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I gave a donation to a local organization that helps queer youth in crisis.
I made a mixDVD of animated fractals with music as my "Christmas Cards" to various people.
I gave my mom the LOLcat book.
I gave my brother both Gears of War videogames.
I gave my husband a new bathrobe and some steak.
I gave my mum a framed pic of the baby, some clothes and some fancy hand cream.
We gave my parents-in-law a digital photo frame loaded up with pics of the baby and some coffee beans.
I gave my father my old laptop. I gave my son my Marine Corps uniform raincoat and January rent money. I gave my niece my CCR songbook. Everybody else got the same card that I made for the Mecha card exchange, which I hope everyone got in time and perhaps someone could post a pic of theirs.
I gave one friend a pocket organizer with cute refill pages, and another friend a financial transactions record book.
I gave mum a jacket and kitchen tongs, my sister a necklace, and my dad a UMiami shirt.
I gave the booze-loving friend a bottle of basil-citrus cocktail mix.
I gave the ex-boss a pretentious graphic design coffee table book.
I gave handmade chocolate truffles in glass tumblers to practically everyone else I saw in the past two weeks.
My brother really liked the Koyaanisqatsi DVD I got him. He's really into Philip Glass, like obsessed. My mother and stepdad get wine, and my sister got a hoodie.
I gave books like I do every year. (Mom got an English murder mystery, pops got a book about studies of collapsing societies, brother got a book on survival stuff.)
My family:
I gave my mom a handbag I made from a sweater.
I gave my stepdad a blanket I made from old sweaters.
I gave my grandma a calendar with photos of birds taken by local birders.
I gave my sister and her three boys sleds.
I haven't given my dad and stepmother anything yet. Suggestions?
My second family where I am visiting today.
I gave the dad a scarf.
I gave the mom two hats I crocheted.
I gave the younger sister a winter coat.
I gave the older sister two cashmere sweaters.
I gave each of the sisters' partners a bottle of cava.
I gave my sister a game and a tollroad transponder; I gave my awesome brother-in-law some port to drink in 20 years. I got the baby some blocks. I found Mr. Blandings some art for his basement. Dad also got booze and Mom got art books.
brother got the cologne he wanted, mom got a stick blender (with widgets), dad got a gift card towards a treadmill (because I can't get one of those home on the bus.) Sister got some interesting paper and a bunch of scrapbook thingies.
brother-in-law will get... something, and everyone else gets books.
Books - sister and nephew
Tagine kit - father and stepmother
Writing sets and notecards - mother
Carnaby Street (Ben Sherman and Paul Smith) shopping spree - the boy
Books and hot chocolate - work secret Santa - the recipient said "there's only one person who knows me this well!" and guessed it was me, which was lovely!
and a few other things for others...
I gave my father a Barnes & Nobles gift card.
I gave my mother a Kate Spade purse.
I gave my older younger sister a Kate Spade makeup bag and a lip gloss.
I gave my younger younger sister a pair of Sperry's.
I gave my boyfriend a custom winter hat that fits his big head perfectly, gloves, a button-down shirt, some DVDs and books.
Calendars of Essex for people in Ohio.
A dachshund calendar for my sister.
That's it.
At the weekend I'm taking a tray of catfood and a sack of Meow Mix up to the RSPCA place where Bailey and Lucy came from, in lieu of exchanging gifts with people. Just about everyone I know is donating to charity this year instead of buying gifts.
Highlights - Dad got a Workmate foldable workbench and some toy robots. Mom, heirloom tomato seeds and some home-canned tomatoes, and some good books. Brother, Teva sandals and a book about the Great Depression. SIL, 2 deep dish ceramic pie dishes and some Bob Dylan. Sweetie, a rich brown corduroy sport coat, some Demeter, and a mountain gospel CD. Everybody got cookies, chocolate turtles, and Texas Trash.
Sony GPS system
books
gift cards
coffee beans
2 bottles wine
"Beautiful Sheer" lotion
great grandma:
sweater set
Kids:
Wii
Ripstick
scooter
Blokus
electronic Monopoly
Nerf guns
books
Just for Boys activity kits
stucking stuffers
some other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting
Knitted caps and scarves to my BFF and her kids. Ex got an iPod alarm clock he wanted. Kids got K'nex and boots and cars and trains and a soccer and football. Today was a lot of running and throwing and laughing. At one point a Thomas engine was launched from the Hotwheels starter into a long run of stacked dominoes.
I bought the last copy of Pitchcar in Utah for my family. We will play it tomorrow. Gave my wife a fancy red leather purse.
Two of my kids have birthdays near Thanksgiving, so we sort of ran out of mental steam when buying them gifts, so they ended up with a lot of gift cards and pants from Land's End.
We dropped off some food at the Provo community action food bank (815 s. freedom blvd), which is an amazing operation.
Gave the kids heaps, as usual. Lots of Wii stuff, including Wii Fit (mainly for the balance board so they can play Ratman Raving Rabbids, which they also got), more controllers and a few games.
Gave the Mrs (among other things), a new purse, which was a risky purchase, particularly because it was a colour that she never would have got for herself. It worked out well - she absolutely loves it and that's the best way to give a gift, I think - to give someone something that they would never buy themselves but which they love. Now I have to use up the brownie points before they expire ;-)
-Gave the stepdaughter two sets of fleecy pajamas, and a hat I knitted.
-Gave the stepson a collection of Three Stooges on DVD.
-Gave my oldest son a movie he wanted, and a video game (but for the wrong system, so I have to return that one)
-Gave my youngest son (for his nutcracker collection) a Darth Vader nutcracker.
-Gave other things to other family members, luckily with great results.
But the best give of all was to my husband...His mom died of breast cancer 21 years ago, and through his subsequent divorce etc. he has hardly any photos of her. My sister-in-law gave me some pictures that she'd gotten from my father-in-law, so secretly I collaged them in a frame, making some of the ones of his mom stand out. When he opened it, he teared up. And so did I. That was the best give ever.
The daughter got a crock pot, mittens, a book called 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours, a bottle of really good vodka (why yes, we are a dysfunctional family) and some other stuff that I forget. The son got a chin up bar, a new coat, a remote control tarantula and some other stuff that I forget. They both got money and, in their stockings, along with the traditional duct tape and chapstick and candy, bacon salt. I made calendars for everyone in the family and gave my friend a glass ring and an artsy little wind up robot creature for her daughter.
And I almost forgot: the dogs got bones and Pebble the cat got a squeaking catnip mouse that she adores and the dogs keep trying to steal. So they were happy.