BLOG TART!!…
MERRY CHRISTMAS (EVE)!!
One lucky winner is going to get Uplifting Phrases and Family Phrases from VERVE VISUAL!! These are clear photopolymer stamps and are so cute AND they fit right into the Word Window punch from SU! To enter, post a comment here telling me about the favorite present that you have ever GIVEN to someone. I’ll be selecting a winner through random.org on Thursday. GOOD LUCK!!
**One entry per person. If your post does not show up right away it’s because it went to moderation for me to approve.**
My favorite gift I gave was a dress up box to my preschool aged daughter. She loved it and her brother did too! They still play with what will fit - and it has been about 6 years ago!
My youngest sister and I are 14 years apart. She found a dress she had to have for the prom. The dress was 300.00. My parents told her it was way too much money for a dress. She loved the dress so much, but knew my mom and dad were right. I went to the dress shop and purchased the dress. No one in my family knew……she had gone back to the dress shop with some friends and saw that the dress was gone. She came home so upset, but said she guess it wasn’t meant to be……you should have seen the look on her face when she opend the box on Christmas morning! HOLEY MOLEY!!! It is a look I will never forget! and a feeling too!
HMMM… My favorite gift I gave someone…. I guess I have to say all of the stamping supply shopping I did for myself this year from gina k.. shopwer… jacksonbelle embellishment… Hey, I did slip it all under the tree… LOL
I think my favorite gift has been giving my little sister the PostSecret books. I know to most people it probably seems trivial, but I know that my sister has really treasured the books and they have helped her through some rough times.
I hope you have a great Christmas Jen! Thanks for the chance at some VV stamps.
My favorite gift was the scrapbook I gave my parents 2 years ago. We had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family vacation to a dude ranch in Montana and I spent 6 months scrapping the entire trip. It was a labor of love and I really was excited to give it to them for Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and your family and thanks for all the wonderful inspiration you provide!
My favorite present that I have ever given someone…hmmm….I like to give presents that I see getting used and enjoyed! I put a lot of thought into what I give people, because there is nothing more useless than a gift that gets stuck in a closet!
So my favorite gifts have been the bathrobes I’ve made for my husband. He got his first the Christmas before he proposed (did it play a role in getting him to pop the question? Maybe!) I made it out of black waleless corduroy and he LOVED that thing! Wore it for 20 years until it finally fell apart at the seams, when he started dropping remarks about how nice it would be to have a new one.
We don’t usually buy gifts for each other unless we find something perfect (which is hard for DH…he’s very picky about his clothing and I wouldn’t begin to know which CD’s he would want.) But I decided that a new robe would be just the thing that year. I worked on it secretly all before Christmas and made a pair of lounge pants to match. Boy was he surprised! I had to use a different pattern because he had somehow grown since the last one! I made it out of black polar fleece this time and he has worn it every day since I made it. That makes me feel good!
The most favorite gift I ever gave someone was an apron that I made for my dad. He used to do woodworking, and he liked to wear an apron with pockets to hold all his tools that he needed to keep at hand like his measuring tape, screwdriver, etc. He had very specific ideas about what would be most useful for him, but he could never find one in a store. So, one day, when he wasn’t home, I did a little detective work by going into his shop and making a pattern of the make-shift one he wore. I designed the perfect apron. When he opened it on Christmas, he could hardly believe it. It brought tears to both our eyes! That was the best! Merry Christmas!
I think my favorite gift given was to my son…He really wanted a Playstation 2 for Christmas a few years ago. I couldn’t wait for him to open it. I get so excited giving gifts to people, especially when it is something that they really want!
I remember the year I gave my husband a real pinball machine. He was blown away! I still tease him that he’s my third child! It was really a fun and special holiday.
Thanks,
lise
My favorite gift was a Barbie dollhouse for my daughter. She played with it for years.
First off….MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family!!! Hope that you have a wonderful time with all your loved ones.
These sets from Verve Visual sound so GREAT! I’m loving their stuff!!
The favourite gifts I have given would be all the handmade items I’ve made since getting into stamping!! Last year I gave all my girlfriends a card tin filled with cards! They loved them! It’s nice to see the smiles on their faces and know that they truly appreciate all the hard work and love that went into it.
Thanks for the blog candy Jen! Happy Holidays!
Favorite gift that I’ve given someone…hmmmm……welll, I think it would be the love of reading to my boys. They think Barnes and Noble is “IT”!! And can spend literally hours there reading (and picking out books!!) Each holiday (including Valentines, Easter, Halloween…..) several new books are included in their goodie bags. This year is no different. There are two BIG bags that have a bunch of new books inside. The love of reading is the gift that will continue to keep on giving as they grow older.
The best gift I have ever given was a watch that my husband wanted really bad. It was right before we got married, and I’m sure he thought that we wouldn’t be able to afford it. I had saved and saved and got it for him. He was so excited that it was well worth the saving!
Last year I made a perpetual prayer calender for my sister. It had pictures of our children together from the last 18 years. The kids are best bud long distance cousins. She said it was one of the best gifts she ever got. It was fun to see all the memories over the years!
My favorite gift I’ve ever given was a scrapbook to my Dad - he always wanted a 1953 Corvette and finally find one about 8 years ago so I did a little scrapbook about the car - he loved it!
I made a Green Bay Packer fleece blanket for my dh for his birthday. I was raised a Vikings fan and for the sake of our marriage, I became a Packer fan. I made the blanket for him when he was out of town and during a Packer/Viking game. The Packers won and was the point that I “turned” over. It made the gift even sweeter that we now cheer for the same team!
Merry Christmas!
Lisa
I think the best gift I ever gave was the scrapbook I made for my father’s 75th birthday a couple of years ago. I had pictures of everyone in the family, each on their own 2-page spread, through the years. And each person’s page had some little blurb they had written that they loved or remembered fondly about him.
My favorite gift was a recent one… DH lost his wedding ring in a humorous circumstance, but I was still sad that he lost it. On the same note, he is impossible to shop for AND just lost his job, so we were having a ‘no gift’ Christmas. Well, I bought him a new ring anyway, an exact copy of the custom ring we had made when we were married, down to the engraving on the inside. The first one said ‘You shall never walk alone’. The new one says “You shall never walk alone… again”. Through it all, we’ve never lost our sense of humor!
My favorite gift(s) that I’ve given are the ones that I handmade this year, now that I found my creative side.
I covered chipboard journals and large letters with DP, as well as those RSVP pens for all the kiddos. Also, using the Stampin’ Up! stamp set “All in the Family”, I made a “family portrait” of all the grandkids for my folks and one of each family for my sisters-in-law. I know that they’ll love them!
I did give one of my best friends her very Bella stamp. She LOVED IT!
Merry Christmas, Jen!
9 years ago my Dad died and I wasn’t in the Christmas mood. My daughter wanted a Furby and they were impossible to get. Then a couple of days before Christmas I saw an ad in a grocery store flyer saying a shipment was coming in on Sunday. So with nothing to lose I went…my young son came with me. We stood in line and when the store opened in we went. We got a Furby-I was thrilled. It made Christmas for me that year.
I would have to say that this year is my favorite for giving gifts. Each one of my kids will be getting something that they dearly wanted. From college money for the oldest to the golf club for the middle and the Bumblebee transformer for the youngest it should be LOTS of fun to watch them open gifts! Oh, and that’s not all! I’ll be doing a scavenger hunt for each of them to find those gifts! I haven’t typed up the clues yet as I don’t want them to find them (and I’m a dork and leave things out sometimes!) but I will be doing it today. We are starting off in the fridge with their favorite beverage! Tee Hee! I’m so excited!
Thanks for the chance for the GREAT blog tarts and a chance to get my excitement off my chest! It is so hard not to tease the kids a little with this whole scavenger hunt! :o)
hands down, my favorite gift to EVERYONE was in 2001. i gave my family some new additions when my twin girls were born. Merry Christmas!
My favorite present was to a boyfriend who I lived with when I first moved to town. To thank him helping me move here, during Xmas I found a glass jar shaped like a house, and then I hand folded some 3D lucky stars to fill the jar. The stars were made out of thicker ribbons. So, that’s my fav. gift I’ve ever given to someone.
I would say my favorite Christmas Gift ever given was a Hot Air Balloon ride for my husband three years ago. I got to go too, so that made it even better! It was something we both have always wanted to do; well my husband wanted to skydive more but we had a son and I was also pregnant so that wasn’t such a great idea. It was an awesome experience!
My favorite gift given was to my husband from my kids and I. We made him a scrapbook about all the things he does and how proud we are of him. It was a very special Christmas. Merry Christmas to you!
I love giving gifts, more so than receiving. The best one I have given is a trip to vegas to my parents for their wedding anniversary. Got them airfare, hotel, tickets to Celine Dion and Cirque du Soleil. Love that place and so did they!
I have given my older sister a gag gift every other year now for years…. But, the one that sticks out the most in my mind is the year I gave her a 5 lb. pal of Whoppers the candies… I put on the card may the next ten pounds be on you…. She got a BIG kick out of it…
Last year her Christmas list said an Island on it so, DH and I made her and Island to sit on her desk at work…LOL She loved it….
I love giving her things that make her laugh….
reflections:0)
MERRY CHRISTAMS to you and your family! I would have to say the best gift would have to be a shirt that I had given my dad about 15 yrs ago. He was just starting to build his dream “hot rod” and I had a t-shirt air brushed with how it was going to look when he was finished along with the license plate that was going on it “Hot Rod 4D” (it was a 1940 ford). He loved that shirt and wore it proudly when he finished the car.
my favorite present i’ve ever given was an ipod. it was fun seeing my SIL’s reaction since my hubby had told her that all the ipods were defective and apple was recalling them all. his way of making sure she didn’t go out and buy one for herself.
My fave gift that I gave is when I make calendars for my parents and inlaws with pics of their grandchildren. They are treasured and make me feel so good! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I have given some people some great gifts over the years, but this year I am very excited to give my ‘god-sister’ (my godparents daughter who is like a sister) a scrap book I made of her wedding photos.
My dream gift for someone:
If I was super wealthy everyone would receive a cookbook to their favorite food region with an airline ticket to that place tucked inside!
My favorite gift I’ve given someone is a card organizer I made for my Aunt. I gave one to everyone in my family, but the one I gave her was my favorite because for over a year she told me how much she liked and used it every time she saw me… It just made me so happy that she really liked and was using something I made for her!
Six years ago right now, we began moving into our house! That was the greatest Christmas “present” ever!
Now, I love to make small picture albums for my mom and my husband’s grandma.
Merry Christmas to All!
I’d say my favorite gift I’m giving for this year, is an I-Phone for my husband.Thanks for the RAK and Happy Holidays!
I think my favorite gift was actually a Valentine’s gift. Hope that’s ok. The year that my husband and I got engaged, I took the ring box from my engagement ring and put a tiny silver heart inside it. I wrote him a poem about how I was giving him my heart so he could carry it with him always and every time he reached into his pocket, he would remember how much I love him. I’m not sure he was as thrilled to receive it as I was to give it, but I couldn’t wait for him to open it. It only took him about a week to lose it - ha! We eventually found it and we still come across it occasionally and share a tender moment together. Thanks for the chance at some great goodies. Merry Christmas!
Hard to pick one favorite! This years favorite was a small gift, but made especially for the recipient. It was one of the clear round ornaments with a piece of stamped transparency inside. This particular one was stamped with balls of yarn and knitting needles…..it said knit one and purl two. My friend owns a knitting shop and I knew she would love it……so i was very excited to give it to her LOL. That is the funnest part for me……..finding that certain something that is perfect for someone. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays everyone!!!
Just a few days ago I found out that my brother and SIL are going through a very tough time with IVF and it may not be possible for them to go through the process again. I told them last week, but I have offered to be a gestational surrogate for them and that this would be my Christmas offer to them. Although my present is not store bought it is truely heartfelt.
Jenn
Last year I gave my parents a set of 5 handmade fabric heart ornaments (one for each of my siblings and I). I put them in an altered box with a note on the outside that said something to the effect of, “We may not always be home for Christmas, but our hearts will never be far from home.” Since my parents live across the country and my own family is growing, it costs well over $2000 to travel to visit them. So, each year when they decorate their tree, they’ll be reminded that although I’m not physically there, my heart still turns to home for Christmas. I hope that I’ll still be able to take my kids to Grandma and Grandpa’s, but for the years we’re not there, ‘my heart’ will have to do.
I think the one I liked best was the driving lessons at a nearby racetrack for DH…I knew he would be excited so I was just as excited! Thanks Jen!
I play for this sweet candy.
I think the best present I have given to someone is my dad. I bought him a suit with this really cool shirt. He really loved it and whenever he could he would wear it!
Thanks so much for a chance.
Merry Christmas
cmeyers@hughes.net
I think the best present I have ever given was one I gave to my mom before she passed away. We all knew that she would miss many milestones in her granddaughters’ lives, so I dressed them up in my wedding gown, in my graduation gown, etc. and photographed them for her. I took the pictures and made them into a little scrapbook and she loved it!
The favorite gift I’ve given is a silver pin I gave to my mom one year for her birthday. I took a piece of artwork I created when I was little to a specialty gift shop near my home and they used the artwork to create a miniature version of my picture (a little girl standing next to a vase of flowers) that became a silver pin. The picture had been turned into a needlepoint canvas by my grandmother and I had to wait until my mom was away so I could get to her house and “steal” the artwork from her wall and get it to the store. My mom really treasures this gift.
Enjoy the holiday!
Merry Christmas, Jen! THese sets are great!! I’d love to win them - my favorite gift for someone was a 7-day cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas & Mazatlan we girls (3) pitched in for our mom for her birthday one year. I made a gift bag with clues like a little plane, a little sombrero with rug, a little boat…when she finally figured out what it was about, the look on her face was priceless! She had never really gone anywhere but a few states surrounding CA. We (my oldest sister and I and our uncle went with her) had a blast that week! Lots of great memories and pictures to remember the fun.
I think the best present I’ve given anyone was when I got dh an authentic Raider jersey our first Christmas together. He was very appreciative and it was something he wanted but not something that he necessarily thought he *needed* to get for himself.
My favorite gift I gave was to my husband. He really wanted a leather coat. I found the perfect coat on ebay. It was new, his size, a very good brand and I got it for half the price! He loved it! It fit him perfectly and it was the style he wanted. I bought it four years ago and he still wears it.
Hope you and all your readers are having a wonderful day! The best present I’ve given someone is for my guy’s aunt. I noticed when she was over our house, all her makeup was in disarray — old and broken things. So I bought her a whole bunch of fun makeup from Sephora with a makeup bag. It is so fun buying makeup for someone (I don’t wear much myself) and all women deserve some fun makeup to play with !! She loved it and said she uses all the stuff all the time. She wouldn’t have spent all that money on that stuff but desperately needed it.
Favortie gift given to someone. Hmmm, I always strive to give the perfect gift, doesn’t always happen, but I try.
I’d have to say showing up at my sister in laws just after she had had my neice, bringing supper for her family of seven and telling her that while she would have to be in the hospital for surgery with her little one all her other kids had places to go, and there would be a meal everynight they were home prepared and brought to them. That was my favorite gift to give, cause it wasn’t anything fancy, it didn’t come in paper or bows, it was just stepping up to fill a need in the lives of people I loved. I was changed, and they were forever grateful.
I’m usually always giving practical gifts ’cause I know they will be used instead of stashed or given away. So I was really excited when I decided to give my DH an air compressor that he had always dreamed of having. And I didnt just get the medium range one like I would normally do, but gave him the biggest one with all the bells and whistles. Sounds like a peculiar gift, but he was soooo happy! (And no, he really hasnt even used it, but that’s ok
).
I’m going to have say that the best present I ever gave someone was to my daughter when we gave her a car (used) for her birthday when she turned 18. She needed a car to go back & forth to college everday & was so thrilled when we handed her the keys & realized that the keys were for a car. We had told her we coudn’t afford it, so she never expected it. The look on her face was PRICELESS!!!
My favorite gift I ever gave…hmmmmm. I am so bad at gift giving because I always want to give the gift as soon as I buy it and not wait for Christmas! My favorite gift I have ever given was when I was a senior in high school I made an ABC scrapbook for my 2 best friends all about the fun times we had had. What great memories!
One year when I was in high school, my older brother and I sat for professional photos. My mom burst into tears when she opened the framed pictures on Christmas morning! One of these years, we are going to do it again with the grandkids
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
The favorite gift I have ever given to someone was a toy for my nephew, it was something that he really wanted and it was such a delight to see the look of joy on his face. It was not an expensive toy, but his look was priceless.
Hi Jen,
I would have to say the best gift I gave was to my Mom. Her birthday is on April 12th. I made her a Grandma on April 3rd. My daughter was born on a Saturday April 3rd,2004. She was One Pound 3 oz’s. That was a Miracle of a gift:) Each April we always celebrate both birthdays together.:) That was the best gift I have ever given anyone.
Merry Christmas Everyone:)
Lisa
The best gift I ever gave was a crewel embroidery picture that I did for my In-Laws, I think it was 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet….a very big picture. I thought I was never going to get it done. It actually took me a couple years to finish and get framed. When they opened it, the expression on their faces was priceless….one of the best Christmas’s! TFS :o)
Cindy Coffman
cac1957@hotmail.com
My favorite gift to give is the Disney Scrapbook that I’m giving my best friend for Christmas this year. We just got home from Disney and she’s not creative so I know she is going to love it. I loved it so much I wanted to keep it for me but I’m going to make me one after the Holiday. I love to give scrapbooks - I do one for his Aunt & Uncle in Florida every year and fill it with all their nieces and nephews photos and send it after Christmas. They love getting it especially since their up in age and can’t travel anymore. Ooohhh love to win some sets by Julee. Thanks! Happy Holidays!
My favorite gift I have given was the year I got my husband his german Shepard… She is such a sweetie..
I have such a hard time keeping my presents to people a surprise, I love watching them opening gifts! The best one I ever gave was to my husband, an iPod. AND I got a great deal on it, to boot!
Merry Christmas!
My favourite gift I give to my husband every year is a postage stamp book. He collects postage stamps.
I think the most amazing Christmas present I have ever given anyone was a calendar I made for my Mother-in-law. It was before scrapbooking caught on…I decorated each month with pictures of her family and made notes on special days. It was really sweet.
The best gift I’ve ever given anyone would have to be the handmade storybooks that my sons and I have made for my husband over the years. We combine photos with magazine cut-outs and create a wild story and make a scrapbook-type book with it. This was back before I started scrapping and stamping. The process has evolved since then, and we’ve even made one for one of my sons for his birthday. The books are silly, but are full of fun and lots of memories. Of course the family pets are included.
Merry Christmas to you!!!
Jennifer
The best Christmas present I ever gave was a standing jewelry box that my whole family chipped in to get my grandmother and a gold ring with an eagle on it to give to my grandfather. They have done so much for us and have always been there so we thought we’d all go in and get them something special. Merry Christmas!!
My favorite gift that I have given is a coupon book that I made for my husband. He thought it was great!
The favorite gift I ever gave someone was a beautiful bowl i gave t my friend Paula. It was a glass bowl with a deep red and metallic gold finish. It matched her home and style perfectly and it was the first time I ever bought a gift for someone and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had hit the nailonthe head.
My favorite gift was the album I made for my sister. There was an envleope inside for each month, with a calendar for the month on the back of the envelope with room for journaling. Each monthly front was decorated differently. The envelopes were 5 1/2 x 8 /12. I then decorated a box to go with the album.
Cindy
You guys are good! I either have a poor memory or I don’t give very cool stuff….I can’t think of anything to write! This is our first Christmas back in the States after 2-1/2 years overseas, so we’re thankful to be able to give our 4 kiddos some nice things that aren’t available in Indonesia. My daughter is in for a boatload of Barbies, which I know is going to thrill her to death, no matter what my mother says about them making little girls grow up too fast………..!
Dina
The favoritist present that I ever gave was a circular saw to my hubby for his b-day last year. It wasn’t so much the present, but it was that we had him TOTALLY and completly convinced that he was getting MarioKart instead! This was a game that he’d sold back to the second hand gaming store without our permission. He was relieved to find out that he didn’t get the game - again, although we did end up buying it back at a later date.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
The most exciting present I’ve ever given is this year I’m giving my son a trip to Disney World! And I get to go too! We will be leaving Jan 2 and he doesn’t know yet!! He’ll open the package tomorrow morning!!
The other gift I loved giving was for my older son his 2nd year in college…we got him a jute box for his apartment!! He was sooooo excited! He still has it and now his little girl (3) is loving it too!
Merry Christmas to you all!!!
The best gift I’ve given was a donation in honor of my nieces & nephews toward the building of an African orphanage. We know the Pastor of the church that the money was given. Their family has made mission trips to this area.
Hi Jen and Merry Christmas. I have had to think about this question as there have been many memorable gifts that I have given throughout the years, but I would have to say the largest and most remembered one was when we bought our son his 3 wheeler when he was 10 years old. (this was before 4 wheelers!!) He was so surprised and excited and even now when he is 37 years old, still talks about that Christmas.
I hope you have a terrific one and relax and enjoy family.
Cheryl Sims
A hunting rifle to my dear hubby back in the 60’s…I had it hidden under the couch all wrapped..he was so surprised and I loved watching him open the gift and the surprise on his face. I will never forget that. Merry Christmas to you and yours. He used it for many years of hunting. Hugs, Dee 8^)
Hello and Merry Christmas to you and your family. One of the most memorable gifts I have given was to my granddaughter (grown with 2 children) last Christmas. She had just started scrapbooking and I had given her some of my supplies. For Christmas I made her a scrapbook with pictures of her girls and mother. She was so surprised and excited, she cried. She really loved it and that made me feel special for doing it for her.
JoAnn B.
WOW….what a wonderful giveaway! I don’t know that there is any 1 thing that stands out…I try every year to give handmade items where I can and I know I love making them and that Most people enjoy recieving them, so anything I make with my own hands, heart and time are my favorite to give!
Have a Wonderful Christmas!!
WOW ~ What great stuff!!
Anything stamping related that I’ve given my mom, just goes crazy over it all!
Merry Christmas!
My favorite given gift is a handmade item too. I made my Mom an intricately stitched sampler which contained the words “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” It was for her college graduation - a long-cherished dream - which she accomplished at the age of 59. Sadly, 4 years later she died very suddenly, so I was extra-glad that I made her the sampler when I did! Thanks for the blog tart
I’m giving my husband a beautiful frame with 3 5×7 pics of his children. It came out really nice and I think that he will love it.
One of my favorite memories of a gift, was a few years ago when my daughter was in high school. We surprised her just before Thanksgiving…with an early Christmas gift containing a note that we would be taking her to a Cross Country race in California (Footlocker West) that she’d always dreamed of competing in. She was so surprised and excited! We used our airmiles, and kept the trip pretty simple. All this took place during the first week in December. It was a wonderful, memorable race and trip for her and for us! We included one day at Disneyland, which was all decorated for Christmas! That was pretty much the only gift she (or we) got that year, but oh, it was so worth it!! I think experiences, big or small, often make the best gifts of all! = )
This year for my annual Christmas party I put together all sort of hand-made paper crafted goodies…and had a ball making them and loved giving them to a great friend who will put all the notes and goodies to great use! So, I guess that’s my favorite gift given, so far = )!!
My favorite gift to give has to be the quilts I am making (yes, I’m still finishing them on Christmas eve) for my girls. So much love has gone into these babies!!
Merry Christmas!
Cindy
creativecards@shaw.ca
My favorite gift I gave was an airline ticket to Calgary, Canada to each member of my family so we could all ski together. I had won a contest from Continental Airlines which included several airline tickets. It was so fun to give this extravagant gift - something I couldn’t have done on my own. But it was more fun to be all together in a big house for a week, skiing every day, and soaking it up in the hot tub at night! Great memories!
During my college days, my roommate’s fiance’ was serving in the Army and was stationed in Alaska. One Christmas he got a short leave and she left Bellingham, WA to drive to Sea-Tac airport to meet him. It was snowing like crazy but I convinced another friend to join me and drive to the airport in hopes of capturing the reunion on film. It was a challenge and we came close to being discovered several times but we managed to get a wonderful picture of their first kiss in months. I had the photo enlarged to a poster size and gave it to her for Christmas.
When I was about 10, my dad had a speedboat that we used every weekend. My brother wanted to get an air horn for it but dad said he had to buy half of it. When he and I saved up the money, mom put in dad’s half. We wrapped up 1/2 an old squeeky bike horn in a box. When dad opened it, we said “squeeze it!!”. My brother had wired up the air horn and had a button hidden in the tree so when dad squeezed the bike horn, a loud air horn went off!!!! Scared him silly!!! That was a FUN Christmas!
One year, we gave our daughter a 25″ television and being it would be her only gift, I made up a scavenger hunt using dollar store items and the final one led her to the television.
Gosh, I think my favorite present was gifts for a family who could not afford to get any themselves. It made their year and it felt great to do that for them.
It’s a good life!
Terri E.
Merry Christmas!! I LOVE to give gifts so it’s hard to pick a favorite. Probably one of my favorite was the gift of doing a scrapbook for some very close friends. I had them pick out 600 of their favorite pics and I put them into an album. They still thank me for that album and it’s been 4-5 years!
Merry Christmas! I love giving anything handmade. This year, I made coasters and matching trivets for many family members and friends. People always smile when they know love was an ingredient in the gift.
Enjoy your holiday!
This is my first time commenting on your blog, but I’ve visited a few times…
Anyway, I think my favorite gift to GIVE was last year, I made two scrapbooks for my girls’ grandparents. They LOVED them, and still thumbed through the months after recieving them.
The best gift I have ever given anyone is a scrapbook I made for my Mom for her 60th birthday! She cried through the entire album. I know she will cherish it forever!
Merry Christmas to everyone! My most favorite gift I have ever given was a scrapbook made over a 4 year period for my dad. Long story short, he has been a county police officer/detective my entire life (I am 32 and there is a picture of me as a newborn and he is in a uniform!) and his lifelong goal was to become Sheriff of our county where we live. Four years before he ran for the election, he started the campaigning and he is SO not a political person, so it was so different for him to do that. But he put his heart into it and he WON!!! So, I had been keeping a timeline of sorts going with photos of the 4 year ordeal and found this beautiful leather album that had “SHERIFF” in gold and a real badge in it and created this 60 page album for him. He really didn’t know much about my hobby/passion but he LOVED it. It really meant a lot to him and it made my heart so big to be able to do that for him. He now has it in his office as he is still the Sheriff.
When I surprised Matthew with U2 tickets - his favorite band. Merry Christmas Jen - when are we gonna get together again?
I think the most fun gift I ever gave was the GI Joe aircraft carrier I gave my son when he was about 8. I had to put it together and keep it hidden and it was like 12 feet long! it sure didnt fit in the sewing room like all the other pressies did.
My favorite gift was given to a lady that I have never met before. I met her mom through a Yahoo! group. She has 5 kids, loves to scrapbook, but is extremely poor. So last Christmas, I loaded up a box full of scrapbooking and stamping supplies (it weighed 6 pounds) and sent it off to her! I’ve got another box started for her again!
Thanks!
My favorite gift that I have ever given was to my youngest sister. She is a huge midget car racing fan. I made her a quilt in all the colors of the racing flags and had all of the drivers at our local track sign it for her. She was thrilled with it and it was so much fun to see her face when she opened it.
So, so hard to pick a favorite… I LOVE really putting thought into finding that perfect gift! Sometimes I am more successful than others… Off the top of my head, though, the memories of the handmade gifts I have given seem to have lasted the longest — special ABC books for my nephew and son, scrapbooks and brag books for Grandparents… I love just thinking about it! I am speaking from experience, though, when I say that those gifts are the hardest to top the next year…
Anyway, Merry Christmas to All (and to All, a good night)…
Hi Jen, Wish you a merry Christmas!
Its funny I don’t remember what I gave, I always remember what I got! I like to do a lot for everyone and then I forget about it…
Well the only one I can remember right now was to gift my dad a very awesome set of gold plated Parker pen set. he’s fanatic about collecting pens and Parker tops the list…
Needless to say he was over the moon!
..Tejal
tejal2210@gmail.com
When I got my 1st job at age 15, I had so much fun buying presents for my family. I remember buying my dad the very first TV video game that ever came out. It cost $100. and was a simple black & white simple paddle game called Pong. All of our friends & family practically lived at our house because everyone wanted to play it. The video games today would certainly put it to shame, but we sure thought it was spectacular:) Enjoy your Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
I think my favorite gift I have given was to my mother in law. Last year for Christmas I made her a Memory purse with pictures of all 8 of her grandkids. She loves it.
This Christmas I get to say that I truly am proud and excited to be giving my mom ( my best friend ) something she really wants (for once). In the past I’ve given her small gifts because money was so tight. Although it still is (we just bought a new home), my husband & I decided that the dollar amount wouldn’t be a problem, as long as it wasn’t over a certain amount. I’m very excited to see her reaction tomorrow as I know she’ll love it. She has done a tremendous amount for the both of us & this is just a small token of giving back to her. I’ll be sure to take a picture of her & her gift! :0)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
The favorite gift I ever gave someone was the year my youngest daughter (then age
wanted a stuffed animal of Fi Fi LaFume. They don’t make them! I found this wonderful lady at a craft fair who makes the most gorgeous mermaid dolls and dragons and asked her if she could possibly make a Fi Fi doll. I gave her pictures of Fi Fi and she did the most fantastic job! The look in my daughter’s eyes on Christmas morning was priceless.
my favorite gift… hmmm…i think the favorite “gift” i have ever given was the traditions that we celebrate yearly, my daughters are now 20, 23 and 25 and we still do the same things every year and they expect them and enjoy them. my 20 year old said the other day all our house needs is for me to wear an apron and a white picket fence around the house, we are so “classic” family! LOL
every year we go “twinkle light riding” looking for the old favorites and going in search of new ones, we go to midnight mass together, santa still brings all their gifts in their own “paper”… these are things i never thought mattered until one year i didn’t plan the treck to the tree forest (to “hunt” christmas trees) and instead bought it at a stand {gasp} i was on the list for a long time and the diasappointment in their eyes said it all.
so we are a family steeped in tradition, wrapped in ritual and embraced in comfort of familiarity.
so my favorite gift is the legacy that makes our family us… unique, crazy, wonderful us…
Merry Christmas.
My favorite gifts were definitely my daughters — with each one, so many people were fulfilled (including me). But along more “mundane” lines, I have enjoyed the joy that my long overdue but finally given Anniversary scrapbook gave to my parents… it was for their 40th, but took until their 45th to complete! It had contributions from people across the country… but they LOVE looking at it… and I am GLAD it finally got done!!!
I also loved the wedding favors we gave to our guests… we live on a little island and there was a place that made great jam… we had demitasse spoons engraved with our names and the date of our wedding, and we gave them attached to a little jar of that jam to each couple or person who came. To this day, when we dine with many folks, those little spoons come out to sit in the sugar dish to sweeten our drinks…
I’ve been trying to think of my favorite Christmas present that I’ve given. I had fun giving my husband a chiminea a few Christmases ago. He had been talking about it for a while. I had help getting it into the van but was on my own to get it into the house. Needless to say, it didn’t make it upstairs to the Christmas tree, but I was able to “roll” it into the garage. I then left a scavenger hunt of hints to lead him to the garage! It was so much fun that my daughter wanted me to do something similar this year for him — I just ran out of time since I’m here working overnight on Christmas eve. My other favorite gift was a set of cookie cutters that I bought for my mom when I was 8 — my aunt took me to the store to pick something out and that was my first individually picked out gift for my parents. I was so proud! Thanks for the chance to win “non-chocolate” candy!! Jeanne
My favorite gift given was for my parents, in-laws and sister - all very difficult people to buy for. When our daughter was just over 2 we took 3 paintings by her and photos of her painting them to Mike’s to get them nicely framed. It was something very different, but special because she made them!
Hope your Christmas is wonderful, and that Ellie has lots of fun!
My favorite would have to be years ago when the Cabbage Patch craze was in. I went to about 6 different stores, stood in line for what seemed like forever, dealt with pushy, grouchy, rude people all for a doll!! I thought I was crazy!!! Until my daughter opened it on Christmas morning………….it was all worth that craziness then!! The look on her face was priceless!! She had that doll for years!! Funny how you can remember things like that but don’t ask me what we had for supper last week!!! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!!
I really enjoy giving handmade gifts. A few years ago, my sister wanted to go to a Memory Book quilting class. It looked so cool so I decided to go to the class with her. I made a Memory Book for my mom as a thank you for the family vacation that she and Daddy have our family do every year. It was a beautiful quilted book with embroidery, beading, and pictures (printed on fabric). Such a special gift. Mom enjoys showing to her friends and visitors. Tradition and family make the holiday so magical. Merry Christmas.
(P.S. My sister never got her Memory Book completed.)
I love giving calendars that I digitally scrapbook. If I don’t make them there are dissappointed grandparents!
I guess maybe this will count as a gift. My Husband and I purchased a big screen TV and was going to throw the box away, however our six year old daughter wanted it so bad, that we gave it to her. We had this extra room in our house, she made that box into her bedroom, sleeping bag and all. She drew pictures on the wall. She slept in it every night. This inexpensive gift was the highlight of her life for many months.
My favourite gift that I gave would be the “designer” purses I gave my nieces for Christmas this year. Since I don’t have any children myself, I love spoiling my 2 nieces. They are very special to me.
I love to give handmade gifts. This year I made the stckings and tags for my in-laws who are spending Christmas with us for the 1st time (they normally go elsewhere). This is the first time they have received a stocking since they were children, so it was a joy to see their faces this morning.
My favorite gift ever given was this morning! WE got a new puppy and I put him on my daughter’s bed this morning as she lay sleeping. “Bruno” greeted her like she was a long lost friend. It was love at first lick. My daughter asked, “Is he ours?” and that was all she wrote. She was completely caught off guard although she’s been asking for a puppy for a couple of years now. So here we go on a new adventure!!!!
When my sister and I were little we went to have our picture taken with Santa. This tradition started when I was three weeks old and are displayed every Christmas. After 23 years, we stopped having our pictures taken. My dad loved the pictures so much he hated to put them away each year, especially for a few years when our family was going through some tough times. A few years ago I gathered the pictures after Christmas and made them into a beautiful scrapbook. It now lives year-round on their coffee table and my dad looks through it regularly! It is a very special family treasure.
My favorite gift I gave to someone was to my husband…he appreciates anything I give him.He is a nuts for big toys,like motor bikes,atv,snowmachines you get the picture. Of course I can’t afford anything big like that but he has a 4 wheeler and love to add parts to it.So I asked my nephew what I could buy for it and he told me he wanted to add such and such parts.So I got him a few of those parts,well it was like a gave hime a million dollars cause he didn’t expect it and he knows I know nothing about them. But with help from my nephew I made my hubby soooo happy!!!
Thanks for the chance at your candy!!!
My favorite thing is being with my DH and my 3 sons. This time of year is just full of memories of being a kid my self and now I love making those memories for my family!! I pray that you have a wonderful day!! Thank you for the chance at such a great gift!!
My sister had just had her 3rd child in October. For Christmas I offered to watch all 3 of the kids for the evening. She picked New Year’s Eve and could not stop thanking me for the great time she had. My brother in law was even saying thankyou.
A trip to Chicago for my son’s 21st birthday. He was born and raised in South Florida yet is an avid Chicago Cubs and Bears fan. We went to a Cubs game together, it was simply amazing, to experience this with my son.
Susan
Before my first child was born I was a flight attendant. I was on a trip to London and was out venturing around and found an antique type mall. Inside I found an Aquamarine ring that resembled one my mother had been given to her. Sadly it had been stolen from our house when we were robbed.
Though she had never asked for another to replace it, I thought it was perfect. I splurged and bought it for her. She absolutely loved it and even cried. That was easily the best gift I was ever able to give anyone.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas everyone!
Chris
My favorite gift that I have given was the gift of time I gave my granddaughter a couple of years ago. We spent time making cookies, packaging them in festive wrapping, and delivering them to the neighbors. She was so excited and happy. I will never forget the joy on her face! Time, circumstances, and schedules have kept us from doing that again, but I am hoping we can do it again before she becomes a teenager. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
So far, I think that the mother’s day after my brother in law passed away at a very young age (29)… my husband and I bought my mother in law a new mother’s ring. Since, Jeremy was the middle child, his stone was in the center of the ring, and my husband and the youngest of the sons on either side. It was like a goose-bump moment when we gave it to her, she loved it. And I was so excited to give her yet another thing to remember Jeremy by.
Merry Christmas!
OH! What a treat! I’ve been looking at these on the site and am so excited they’re going to clear!
This is a hard one for me.. It takes me weeks to come up with the perfect gift. When my kids were little, each year I would let them pick a name from the Salvation Army Christmas Tree. It was also very exciting to them. They would pick someone around their own age and then we would shop. They would pick something they really wanted for themselves knowing that child would probably like it also.
My family does alot of giving of time. We’re not big money spending givers:) Probably my favorite year was the year they were all teenagers and we spent Christmas day serving food at the homeless Mission. We all really enjoyed it and it opened up their eyes about how many and what kind of people are homeless. We stayed there all day serving food and listening to their stories.
This year we picked an angel from the tree at my sisters work, my youngest daughter and I had a wonderful time together picking out presents for this young lady. It was the best feeling to know that we helped someone have a good Christmas and taught us both a lesson in being grateful.
Vicky
My most fav gift I have ever given was a 6×6 scrapbook I made for my hubby while he was in Iraq. I put all the pics in it of events that he was missing while away and mailed it off for Christmas. He cried when he opened it! I remember him saying its the best scrapbook I had ever made. I tear up just thinking of it! Have a WONDERFUL Holiday!!! {SMILES}
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Jen!
I have some Verve Visual in red rubber and I love ‘em! Would l-o-v-e to add some more to my collection *wink*!
Hands down favorite gift/gifts are any of those which I’ve made by hand. People really do appreciate the time, effort, and love that goes in to handmade items … especially those dang nugget tins, LOL!
Best wishes for ‘08!
~Deb
The best gift I’ve ever given was to my husband for his brithday a couple of years ago. We usually don’t do a lot for gifts, it’s just not super important to either of us. Well, I got him a new electric guitar. I had his dad pick one out that DH would like (b/c I have NO idea about those things!). DH cried when he opened it! It was so cool. It usually takes a LOT for him to cry, but he couldn’t stop! Hard for me to beat that!
My favorite gift I have ever given someone was a rescue hero I gave my 5 year old son. His response to me was “look mom, the rescue hero you wanted”. Which is true because I loved the rescue heroes and I guess I loved them more than he did.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
Oh I love to give gifts - any time of year. The favorite Christmas gift I ever gave was a number of years ago. My friend’s husband had left her with 2 little children and another on the way … things were bad as she had no money. I took her children out and let them each buy her 2 special gifts - then we took them to my appartment and wrapped them. As told by my friend the children were so excited to give her the gifts they had bought for her that they practically forgot they had gifts to open themselves. She said they all cried the happiest tears ever that Christmas morning. I think I’ve given some fun things over the years and brought lots of smiles but the gift I gave that year was truly the best for me!
I think the best gifts I have ever given are the name frames and altered clipboards I gave everyone this year. They were made with my time and love to match each persons personality. I didn’t fight the crowds and spend lots of money, but they mean so much more to me than something I bought. Hopefully everyone will love them as much as I do.
Merry Christmas, Jen!
My favorite gift given would have to be this year. My friend sells Mary Kay and she went around to merchants to purchase gifts to give to people in nursing homes who had no one. My DH and I purchased one and I went with my friend to deliver the gifts. Two very old ladies were sitting (asleep) on the sofa and when the aide woke up the first one to tell her she got a gift, the second one jumped wide awake and declared, “A gift for me? A gift for me? Oh, I’m getting a gift!” Luckily, she was. She took the gift and kept oohing and awwing over it - then she stopped, and said, “Man, that’s some money on that!” We laughed, but at the same time, we left the Nursing Home with tears in our eyes. How fortunte I was to witness that old woman’s joy over a simple little gift. We all need to stop and remember someone less fortunate that we are - and the count our blessings and play it forward!
Merry Christma, Happy New Year, Joyous Giving!
Vicky Gould
I think one of my favorites was the scrapbook that I made for my son for his graduation. I spent alot of time putting memories together for him from birth through high school graduation. I wasn’t sure how he was going to like it but it was great to see his reaction and then to see him going through the scrapbook days after. He made sure he took it when he moved out last year. A close second was the American girl doll my 6 year old opened this am and has not put down since. Merry christmas
My favorite Christmas present I have given has got to be this year when we gave our 10 year old boy a Karaoke Machine. I love to hear him singing with it. He is our little entertainer.
Thanks so much for sharing. Please check out my blog and enter to win my blog candy! http://www.kellysartjournaling.blogspot.com !
Kelly
I had a close up bl/wh photo of my mom and dad’s wedding photo and they were looking right. I also had a perfect photo close up of their 25th anniversary facing left. We lost my dad suddenly just a couple of months after that 25th anniversary…which happed to be on Christmas Eve…that was 28 years ago (dad was only 42). A year ago in Jan we lost my mom after a short battle of cancer…I took both of those photos and made a beautiful scrapbook page and placed it inside a 12 x 12 frame…I gave it to my oldest sister as a gift. I know she will treasure it for many years to come.
My favorite gift that I ever gave to someone was when I was in high school. I saved and saved and gave my family Indians tickets for Christmas. It was the year that the Indians went to the World Series, so it was a big deal for Cleveland. I saved up my money and even purchased Indians sweatshirts to wrap the tickets in for my family. Even though the tickets were in the “nosebleed” section, it was my favorite gift to give to my family because I worked so hard at saving my money for someone else’s enjoyment.
My favorite gift I gave was a something I made for my mom. It is very intricate and hard for me to describe. But it is a Christmas Tree and Toy maker santa . The Santa is sitting at a desk painting toys, with toys all around him. She displayes it every year and brings a smile to my face everytime I see it.
But I love what Vicky Gould did. That is very touching and a lovely idea. I have a friend that is a May Kay consultant and I am going to send that Idea to her.
Merry Christmas everyone. Have a safe and healthy New Year
My favorite gift that I gave was from my family to our best family friends. We became friends through our daughters when they were 2 years old (they’re almost 18 now!). I made a photo album / scrapbook of all the fun times we had over the years - vacations to various places, picking pumpkins at the patch, birthday parties, etc. I actually made 2 of them - one for our friends and one for us to have. We still love to take it out and look through it several times a year!
Merry Christmas!
My favorite was when I gave my sister a Dallas Stars game jersey replicated to her favorite players jersey and tickets to an upcoming game!! She just graduated from college so it was a combo graduation and Christmas gift. FUN!!!
Merry Christmas!! I’ve been so blessed this year to be able to give to others. The gift I’m most excited about giving this year was a Secret Santa gift to a 12 yr old girl! I got her a darling purse with a gift card inside for spending and some cute socks and lotion.. I really hope it makes her day. She has a special place in my heart!
Thanks!!
This year I made a little desktop calendar for my Dad. I rarely give anything handmade because I always think it is not good enough. But he really liked it (I think). I kind of hope it will be nice for him to look at all year. So far, I think it is my fave gift I gave.
The best gift I was able to give someone was when we our churcha dopted a family last year for Christmas, We collected money and then we went and bought presents and Christmas dinner. It was so nice to know that we did this!
The best gift I ever gave to someone was actually three gifts on to each of my children. I made ABC scrapbooks for each of them when they graduated from High School. They were full of pictures of important people, events and things of their respective lives.
It was yesterday! We have this club called the Millionaire Club where homeless guys come and work for the public! This summer we found one guy who does amazing work in the yard. We have befriended him and invited him to Christmas. My partners family was warm, bought him gifts, and just welcomed him! He left crying about how great this night was for him. He went home to live on the street and I am holding one his jacket, sock, t-shirts, hat, etc he received from the family. I didn’t do it because I felt sorry for him…I did it to let him know their IS light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully this gave him so HOPE! He’ll be back on thursday doing work for me! Thank you for letting me share this gift with you! kt
My favorite gift that I got was The Sunshine Family. Some may remember them and what happen was my mom said ” I was to old for the dolls”. OF course I was very upset and low and behold on Christmas morn they were sticking out of my stocking. The look on my face was one very happy girl. Merry Christmas to all and a Very Happy New Year.
I made my aunt a scrapbook of 35 years of Christmas history of our family with a promise to keep it updated each year!!! She cried like a baby!! It is a gift that keeps giving. The whole family likes to look through it and remember all the loved ones who are no longer with us. We had it out last night and many great stories were recalled and remembered…and a few tears shed!!! But that is what it is all about!!!
Merry Christmas!!!
Among my favorites was a couple years ago when I gave my daughter a My Little Pony Ballroom toy. She wanted it SO bad and I loved the sheer delight it brought her when she opened it up! It played music as the ponies danced and she made up several of her own lyrics to go along. It brought me so much joy to see her enjoy her gift so much!
I gave to someone cd’s that he wanted. he told me he love it.
This year at my sons school silent auction, one of the teachers had a webkinz basket. It was the hit of all the kids. My middle son wanted to win it so badly! As I was working the auction, I missed my opportunity to place a bid at auction closing. He was so disappointed. For Christmas…’Santa’…gave him his very own basket of webkinz. The look on his face was awesome! He is always following his big brother around…asking for whatever his big brother asks for….it was so nice to get him something that I knew he would love and it was just his. What a great moment!
I don’t know about the best gift that I’ve ever given. What I do know is that my niece is thrilled to death over the plastic frog dissection kit I gave her this year. She keeps taking out all his guts and putting him back together.
Jen - Merry Christmas!!!
The favorite gift I have ever given was to my mother. I took her wedding pictures which were just in a box and created a scrapbook album of them. She cried! It was great, she’s not a scrapbooker so I was worried if she’d appreciate it or not.
the favorite gift i have ever given to someone is the gift i gave this christmas to my hubby. he has been saying for years that we should take dancing lessons. so this year i signed us up for a five week series of ballroom dance lessons. he was thrilled with the gift and is looking forward to starting lessons. so, it was not only a gift for him, but i can enjoy couple time together.
Wow Jen, thanks for the chance to win; what fun a fun blog tart!!
My favorite gift I have given was a pair of baby’s blue bootie/socks to my father to let him know we were having a baby…a boy that is. A nice surprise after two little girls!
Happy holidays!!
My fav gift i have given was last year when i gave my husband a poker table with leather and cherry wood. i think he cried a little!!!
I made my mom a calendar with pictues of all here kids, grandkids, and great grandkids - it was wonderful!
For me it was this year when I gave my 6 yr old niece a $10 gift certificate to a scrapbooking store (she has started scrapbooking her own little book with her mom). She was so tickled that she gets to go to the store and pick out whatever she wants.
Merry Christmas everyone! I hit a home run this year with my kids’ gifts. My daughter is so excited about Webkinz, and I got her the one at the top of her list. My son has just started playing golf, and I got him a hand cart for toting his golf bag. Both of them were very happy, which made me feel great!!
They best gifts I have given are the scrapbooks that I make for my mom and brother every year from our family vacation. They like looking at them almost as much as I enjoy creating them.
My fav gift given to another is probably the time I gave my DH a hot air balloon ride gift certificate. I included it it the bottom of the package that included a glass-blown wire hanging sculpture that I’d picked up at a craft show.
We’d always enjoyed hot air balloon shows and would occasionally catch a view of someone else enjoying a ride as there’s a hot air balloon port a few miles south of us. But this was TRES KEWL actually giving him a ride (for 2 natch’) for Christmas one year … and we actually scheduled the ride for our anniversary the following summer.
later, alligator!
- SueB
I made a picture book on ibook for my parents with all of the best pictures from the last year. Each of our children had their own page, and the pictures were really big. I also included pictures from our family Christmas that we had two weeks ago. It was so fun to watch them look at it today. My kids loved looking at it too.
Thanks, great candy. Merry Christmas
I have a terrible memory, but one gift does stand out. Several years ago, as a Christmas gift to my husband, I sponsored a Guatemalan boy through Feed the Children. It was a great reminder for us of how blessed we were (and still are) just to have our basic needs met, let alone fancy presents under the tree.
Merry Christmas Jen!
I love to give gifts, so this one is tough for me. The first one that comes to mine were horse-riding lessons I got for my sister. She always loved trail riding and horses when we were kids on vacations, and I knew it was something she’d never get for herself.
My favourite gift I ever gave someone was to my Mom. She had just had a stroke the year before and was just getting her speech back. I bought her some games and puzzle books and she was ELATED! I thought it was such a simple gift, but she thought it was the greatest thing ever! It totally touched my heart & changed my views on gift giving since then!! Merry Christmas!
Chris
I think the favorite gift I’ve given might be the year I gave my mom a Lladro angel. My parents were foster parents to may babies and this particular year had had a boy for 18 months (from birth) who then went into a home that was to adopt him. A few short weeks later he had an asthma attack and died so it was quite a hard time! Anyway, that year I found a Lladro figurine that was perfect, it was a little black child depicted as an angel - perfect for Alex and my Mom loved it - still does! Thanks for the chance to win Jen!
the best gift I have ever give was two years ago for fathers day and Mother’s day..I gave my parents brag scrap books that had 3 things we love about grandma or grandpa in it from each child with pictures of each grandkid..they went nuts over it and my dad even found a special box to keep his in….Merry Christmas and thanks for the chance! Deidre Mooney
The best gift I ever gave to someone was tickets to a Johny Mathis concert for my mom! As it turned out, my SIL had called her to see if she wanted to go so I ended up using their tix and sat in the balcony with my sister while Mom and SIL sat in the 4th row with the tix I bought…I bought her a rose and she got up to give it to him; he held her hand while he sang a whole song; I’m sure she thought she was in heaven for those few minutes! It was one of the best moments of my life seeing her up there!
Hi There and Merry Christmas to all of you!
My favorite gift every year is to my Secret Santa family. Every year I find a family that needs help and give them a Christmas. This year I along with help from some family and friends gave a Christmas to 2 little girls and their mother. The mother is a student and she has a 2 month little girl and a 3 year old little girl. Her husband is or was the main/only income. He is now in Rehab trying to better himself for his wife and precious girls. Her mom is helping her with rent and bills so that she can continue with school and the girls can have a roof over their head. They were not going to be able to have a Christmas because she is just blessed to have her mom help with the bills- even though she would not be able to afford gifts for the girls. It was wonderful meeting this family and bringing more than they would ever expect to have. To see this little 3 year old light up while opening gift after gift and helping open presents for her baby sister. This is the best gift to ever give. I do this every year and my 8 year old daughter helps me shop. This helps her to learn how great giving feels and be blessed for what we have.
Mindy Narvaez
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks for the chance to win a great prize.
This is a tough call, because I love to give handmade gifts, and have tried many crafts over the years. If I had to choose one, it would be the cards I made for my mother last year. It started with about three dozen birthday cards using the SU flower of the month set. My 80-ish mother sends out lots of cards, mostly to friends from church. I was having so much fun, I decided to add cards for other occasions — masculine birthdays, childrens birthdays, thinking of you, new baby, sympathy and thank you. I lost count around 100. I found the perfect sized box, put in section dividers, stamps and envelopes. She says she has enjoyed it all year.
My favorite would be the yearly calendar I make. I make copies of it for the grandparents every year and that is all they want for Christmas. I love watching their faces as they look through the calendar and they love all the photos they get of our kids.
The best gift that I have every given someone is to my SIL who is also my BFF… She had an elderly dog that was short for this world. She so loved this dog and would be devistated when he passed. So I was going to buy a Yorkie puppy for me and I took her along to “help me” pick out my puppy. Little did she know that she was going to become a Yorkie Momma that day. I still remember - the little guys name for the next several hours was “Oh.. My… God” - she was so excited she almost passed out. I can’t tell you how that made me feel. When her beloved dog died several months later I reminded her that it’s hard to be sad when you have a puppy kissing your face.
The best gift I have ever given someone were two books that I made for my mother-in-law and father-in-law titled “70 Reasons Why We Love Mimi/Papa”. All of their children, in-laws, and grandchildren wrote why they love them and I compiled them in two scrapbooks. How heartwarming to read the responses that came from near and far. Even better was seeing the look on their faces as they read through each and every one. How blessed we are to have them in our lives.
I have to say my favorite gift I have given was this year… I just really started making things after coming acrossed eveyone’s crafty blogs…I made 10 desk sets… with many pieces to them…. not just the note books, pens and post a notes… each set had at least 6 different items because I found so many ideas!!! Thank you to all the bloggers who give us those wonderful ideas! Now that Christam is over i hope to really learn to star stamping.
The best present I have ever given was a plane ticket to my grandmother & father to come visit. They live on the east coast & I am on the west. They hadn’t met their second grandson yet. It really made thier days & felt good giving!
my favorite gift is anything i give to my sister in law.. she is 7 so everything is awesome to her! she gets so excited for christmas. its adorable.
The very best one was Christmas of 2002 when I gave my mother a beautiful poem announcing I was pregnant. In the box was also a baby bib with “You are my sunshine” on it. My mother used to sing this to me all the time as I was growing up. This was her first grandchild. This was an extra special moment for the whole family and an emotional one too.
Hope you had a Merry and blessed Christmas!
The best gift ever given was handmade frames with pics of all the grandchildren to my mom. She just loves that stuff and works out great for me to so I can make lots of it. She truly appreciates the time and effort put into a handmade gift. She treasures her grandchildren and their pics and when she opened the gift it was like seeing a child open the greatest toy ever. I love to make her happy.
The best gift ever given was many years ago when I gave my mother a mother’s ring with all the birthstones of the 5 of us.
She treasures that ring and wears it every day. Happy New Year to all. Barb
My favorite gift that I ever gave someone was the year I framed an old Christmas picture of my family and gave one to each of my brothers and sisters..most of them had never seen the picture before, and we had lost our parents the year before, so it was really special..
This is a difficult question for me as I only buy gifts that I also like. But, I would say some of my favorite gifts I have given are ones that I made with love especially for them. Like, one year I crocheted an afgan for my sister. I was so excited to give it to her. I think she still has it, too!
I think my favorite gift was a scrapbook I made. It was totally unexpected, and I know it has been enjoyed over and over again. (You know when it’s still out on the coffee table that they love it
)
Thanks for the blog candy offer!
I, too, usually try to give hand-made gifts. Sometimes I feel guilty because I don’t spend much - but my friends say hand-made gifts are from the heart and mean so much more. This year I painted cement paver blocks to look like snowmen and I told my friend I gave her a “brick” for Christmas (she wondered why her pkg. was so heavy). She absolutely loved it and that made my day.
This is a rather difficult question because all the gifts I give I give from my heart. I try to put a little bit of “me” into each homemade gift so the person receiving it will know how much they mean to me…whether it’s papercrafted, crocheted, done in needlepoint or whatever. If I had to select just one gift, my favorite would have to be the crocheted heart (my first crocheted item) which I sent to my friend Cindy the Christmas following her marriage to Leon. She had it framed and it is now displayed in her home year-round. What an honor for me!
It would have to be the beeswax collage I made for my Mother of all the generations of women in our family with photos ranging from babies to adults. I really love that collage.
I think my favorite gift that I have given away is a scrapbook calendar that I made. I didn’t include the pictures, but sent a picture each month, so my parents could watch my boys change during the year.
I have just recently discovered your blog and have appreciated and enjoyed all your fun/creative projects and ideas. Thanks!
I would have to say one of my favorite gifts that I gave someone was two years ago when I made a little scrapbook for my parents. I wrote a little Christmas story that they could read to their grandkids and it incorporated everyone in the family and some of the grandkids’ favorite things at their Nana and Papa’s house. It was a lot of work to get just the right pictures but I think it turned out cute and will be fun for the grandkids to look at with their grandparents for years to come!
The favorite gift I gave was this year, I gave my hubby a huge rolling tool box that locks. Now the kids can’t get into his tools and he will be able to find what he’s looking for easily.
Claudia
scfranson@charter.net
My favorite gifts to give are handmade ones, or when we wrapped up ornaments filled with blue and pink jellybeans telling our parents we were pregnant. The excitement as they opened their gifts was too cool! I don’t know that I can pick one specific thing. I almost love to give the gifts more than getting them. Notice, I said almost. It is fun to get as well. But I do love to pick out things for others!
Thank you so much for sharing your creative work! And thank you for the chance to win this great blog tart! Hope you enjoyed your Christmas!
The best Christmas gift I’ve ever given has to be the Ipod I gave my husband this Christmas. You should have seen the shocked look on his face! It was priceless.
Oh how I would luff to win this blog candy…it’s the only kind of candy I can have now that I am on a diet…so as you can see I *really* need to win!
Merry Christmas!
This year, it would be the Hanna Montana dolls to my daughter who is 8. She just loves Miley Cyrus.
Christmas 2002 and this Christmas I have wrapped ornaments.. with due dates in them.. we are giving the gift of life
I think it’s the best present ever and everyone has been pleased 
I think the best gift I ever gave was a gift basket of assorted cooking related item and gourmet sauces, etc…to my husband, whom loves to cook. That was a few years ago and he still talks about it. Thanks for sharing!
Pat
I don’t know if this is really a “gift”, but my favorite Christmas card ever was the year we announced the birth of our youngest son. Many of our Christmas card recipients only hear from us at Christmas and boy were they surprised! It brings a smile to my face just thinking about the comments I heard. Merry Christmas!
I have never been a crafty person in my family. When I discovered stamping it was like a dream come true. I had to put up with wonderful homemade gifts from my Mom and sisters for years, but never could do anything very well. SO one year I made each of my 3 sisters and my Mom a set of cards (13) and put them in a beautiful tin. They were all so amazed. It made me feel so good to finally be able to give a nice handmade gift.
A painting my husband thought I had passed up months earlier. He had NO idea and it was something he really wanted. Love to surprise him!
frannyb
Gosh. It is hard to pick just one. But I think one of my favorites would be the House Mouse stamp of the little mouse with a harmonica. I gave it to my friend Arlene who is a stamper and also happens to play the harmonica. She loved it, and I love finding just the perfect gift for someone.
The best gift I gave was to my husband and the rest of my family 5 years ago in Christmas Eve. While the gift was for me too I know that the birth of my son was the best gift for all that Christmas!
My favorite give was an A-Z Christmas scrabook! I gave it to my college roommate! She loved it! I did too - so I made another for myself!
I’ll try for this sweet candy giveaway!!! You can have FUN with this. I would have to say my favorite is an altered lunch box with cards and matching pen. It turned out really nice and my friend just LOVED it. Merry Christmas and thanks for a chance.
cmeyers@hughes.net
I love giving gifts, so its hard to pick just one. I love seeing
the excitement on Dh face when he opens every gift from me. He is like a big kid christmas morning!!
Happy Holidays!!
What a generous give away! The most favorite gift I have given was as Santa for my son who was at the time five years old. He always seemed to want things that were no longer being made since we didn’t spend a lot of time in stores exposed to “the latest thing”. He wanted Alvin and the Chipmunks, and I hunted all over the country (pre-internet days) by phone and letters to find them. I found a postal worker in the Midwest who was a collector and offered to sell me a set. They had stopped making them four years prior. I really felt it was magic to have been able to have these for my son, and I have never forgotten the kindness of the man who I only met by phone who helped play Santa. Thanks for the chance to win great sentiment sets.
My favorite gift was actually made seven times! My son graduated from high school last year and he was also a member of an a capella choir that had 12 singers. Seven of those singers were seniors so I made an 8×8 scrapbook for each one of them that contained pictures from their performances over the past year. The tears and hugs were so worth all the sweat and long hours spent on finishing those books in time for graduation. And when I handed one to my son, he said, “You made one for me, too?” Well, what’s one more! Of course, I made him one, too!
Sue in Alexandria VA
In 1998, I made a scrapbook of my daughter’s life from birth, up to the time of her engagement. When I look at that book now, I cringe because my style has evolved a lot since I made it…but she loves to look at it and have that permanent record of her childhood memories.
Joyce
Wow, there are a lot of comments! LOL
The best gift I have ever given has to be the sign we made for my parents this year. My DS, DH and I made a sign for their farm–”Heaven’s Gate Alpacas. It was stenciled, then routed with a dremel-type tool and painted to look like a sky with blues and white sponged clouds. They were so thrilled. Now, I knew my mom would cry, but when my dad got all teary–well, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
oh i almost forgot to enter to win this. i NEED those stamps and i NEED the punch from SU, too!
my very favorite gift i gave (along with a little help from a lot of people) was a KLTY Christmas Wish to my neighbor 3 years ago when her husband was dying of cancer. remind me to tell you the story sometime. it made our Christmas and has far outweighed any Christmases before or since then. see you soon!
I’d love a chance to win. Thanks so much.
we had the gift of christmas snow, we lived in arizona for 19 years. And moved back to Oregon and it snowed this christmas, the first time in 17 years.. Yahoo for us…
angie
Last year we gave my parents a Mac computer. they were having so many problems with their old one, so we got them a mac. They were sooo surprised. It was worth it.
Thanks for sharing your creativity and your candy.
My favorite gift is a scrapbook I made my sister several years ago. It started out as a small project. Six months later, I finished it - it was bigger than a big city phone book. The theme was my niece and nephew’s first year together. I loved every minute of putting it together and they have treasured the book and the kids often ask mom to “read” the book to them as it’s their favorite.
That’s a tough one. I don’t think I could choose just one!! I have so many favorites!! Thanks for the chance!
Thank you for the chance to win the blogcandy! One of my favorite gifts that I’ve given was an Indiana Jones fedora to my son. He’s been an Indy fan for several years and has always wanted an Indy hat. Well, I got him one for Christmas one year and he was so happy! Made me happy to see him so happy.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful art with us all year long!
Wow, so many entries. Gotta love VV clear stamps!
The favorite present I have ever given someone has to be the present I gave my son last year. He had wanted a PSP for the longest time and when he opened the box (I wrapped the PSP in a different box to throw him off!) you could see how disappointed he was. He ended up placing the box aside without even looking inside … LOL I had to tell him to open the it anyways and when he did, I literally thought he was going to have a heart failure. He could barely breath and almost started crying! That was the best reaction I have ever seen from I gift I gave.
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Monique
monique_haw@hotmail.com
What a great giveaway! The favorite gift I’ve been able to give was the bass I bought my husband this year. He’s been having problems with his hands so can’t really play guitar anymore, but has been having a ball playing his new bass (and it was well worth me selling off some of my old stamps to make it possible!)
Happy holidays Jen and fam! My favorite gift that I’ve given is a calendar of my new son to both sets of grandparents. I’m only giving them three months at a time so that they can have recent pictures of him (they change so much in the first year). It will also be interesting to see how much my stamping changes over the course of the next year, what new technique I’ve learned (and overuse) etc. It’s the gift that will keep on giving - at least until I finish December!
OOHH Random pick me pick me. HA HA I love that set but have put off getting it due to all the holiday gift giving. Thanks for the chance to win it. FABULOUS!!
My favorite gift I ever gave was this year’s gift to one of my sponsored children. She lives in Chad, Africa, and is desperately poor. We gave her and her family a dairy cow, an ox, a plow, fabric for clothes, new clothing and shoes, school supplies, surplus food, and more. What a great Christmas we had giving to her instead of to each other who already have so much.
Thanks for the chance to win!
My favorite gifts were quilts that I designed and made for my two sons who are both Army MEDEVAC pilots. The quilts are for them to display their patches, rank, and awards on. They both have them hanging in their offices–makes a mom really proud!
My favorite gift that I gave someone was a cross-stitched Santa that I made for my sister and my mom had it framed. My sister thinks she is not crafty and can’t do stuff like that. I was hesitant to give it to her because I thought she wouldn’t like it but she did and she decorates with it at Christmas time.
The best gift I’ve ever given was a scrapbook that I had done and lots of other people were involved….they all wrote letters and I placed them in the scarpbook as well….Thanks for a chance to win.
my favorite christmas gift ever was one i gave to my husband years ago, when we first started dating. we had just moved to a new city, into a new apartment, and both just started new jobs. we had no money to spare, so we agreed we’d not do christmas decorations or a tree, because we didn’t have the extra money. well, while he was out of town for a night, i went and bought a little tree, and some cheap decorations, and put it all up. he was so touched when he came home. and even though we didn’t have much that year, we still treasure thos ornaments and the memories they bring.
The best gift I have given would have to be the handmade shirts I made for my husband. He is a large man and in the nursing field. We have had quite a time getting him uniforms, so I made them. One of the shirts is John Deere. He was raised on a farm and it was so fitting. (get it, fitting!)
I guess I like making and giving quilts. I hope the recepients enjoy and appreciate them. It’s always hard to tell if people like homemade things. Thanks for the chance to win some goodies. Sandra
Hi there. My best present I ever gave was to a family. As the principal of a school I often hear of families who are struggling. One of my families, the mother had just kicked the father out (drug use…good for her) and had no job or no money. I asked her to give me a list from each of her three kids and was able to get everything on the list donated from either businesses or staff at my school. I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall when they opened their gifts that year.
My best present ever was our first son. He was born Dec. 1st and fit in a shoe box under the tree that year. He was the first grandchild on both sides of the family and the most preciousgift for all of us. He is now married and a dentist in Pittsburgh. He’s still as cute as the dickens meven without his Santa sleeper!lol
Diane
Thanks for offering this — this would be exciting if i were the winner!
Thanks again, Judy Jackson
I forgot to tell about the favorite present — i have two — can i do that? Last year i sent my sister a 6×6 scrapbook which was an exact replica of the 12×12 scrapbook of our family that i made. This year I gave each of my childre — and myself — a scrapbook of their favorties memories growing up. I sent an email to each family member, including Daddy who is still my hubby after 39 years, asking questions about favorite vacations, favorite birthdays, favorites games, favorite places to play, scary places they didn’t like, a simple note of appreciation for each family member, and any other memories they wanted to share. I added 104 pictures to each scrapbook highlighting some of their memories. Next year i hope to give each of them a scrapbook of their life as a family member. Each of those will be diffiernt since the focus will be on each child, and this year’s scrapbooks were basically all the same. I “almost” finished the ones for this year. But I did finish the one for the child who lives far away. The other two children live within an hour or less (10 minutes) and i can get the scrapbook to them easily.
Judy Jackson - judystamper@verizon.net
thank you for a chance to win. the most favorite gift i gave was last year i gave my siblings a picture of our parents when they were in their 20’s reproduce in a sepia hue. it was especially special because our mother died in 1999 and we were all missing her very much. my father is blind, but he wanted a picuture of her as well to keep at his bedside. it just seem to be the right time to give just the right gift for my family.
I think my favorite gift I gave was when my two youngest children were both in college and the only Christmas gift they needed was money. I came up with a scavenger hunt and with each find they got a $20 bill. They thought this was the most fun ever and talked about it all the time with their friends. I even had to do it a second time. So fun.
Happy New Year to you and your family.