What did you give for Christmas that gave you the most joy?

I gave my twin nephews leather wallets with a $5 bill in them. They both really needed new wallets (their old ones were cloth and falling apart), and they liked them a lot.

We drove 12 hours to spend what is most likely the last Christmas we’ll ever spend with hubby’s parents. It means a very slim Christmas gift wise (no problem there as far as I’m concerned).
We also have to set one child up in school in the same state, so we are spending 3 weeks camping out in relatives’ back rooms or holed up in a hotel. This daughter recently returned from 8 months in Japan on a scholarship, and so the entire time is precious (but expensive).

A new basket for one of my dogs. She jumped up and down in it, scratched at it, sniffed it, then decided it was hers. She has rarely left it since Christmas morning!!

I made suet blocks for the chickadees and other birds on my walks in the woods.Dat’s right ;)

I gave my brother a watch.

My love and affection.

The box of clothes and games we dropped off at the local shelter on Friday is always the best gift I give every year.

I gave my brother one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9ePfwJE6A&feature=player_embedded

Well, the family all chipped in for it, but I chose it and organised it. It’s an electronic music synth, and my brother absolutely loved it. I knew it’d be perfect for him.

I took advantage of the deals to be found on toys in Walgreen’s this season and put as many as I could afford every time I went there into the Toys for Tots box. :)

I gave my sister a DVD of Miracle in the Rain. It is her favorite movie, and has never been able to find it on any form of video.
I gave my boss a bottle of wine, and a box of chocolates. The entire crew makes her miserable, and I wanted her to know that I thought she was a damn good manager.

I gave my kids a safe and peaceful holiday with a few presents they really like and spent time with them. They had to go to their mom’s for most of Christmas day, who once again gave them tons of stuff they didn’t want, and then she complained how spoiled they are.

I bought my daughter a necklace she fell in love with on amazon.com and a bounty of new paint to assist her in her painting talent, of which she is working on a custom abstract for me right now!

We are doing our family Xmas here this afternoon and I am looking forward to giving her and her boyfriend lots more fun stuff, including games, gift cards, books, clothes, and assorted other fun things.

The BEST gift I ever gave was a hot air balloon tour and champagne brunch for my daughters 21st B-day 2 years ago in November.

Surprised her with a 5a.m. wake up call and we launched at sunrise! :-)

I gave my love a pocket-watch, because just a few days ago he told me the tale of two people that loved each other so much but who had little money to buy each other Christmas gifts. The lady, who had luscious long blonde locks, knew that her husband had a pocket watch that he just loved so much, and decided that she would buy him a chain to attach it to… But to afford it, she cut off and sold her hair. The husband, meanwhile, sold his pocket watch in order to buy his wife the most beautiful comb for her hair…

When my love received the gift, and remembered the story, he was moved almost to tears :-)

@harple; That is the famous “Gift of the Magi,” by O.Henry.

Read the entire short (very short) story here.

It’s a tie between the book for my 1 year old niece (with fuzzy pictures) and the two anime DVD’s for my husband. I took a chance on the one series because I wasn’t sure he would like it. However, he does, and has watched almost the whole first season. Whew! I’m a bit hit-or-miss on gift success with him, so I’m glad it worked.

The most joy I felt during Christmas was my youngest son waking up before the crack of dawn to scope out the loot and then crawling into bed with me, snuggling up, and giving his detailed report of his early reconnaissance.

Priceless!

When we divorced I agreed to let our children spend every Christmas with my ex-husband. So the kids and I had baked goodies and had a family game night Friday evening. Instead of a bunch of gifts I bought three games we could all play together. It made for a really great time with those boys!

My family all chipped in to buy my mom a ring she wanted, but we hid it in a box of Frango chocolates (my deceased great grandmother would always give them to my mom as a Christmas gift). So, Mom was really surprised when she got the ring instead of chocolates, and it was fun to see how happy she was about it.

Aren’t surprises fun?

@etignotasanimum : Surprises are great!

I gave my time at a homeless shelter serving food! It was great, my kids and my mother and father also volunteered. This was my first time, I think I will do it every year now!

A streaming one year Netflix subscription to my son and DIL who just go their first t.v.

Cooking a Christmas dish for my husband that his mom always makes this time of year.

It all gave me extreme joy.

I did not have much to give, since I am saving for school and a trip to Germany with a chorale group. So, I gave out I.O.U.s; I gave one to my aunt for a girls night out, which she desperately needs after the stress she has been through the past few years.

A charm bracelet for my SO’s daughter. We needed a stocking stuffer for her kind of the equivalent of what we spent on games for his boys so I figured a silver bracelet with a few charms already attached. I found a charm in the form of each of our dogs and a few of her favorite things- she seemed to love it which thrilled her dad and also me because I thought of it and he went along with it hoping it would all be okay. Whew.