Christmas Wrap-Up
Lots of gifts under the tree, some even from my wish list. Yippee!
So let’s talk about the highlights/lowlights of Christmas giving. What was the best present under the tree for you? What was the worst? You can speak in general terms if you’re afraid of insulting people, but what’s blogging for?
Me: best gift was either a nice Timbuk2 messenger bag, or a set of used DVDs from wifey: the Kill Bill movies, Magnolia, and several others. Worst gift was socks — lots and lots of socks. I only have two feet, people.
December 27, 2005 in Pop Culture |
Best:
http://qsysue.tagplazen.org/pics/christmas2005/DSCF3795.JPG
Worst: Emergency flashlights that light up when you wind them. Kinda cool, actually, but it took us several minutes to even figure out what they were.
Comment by Susan M — December 27, 2005 @ 7:00 pm
I like those flashlights! I have one that charges by shaking it. more fun.
Comment by Supergenius — December 27, 2005 @ 7:01 pm
Oh, and I got my husband socks. He LOVES new socks. He asks for them every Christmas. He says if he were rich, he’d wear a new pair everyday.
I also got him a new blender, because he loves to make fruit smoothies. He was stoked.
Comment by Susan M — December 27, 2005 @ 7:01 pm
Best: The celebration of our Savior’s birth.
Second Best: 60G iPod. Arrested Development on my commute
Worst: CD jewel-case holder.
Comment by Rusty — December 28, 2005 @ 2:56 am
When you’re poor and have kids, it’s all about the rugrats. And this year the rugrats are all about Bob the Builder, with a little bit of Toy Story on the side. Both of the boys got a tool belt and a hard hat and several BtB toys we found for cheap on ebay. Also, Woody and Jessie dolls. They were both so happy. Seeing that was as good as anything I could get.
I got Rear Window and a book about the writing collaboration between Hitcock and John Michael Hayes which yielded Rear Window and a few other films in the early 50’s. I was somewhat pleased with my haul, but I had pointed out and hinted about a cool Brasil soccer jersey (World Cup’s on the way) that I wanted but didn’t get. Apparently the wife can be as obtuse as I can.
Comment by Tom — December 28, 2005 @ 8:08 am
I love socks.
Comment by BTD Greg — December 28, 2005 @ 8:34 am
My socks are always getting holes in them so I am always grateful for a new pair or more to cram into the drawer.
My wife and I got front-row tickets to Spamalot for December 24th. This was cool because my wife laughed her head off and is now converted to the idea that Monty Python is very funny. Also, I happened to be sitting in seat A101. To our total surprise the holy grail was discovered beneath my chair and consequently I was dragged up onstage and received the Arthur Award trophy for being “best peasant.” Will I survive the instant fame and acclaim? I don’t know.
I’m not sure about any Christmas lows, except that we weren’t with family. We have four energetic nephews and two adorable nieces we would have liked to have seen.
Comment by danithew — December 28, 2005 @ 8:54 am
Spamalot!!?!! I am jealous, you peasant!
I got two purses that I love. One sensible and respectable - very chic; the other a black leather Deisel purse with a big picture of Che Guevarra on the side. I’m contemplating trying to toughen up my image
Comment by meems — December 28, 2005 @ 10:02 am
Yes Meems, I am a peasant. And you can tell that I’m not a king because I’m all covered in …
Comment by danithew — December 28, 2005 @ 10:25 am
Best gift by far: seasons one _and_ two of HBO’s excellent _Deadwood_ on DVD. I know the latter doesn’t exist yet, not in the U.S. anyway, but my brother lives in China. Sweet. Worst gift by far: a Bill Cosybish sweater from my grandmother, a horrible, thick, long, busily-patterned v-neck (”that way you can wear a turtleneck _under_ it,” she explained). I’m glad we have the kind of relationship where we can immediately mock and deride each other in the wake of bad presents. In return, I gave her a used cd with an enormous crack in the case.
Comment by Kingsley — December 28, 2005 @ 1:08 pm
Oh, wait, now I am with Rusty, my best gift by far was remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as I pressed through hordes and hordes of vacuous lepers at Wal-Mart.
Comment by Kingsley — December 28, 2005 @ 1:16 pm
Kingsley, if you had really been in that spirit, you would have cured the vacuous Wal-mart lepers.
Comment by danithew — December 28, 2005 @ 1:48 pm
I tried, but found their faith lacking.
Comment by Kingsley — December 28, 2005 @ 1:53 pm
You aren’t supposed to say “rise up and walk” to the lepers. That isn’t the problem.
Comment by danithew — December 28, 2005 @ 1:55 pm
I know, the correct formula is: “Leper, put down that T-shirt that says ‘I’d rather be eating chocolate’ on it as well as the Pauly Shore DVD bundle (just $3.99!) and Homer Simpson bedroom slippers and freakishly huge jug of Great Value apple cider, and go take just one bath anywhere.”
Comment by Kingsley — December 28, 2005 @ 4:10 pm
I got a rock.
Seriously, it was a very practical Christmas. I got a food dehydrator and a wheat-grinding attachment for the stand mixer. I got a gift certificate to have the Japanese wood-block triptych (circa 1898)I own properly preserved and framed.
Picture of it at http://artelino.com/archive/artists_show.asp?alp=c&art=0&cay=0&cp=6&evt=0&let=a&rel=60&sea=&spe=0 , click on the picture to see more detail.
Comment by Chad Too — December 28, 2005 @ 4:36 pm
Homer Simpson SLIPPERS? That’d be awesome with my Spongebob pillow.
Comment by Susan M — December 28, 2005 @ 4:39 pm
Yes, two giant Homer heads that you put your feet in, and every time you take a step they go “D’oh!” I’m a pretty big _Simpsons_ fan, but when I saw those babies I thought: “This is it — the final sign — Jesus is coming tomorrow.”
Comment by Kingsley — December 28, 2005 @ 4:44 pm
Kingsley, those sound like the _perfect_ gift for my bro-in-law who is also a huge Simpsons fan. You saw those at Wal-Mart?
Comment by danithew — December 28, 2005 @ 6:36 pm
I am always amazed at how nice people are to us at Christmas. I liked the socks I received, I was very grateful for the sweats and funky costume jewelry, but the very best was when we talked to my in-laws on the phone and my mother-in-law volunteered to fly in and help me for awhile if I needed it. It made me cry.
My favorite gift I gave was the Nourallah Brothers, self-titled. I’ve been listening to it and it’s awesome.
And I loved the Christmas cards/mixed CDs in the mail from former co-bloggers (we didn’t do Christmas cards this year, because we kind of suck).
Comment by Allison — December 28, 2005 @ 7:40 pm
Best present: Dragon Quest VIII (with the highly desired Final Fantasy XII demo included)
Worst present: olive bowl. (we don’t like olives) Maybe we can use it for M&M’s…
Comment by FaithHopeLove — December 29, 2005 @ 3:46 am
Best gift: plane ticket home to see my family in Utah.
Worst gift: Figurine of a fluffy mama bear wearing a gingham dress toilet training her fluffy baby bear. (No, I’m not married, and I don’t have children, and I’m certainly not toilet training anyone…) Of course, it’s from my cute grandma who I ADORE, so I put it on a shelf in the bathroom, because where else do you put something like that…
Comment by Karen — December 29, 2005 @ 10:20 am
Yes, Danithew, Wal-Mart. In the shoe section.
Comment by Kingsley — December 29, 2005 @ 10:33 am
My favorite Christmas present was a recorder - you know the kind you play in elementary school. I love to play, but I’d “lost” mine a long time ago (I think my college roommate stole it).
Allison and BTDGreg - do you ever go to Logan for the holidays? BTDGreg - my sister teaches English at Logan High down the hall from Mrs. Stoddart’s classroom. I went to pick up my sister last week at school - I’m still having flashbacks.
Comment by Elisabeth — December 30, 2005 @ 3:23 pm
My best was my Treo. I’m still learning its ins and outs, but I like it. Once I get the e-mail functional, it should be the perfect dose of methadone for a recovering blackberry addict like me.
I didn’t really get any bad gifts. Or if I did, I’ve already forgotten them.
Also, I was shocked (in a good way) to get a gift off of my wishlist from a bloggernacle friend. Thanks again! (You know who you are).
Comment by Kaimi — January 2, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
Elisabeth, we visit Logan about once a year, usually in the summer. Right now Greg’s little sister and my older sister are our only relatives who live there (Greg’s parents moved to the SF bay area a little while back, which is great fun to visit). Do you visit frequently?
Comment by Allison — January 3, 2006 @ 9:15 am
best gift: deluxe librarian action figure gift set (she comes with a BOOK CART, people) Which I am going to get signed by Nancy Pearl herself. Also, Movies PC game.
worst? gift: leopard print devil duckie. just not big on animal prints. did I mention I got two?
Comment by Jennifer — January 4, 2006 @ 12:04 pm
Hey, Allison - I’m in Logan usually only once at the end of the year for the holidays. It’s fun to go back, and even more fun to return to civilization at the end of my visit. Although Logan does have an Olive Garden now, and rumor has it that they’re building another Wal-Mart near Macey’s (that’s the grocery store Macey’s) - both hallmarks of a thriving Utah metropolis. And there’s actually a pretty good restaurant in town now called Hamiltons. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the new Thai place (which took over the old Cottage Restaurant). Their pad thai tasted like the stuff out of a box from the grocery store.
Comment by Elisabeth — January 5, 2006 @ 8:28 am
And there’s actually a pretty good restaurant in town now called Hamiltons.
“Dropping Hamiltons like Aaron Burr/She acted like she’d never seen a 10 before!”
Oh, wait. That’s something else.
Comment by BTD Greg — January 6, 2006 @ 8:41 am