Most memorable Christmas Gift you gave

[AndreaBurns]

Just wondering what your most memorable gift to someone was.

Oh, and why?

[AndreaBurns]

OK... DH raises Dart Frogs (you know, the bright colored frogs?) Its his hobby, and I have a laundry room filled with 50 or so frogs. His site, in case you think I'm kidding... lol!

http://www.junglejumpers.com/

Anyhoo~ two Christmases ago he wanted a pair of red and white striped, but couldn't get any shipped. I found a breeder who saw another breeder at a Frog show, and he passed a pair to her (its too cold to ship them overnight in the Winter, which is how they are shipped). Both of these people acquaintances w/ my DH.

The 2nd person told me she had them. One morning a few days before Christmas, I literally left the house right after DH left for work, and drove 3 hrs to pick them up. Drove 3 hrs back just to beat DH home, lol.

All week I kept them hidden under his nose in his own frog room... I'd pull them out and feed them and let them soak up their light while he was gone, and then hide them again before he came home.

Christmas morning he was so surprised!!

[sinead]

My dad has a thing for analogies. His dad used lots of them and he always has, too. A couple of years ago he started writing them down--some that he remembered his dad saying and others that he has said himself. Last summer, he said to me that he dreams of writing a book and that he had even started working on one. He asked me if I would take what he had written and type it up just in case he lost either his book or the longhand narrative that he had already written.

Not content to simply type it up, I emailed a copy of it to myself and then used it to make a Blurb book. I put his narrative at the beginning; it tells the story of what life was like for him when he was a kid and growing up and why words have become so important to him. Then I interspersed the analogies with some pictures of him and of his family. That had been another project last summer--scanning in all of the old family heritage photos. I'm sneaky like that. ;)

So anyway, I put it all together into a book for him and gave it to him for Christmas. He spent 3 days reading and rereading and rereading it, and then he called me and asked me to order 20 more so that he could give them to us and to his family. He had me order a few more this year to give to some of his friends as Christmas presents. :)

The other thing that I did several years ago (newly married and not yet a parent) was to make a quilt for my mom. She had seen something that she liked and mentioned it in passing, so I snuck back and took a pic of the pattern and then replicated it. It was my first quilt and I was super proud of it. :)

[ccouch]

Okay, two things come to mind. Hope that's okay - -

My mom has been a single mom for quite some time. She pretty much raised my sister & myself on my own, and always put us first at Christmas. I never knew that we really didn't have much, because she skrimped and saved and really made Christmas special for us. During my soph or junior year of college, I decided to surprise her with something special. She loved jewelry and really didn't have a significant other that would buy something expensive for her. I worked and saved and bought her a stunning sapphire pendant and earrings to match. She was speechless.

Then....my and Brandon's 3rd Christmas together, I bought him a kinetic watch. He had been wanting one for some time, and just wouldn't spend that much money on himself. I saved and found one on sale & surprised him. It was awesome. He was so shocked that he almost wouldn't accept it, bless him. I was just tickled to give him something that made him feel so special :O) awww....

[jjstar]

Quite a few years ago DH & I had gone on a trip to San Francisco. In a really small gallery he found a picture of 5 living presidents standing in order. He took some info on it but after getting home decided that he didn't really want to order it. I saved it and then last year for Christmas surprised him with it. He was so over the top excited too.

[cherpea]

Now I don't mean to bring anyone to tears... even though I am just thinking about writing this...

the most precious gift I ever gave someone was my FIL two days before Christmas 2005... yes it was early... but I am glad I did... He died at 11.45 PM Christmas eve...

The gift was a photo of himself and my eldest daughter that I had taken the day before and framed it myself so we could take it to him the following day... you can't see my girlies face but you can see the sheer delight on his when girlie went up to him and gave him a big hug... I managed to catch that precious moment for which I am eternally grateful for...

[sinead]

That's beautiful, Cheryl!

I love all of these stories! Keep them coming!

[jjstar]

Cheryl...that is a truly priceless photo. Such a moving moment.