight, it was beautiful. Mum and Dad paid for a photoshoot for us to celebrate our engagement and I got the most beautiful white gold and diamond necklace from Gordon. Days like this have held so many special memories over the years which will always be treasured.

L xxx

[Juliete]

One year I made for all the adults in my family something small in cross stitch. I don't know if I could do it again, it took me absolutely ages and I had to start months early. I enjoyed it though and everyone really appreciated that they got something that was especially made for them.

[Caroleecrafts]

Some years ago my DH had been in and out of hospital we did not know what it was and expected the worse, the best gift I got was when we were told after a small op all was okay and he did not have the big 'C'. That was a turning point for both of us to realise that material possessions meant nothing, killing ourselves at jobs we hated for a large pay check, health and happiness where priceless and whilst you need money to live, you do not 'need' all those things in the shops for sale you may want them but that is a different matter. We think now do we need what would it do for our lives, if nothing move on.

[wendy]

The best Christmas present I ever had was a newborn baby - delivered at home in the early hours of Christmas day.

My other two kids were 5 and 8 and woke up on Xmas morning to find a new baby - it was then a couple of hours before they went down to open their presents, which was just amazing - to keep kids from presents on Xmas morning shows just how special a new baby is to everyone.

We had a visit from a doctor and two from a midwife on the day but we managed to visit my parents and have our Christmas dinner there.

The baby will be 23 this year!

[sunrise]

all great stories but I love yours Wendy , a new baby for christmas !!!
your baby is the same age as mine , my son will be 23 in January and for someone who never wanted their children near christmas I had one two weeks before and one three weeks after - not in the same year though lol

[indri]

I can't say that I have had a "best gift ever", though without the calendar every year then I would have difficulty keeping up with what all the family are up to!!!

[rosiepinkStudio]

I don't have any input on this thread - just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the above posts!

[bubbleicious]

Some lovely, heart warming replies, i feel all fuzzy now!