Most surprising/best gift this year?

I was suprised several times this year. My spousal unit found a nice gift set of Opium cologne and other products and I love them.
I opened some mail I got on the 24th and found I had a small article published in a magazine published by our Electric Membership Co-op (with a check)!
The biggest one was actually a mistake. My D-I-L ordered a nice, large Bushnell telescope for my son. The order got lost because there was no tracking number. She had to order another one. Then, of course, they both arrived. They decided to give one to my spousal unit, who has always loved astronomy and always wanted one.
So, what started out to be a minimal Christmas was wonderful with lots of family, friends, food and suprises.

My best "gift" was my landlord putting in 2 poles so I could get at least one birdfeeder up. The birds started coming yesterday, Christmas Day! It has been a continual source of entertainment and wonder from my computer window, and it will keep giving and giving and giving...

This message was edited Dec 26, 2004 11:02 AM

Ah, so there really is a landlord. I was beginning to think he was a phantom.
Is everything with him kosher?
I must really be getting senile because I can't remember what the article was about. Probably local history.....

Yeah, he's okay... a bit strange but maybe that's just because he's reserved, plus very tight with $ so he doesn't want to hear what needs to be fixed or upgraded to working, LOL.

I thought all landlords/ladies were like that. I had 2 elderly sisters that were landladies once; they felt free to come walking in at any time. We moved soon after that and were careful to not rent in the same building with the owner or even nearby...

Best gift,next to having her back,is a hand blown glass desk weight containing my beloved Missy's ashes.(and no ties,sox or underwear)

Robert, bittersweet to have Missy back with you.

I regret to this day that I didn't have my Beloved Morgan cremated, but the Vet bill was just too high already from trying to save her. She remains under the birdbath at my old house.

My best gift was that my DH kept a secret for a couple of weeks that he had won a professionally guided raft trip down the John Day River in Eastern Oregon for four people to go this late spring or early summer. I can hardly wait to go!!!! I have dreamed of doing a raft trip my whole life and have lived out west most of it and this will be my first time. We are going to invite a couple with us that we have known for 27 years and he is now 92 and she is 78. I know they will love going with us and the day will be a hoot. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's probably 92 because he keeps doing things like this....

got a bagger for my tractor (another gift earlier in the year) No fancy undies or perfume here!! (very practical DH - and I love it!!)

my dh got me gift cards for several greenhouses. can't wait till spring!!!

My best gift was having all three of my children together for Christmas for the first time in YEARS....and having my DGD home from the Navy to celebrate with us....

the next best gift is the gift my son is giving me...he flew out from TN and is giving me a WEEK of Honey-do's for things that need doing here around my house!

DGD gave me a nice gift too...a combination DVD/Video/CD player....now I can take those CD's with my family picture on them (JPG) and show them on the TV screen!! Will wonders never cease?? LOL

Jo

My best gift was DH was home from Iraq..2nd to that was brand new horse tack...a saddle that fits, bridle and bit, reins and all the other gadgets. Woohoo..can't wait til spring ; )

my best gift was having all 5 of my boyz here for christmas eve and Christmas morning and a bonus---- Elizabeth running around and being adorable!
The boyz were happy with their gifts and my lil Lizzy was a doll baby!!
It was a great gift to have them all home! :)

I am blessed to live close to all my family. But I did get a gift that I was rather thrilled about. My BIL is going to marry a nice lady who was born in China and her family is still there. So they have made several trips there and this time they brought me a beautiful silk scarf. Now I am not a scarf person but I am just thrilled by the fact that my gift was actually brought from China to Iowa. It is one of those gifts that I just love for the sentiment. I do plan to figure out how to wear it and what with. It is just too special to pack away because I am not a 'scarf person'. I will become one.

My best gift this year was having just the hubby and kids and me home for Christmas and watching the mad paper tearing in the moring. This was by far the most relaxing and happy Christmas in a long time for me.
The biggest surprise was the diamond ring my DH gave me, early again, as we sat down in a resturaunt to eat and he plopped a gold bag on the table as I was perusing the menu. Inside was a little box that literaly made me jump when I opend it and found a 3/4 karat diamond ring in the shape of a heart. I sat there and cried for about 5 minutes before I could even put it on.
This was a great Christmas for my family and Im looking forward to the new year with lots of high hopes and adventure in whatever we do.

woodspirit you are totally right. He and his brothers ages 97 and 88 just got home in November from a fishing trip to Alaska right after they went elk hunting and all three got their elk. Great attitudes and genetics I would say. Their Mother lived by herself until she was 103 and died at 110.

Don't mean to steal this thread but meeting this man so many years ago was our families BEST EVER Christmas present. He is a great gardener too and his yard still looks like a beautiful botanical park.

My best gift was from my DH - a total surprise - a Samsung DV camcorder. I'm having all sorts of fun taping the kitties playing and trying to get birds on the feeders and all.....Absolutely was not expecting that. Also - I got the gift of FINALLY getting my diabetic cat Heidi on the right dose of insulin - AND - the red bellied woodpecker we've been missing came to visit as we were eating Christmas dinner.....so I am very blessed. Plus Memphis had a white Christmas...we got 3 inches of sleet/snow on the 22/23rd and temps stayed so low that everything was still covered for Christmas. Just now getting warm enough to melt it. Best Christmas yet!

We had a really nice Christmas with family. The winter storm that encased us with ice cut back on the number of people here, but we had a great visit. And we had our power back on at 3pm the day before Christmas Eve -- we are very thankful for that!

Goodie-wise, two gifts really stand out. One is a hand-sewn purse that Minischnuz surprised me with! She had Howie send her my favorite photo of Emma, way back in July. She used photo transfer paper and ironed the black and white photo onto the bag. Then she sewed beads around the edge of photo, and sewed a collar of pink beads onto Emma. It was *totally* unexpected and it made me cry! I need to take a photo and post it for you all to see!

The second gift is my new laptop. Howie worked a bunch of overtime in December, and told me he wanted me to get a notebook computer with it. I got a refurbished Dell Inspiron 600M direct rom Dell, and I love it. Love him more, though. :)

Best gift this Christmas? Hands down, absolutely - was our beloved cat Cricket surviving a major heart attack right in front of us while we were opening our stockings.
So what looked like it was going to be the worst Christmas ever (I probably would never have wanted to fill and open a stocking again) turned into the absolute BEST Christmas. How blessed we are!
Dianne

Oh Kidneyguy = you must have been totally paniced - but thank goodness it turned out well. Is Cricket going to be okay? Also - Happy Birthday!

Gosh, cats have heart attacks, too?! Wow, didn't know that -- how scary that must have been! No wonder you are so thankful.

Yep just like people. Cricket is doing great, the vet is going to make a house/dinner call tonight. Thank heaven for dedicated vets ..... got scolded because I didn't call her Christmas Day. Dr. Heather only takes 2 or 3 days off a year, on call 24/7 I just couldn't do it once I could see Cricket coming around.
Truly blessed here. Thanks for the Bday greeting!
Dianne

An 8 foot tall windmill all packed in a box that is about 2'x3'x6inches! I'm already thinking about a new garden just to give it a home!

Dianne I would think you were very very happy that Cricket made it through that ok. What a scare for you two! My vet would have scolded me too for not calling even on Christmas day. Love those dedicated vets for our four footers.

BTW Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday to Dianne and her DH.

I can't wait to see the first picture of the windmill. What a fantastic gift.
Dianne

What do they do to medicate cats with heart trouble? Lipitor?

It is Lipa something. I can't remember. Poor litle guy was really bad when he was a kit but as he grew older the heart murmur lessened. Guess it didn't go away though.
D

My best Christmas present was the love and caring fellow DGers have shone to my friend Twyla ( Hope 43 ) i had forgot how there is still Loving ,caring people left all over the world .

having my son back in the folds of my family was the best present...
secondly, his luggage arrived yesterday full of little goodies we miss from home....

The best was having all 5 kids around for the holidays, although not all at the same time.

Next year DH and I are thinking of having our Christmas with the kids the weekend before or something. The older they get, and they get significant others, and everybody is so stressed trying to get everywhere they need to be that nobody is enjoying Christmas anymore. So....next year, Christmas comes early to the Jurgens household. Then everyone can hopefully relax a bit, rather than Christmas being a relay race. I'm really looking forward to that.

For goodies, DH got me a pair of diamond earrings, and the kids had a picture taken of all of them together. I requested that one, since they are all still fairly close. The time will come when getting a picture of all of them together will be very difficult. I love the picture too. They had it taken outside by a row of trees that had freshly fallen snow on the branches. It's beautiful.

My son was scheduled to leave just in time to spend Christmas in the fleet, so we changed the calendar a bit.

Since my daughter started her own family, it was the first time we were all together on "Christmas Morning" with extras - grandchildren, son-in-law, and girlfriends. We had a riot.

Shopping was a breeze and I had two exchanges that I was able to do without standing in long lines. Then on Christmas day, we were able to relax or visit as we had time, and nobody was rushed or stressed.

Sounds lovely, Cheryl. Happy New Year, Everybody.

Sounds like everyone had something to be so happy for. Im so glad to see that.

Absolutely best gift? Seeing my daughter walk in the door after driving from Knoxville in that terrible snow storm that hit that area. She spent all day Thursday going from Knoxville to Nashville, roads iced over, traffic either stopped or going 5 mph, found a motel for over night, hit the road again in the morning and pulled in our driveway about 9 pm, making a pit stop on her way to her own home northwest of here. We'd been tracking her like Santa since Thursday a.m. and then she called me on her cell when she pulled in the drive, and while I'm asking her where the **** are you now, she walked in the door. What a relief! Not to discount the gift certificates for a massage , or the book store, or the ......but those pale in comparison to seeing her safe and sound!

Oh what a relief to have her safely home! I was also concerned for her as well as for all the other travelers in that storm. Hope you have a great time with her now that she is safely home.

I dunno Pond, she's coming over this week to shave Hobbe's back which has some snarls I can't get out with the brush. Uhhhh that's not my DH...it's the eldest cat who is apparently not grooming as well as he used to! Thanks for worrying along with me....hope all the other travelers were safe as well. On an amusing note, there were dead stops along the way, where travelers had simply not been moving so they took mats or boxes out of their cars and played in the snow! Left "slide" marks on the hills, and occasionally a patch of yellow snow!

Oh GW, I can't wait to see the picture of your new purse with Emma from MINI. I am glad you like it.

My best surprise gift wasn't for Christmas, but earlier in the year.
DH brought home a box from work one night.
Looked inside and there was a baby Ameracauna chick!
Been pestering DH to get me one for a long time.
I was STUNNED as I didn't think he'd go for having another mouth to feed each day- LOL!!

Is that he one that lays color eggs ?