What did you give for Christmas?

[Aeolienne]

Miniature jar of chutney (for the office Secret Santa)

DVD box set of Broken (series starring Sean Bean as a Catholic priest)

Two CDs:
Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
Alkan, 12 Etudes Op.35 performed by Mark Viner (piano)

Also donated the following to a food bank collection: jar of preserved red peppers, pouch of chickpea curry, one Nakd dried fruit bar, packet of Medjool dates, jar of tomato sauce for pasta

 

[Gritches]

My sister was actually pretty awesome about this, she's so hard to shop for and she knows it so she just asked me to get some toys for her kids, which I did and they were happy.

As for my parents? Gift card. Two seconds worth of thought, honestly. But what do you do with "you don't have to get us anything" when that actually means "get us something or else"?

 

[tree]

A grapefruit.

Some cookies.

I read a story to someone.

I played a game with somebody.

I called another person on the phone.

 

[OkRad]

We did not celebrate, but I gave a packet of NHL cards (the BIG ONE!!) to one of the kids in the family, because they are kids Other also gave to the kids, so we half celebrated even though the kids were OK if they did not get the gifts.

A few years back we all decided it was just too impossible to keep this whole Christmas thing going..........

But we got together and gave one another the gift of Time, kinda like Tree did

 

[Nervous Rex]

I always worry about getting the right gift and getting enough gifts, so I tend to go overboard getting stuff for my wife. I am very conscious of going overboard, and when I know that I’ve gone overboard, I know I am in no danger of blowing it.

So, my wife told my daughter, “I like this line of kitchen accessories,” so I took my daughter to the store to show me which ones and I pretty much bought one of everything ($3-$5 items, but a lot of them).

My wife was actually a little mad. She said, “Hey, I only got you two things, and you got me all this!” I’m perfectly okay with that - there’s not a lot that I want, and I know I haven’t blown it.

I think more of my life revolves around “not blowing it” than is healthy or natural. Next year, maybe we’ll put a price limit on our spending for each other.

 

[clg114]

All of the grandchildren are old enough that they just want money, so money it is. We get gift cards from nice restaurants for the adults. That just leaves two great-grandchildren to buy toys for. Shopping is that easy. Except for the wife. I have no imagination on what to get her, so I just ask her what she wants and buy that.

 

[SusanLR]

A selenite candle holder - for a friend
A watch and a Christmas mug - for Frank
Gift cards for two other friends.

 

[Streetwise]

I made a greetings card for each person specific to the colours they like and what they are interested in

 

[xudo]

A video game for a friend
A PS4 controller for my husband
A mug and a scarf for my Mum
A framed print for my Dad
A top and a Blu-Ray for my sister

 

[Butterfly88]

Dad- A drill bit he wanted, an all in one tool, and some other stuff.
Mom- A fashion emergency kit (with things such as a shoe shine wipe), lotion, fuzzy socks, and some other stuff.
My mom's cousin- Nail polish and lotion.
My mentor (technically a Hanukkah gift)- An elephant purse and a set of three cosmetic bags.

 

[Nitro]

I gave cash and a huge gourmet chocolate bar to my adult family members.
I made beef jerky for several of the neighbors along with antique Christmas cards.
My 18 yo neighbor got an Itunes gift card while her younger brother got one along with his usual dittybag of goodies and toys.

The two girls that live behind me got their dittybags stuffed with candy trinkets and toys.
They both got hand sewn pillowcases on brand new pillows that were sewn by my sister out of fabric that I chose for both of them.
Both of those girls also got a box stuffed with hand picked items that were suited to their individual preferences.

I gave my aide's family a fairly hefty gift card from our local grocer and gave her an additional 8 place serving of her dinnerware with 12 matching drinking glasses.
Her kid Peanut got a major league haul of nail polish in many colors,toiletries and some costume jewelry.
She's all about the ladybugs,so her gifts were peppered with them in various forms including a solar powered ladybug dancer.
She's all about Barbie,so I found a vintage Barbie moped to give her.
I found an older worn toy hutch and refinished it in Barbie pink so she can use it in her hand crafted Barbie houses she builds herself.
Peanut got a ton of sidewalk chalk and a small chalkboard,a huge package of colored pencils,fabric markers,erasers,mechanical pencils and scads of little stuff too numerous to mention.

The little guy down the street got a dittybag like the rest of the kids.

Each of the children got several juice boxes and two Clementine tangerines,the tangerines a throwback to my childhood Christmas morning stocking stuffers.

I did some pre-holiday volunteer work at our local foodbank resale shop to give a little something back to my community and have signed on as a volunteer on a permanent basis.

 

[Aeolienne]

I also brought various foodstuffs to our family Christmas. To whit: a celeriac from my vegetable box scheme which needed using up, home-made broad bean dip, cheese, grapes and a nut roast. The latter was originally intended to use some chestnuts that were also from my vegetable box, but unfortunately most of them had gone mouldy by the time I'd boiled and peeled them so I substituted pecans. To add to all this, I brought some cinnamon bun dough I'd prepared at a baking workshop earlier this month and frozen, and completed the recipe on Boxing Day. These went down a treat despite my initially mistaking the bread baking setting for the proving setting on my parents' oven. Fortunately I whisked the buns out before any damage had done and resorted to the lower-tech method of proving in the airing cupboard!

 

[Aeolienne]

Final installment of presents given yesterday:

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

A box set of condiments: Spanish bravas sauce, South Devon Chilli Farm sauce and black garlic. I say "box set" but in actual fact I bought the condiments individually and presented them in a recycled Origins gift box topped with a sheet of cellophane I got for free from the florist's.

An origami boat set

The last two things I bought. Turned out the recipient already had Burglar Bill so I gave them my receipt - will let me know what substitute they get.

 

[Jennacide]

Oooooo fun
My mum.... 4 cushion covers with a giraffe blowing bubblegum, bassett hound floor mat and a madonna book.
My stepdad.... Collecters edition deadpool action figure, batman socks and an assassins creed flag.
Gran... A wooden spoon with a personalised message burnt into it.
3 kid cousins... Giant Sherbet filled stockings
Aunty... Chocolate filled stocking
Friend.... Mario and friends removable sticker decor.
5 cats.... Jingle bell christmas collars.

I love buying presents

I also made pickled eggs, pickled onions and baked a turducken.

 

[Aeolienne]

I'm chuffed that once I again I managed to buy all my presents without resorting to chain stores or Amazon. In case you're wondering, these are what I used instead...

Aubrey Allen: chutney

Hive via Warwick Books: The Moon-Shaped Pool, Broken

Presto Classical (in person at their Leamington shop): Alkan piano music CD

The Rustic Food Co.: assorted condiments

Hive via Muswell Hill Bookshop: The Underground Railroad

National Maritime Museum gift shop: origami set

Muswell Hill Children's Bookshop: Ahlberg books