16 Responses to “a good giver of gifts”

1. Charise
   August 26th, 2010 @ 11:29 am

   Easy. My best gift ever came to me on Christmas morning when our firstborn was 4 months old. We were still poor semi-newlyweds, though we had bought a little tree and scrounged lights and decorations from our parents. My husband worked midnights so I was alone on Christmas Eve, and after getting baby to bed, I quickly followed.
   Before we had gotten married I was a fairly decent downhill skiier. I had gone with my two big brothers almost every Saturday during the winters because my dad worked at a local ski resort during the snowy months. I continued to ski here and there in college, but had given it up completely when I married my honey. He had blown out his knee playing football and skiing was definitely on the big no-no list. The fun kind of went out of it when he couldn’t come along, so a formerly fun hobby of mine slowly faded out. Enter that early Christmas morning. I woke up and could hear some rustling in the living room and knew that hubby must be home. Baby was also awake so I changed and grabbed her and walked out to the living room. Jim had turned on the tree lights, otherwise it was dark, and there under the tree was a beautiful expensive ski suit that I had ogled over. It was pure 80′s, tight-fitting, high-waisted, a huge collar, white, with pink and green accents. I cried like a baby when I saw it. Although I had skiied constantly as a kid, it was because dad worked there that we could afford it. Everything we skiied with, skiis, boots, outdoor wear, was hand-me-downs. I remember telling Jim how I would have loved being a cool snow bunny with that suit, instead of the hobo-like figure I must have cut in my hand-me-down coat and ski pants. He had remembered, he had saved and eventually spent a princely sum on that suit. I still have it, 21 years later. I wore it every time I went out to play with the kids in the snow. I’ve worn it skiing a few times in the intervening years, and I still wear it when we go sledding. I will never get rid of it. The kids tease me whenever I wear it, but I can’t help it – as long as I am able, I will don the suit when the weather turns cold. My husband knew that I had given up something that was fun for me, and wanted me to not only start skiing again, but do it in style!!

2. Genevieve
   August 26th, 2010 @ 1:38 pm

   My husband is great at gift giving; he gives as he knows the recipient will appreciate.

   He bought me my first car after we were married and it wasn’t the best gift because of the cost but due to how he presented it–I had no idea he’d been car shopping, he had me go outside blindfolded, and had roses waiting on the front seat.

   Last year for our 10 year anniversary, he went to a studio and recorded the song he serenaded me with at our reception (that no one had recorded because it too was a surprise) as well as a few other favorites.

   Thanks for making me think–too often I get caught up in the craziness of day to day life and forget the great moments we’ve shared.

3. Melissa M.
   August 26th, 2010 @ 3:05 pm

   Wow, Charise, that was a great story!

   Michelle, that gift your son received was so perfect—and so thoughtful. I need to be more thoughtful in my gift-giving.

   Here’s my best gift story (and I can’t remember whether I’ve told this story before on this blog, so I hope I’m not repeating myself!): When I was 14 and living in Australia, I saw an ad on the back of a can of spray starch (I used to do the family ironing for my mother to earn extra pocket money) for a hammock: $14.99 if you mailed in the label off of the can with your payment. So I had the brilliant idea of getting a hammock for my parents for Christmas, and, as the oldest child, I took charge of the project and collected money from my younger siblings.

   My best friend, Michelle, decided to get one for her mother as well and we both sent off for our hammocks. When they arrived 4 weeks later we had to collect them from the local train station, so Michelle and I made up some excuse and rode our bikes several miles to the train station, then rode home with our long packages perched across our handle bars.

   When I got home, my brother and sisters and I excitedly wrapped our present and put it under the tree. Our parents were surprised. They prodded and poked our gift, but, much to our delight, they couldn’t figure out what it was. We couldn’t wait until Christmas morning—not because of the gifts we’d be getting, but because of our excitement over seeing our parents open our present. And all of us, even the 5-year-old, kept our gift’s contents a secret.

   On Christmas Eve we invited Michelle and her grandmother over. Michelle had let Gran in on the secret. And, as we were sitting there after our little Christmas Eve program, munching on fruit cake, my mother said, “Well, Gran, aren’t our kids clever, buying us this present? We don’t have a clue what it is.” And Gran, who may have drunk a little too much rum punch before the evening’s festivities, promptly replied, “Yes. I told Michelle, ‘What is your Mum going to do with a bloody hammock?’”

   Lol. So our surprise was spoiled. But our parents were very gracious about it and acted truly delighted the next morning when they opened our gift. Trouble was, we had no trees close enough together to tie a hammock to, so the hammock sat in its package in our laundry room until we moved, two years later.

4. Jill Shelley
   August 26th, 2010 @ 5:51 pm

   Here’s 4 that I can think of off the top of my head:

   1. One Christmas my husband found the upcoming year’s book club list…I left it lying on our kitchen counter one day. He bought nearly all 12 of the books for me (2 he couldn’t locate) and wrapped them all up for me to open on Christmas. I had no idea and was totally surprised!

   2. One morning a few weeks after my first husband died, we opened our front door to find several boxes of cold cereal (ones my boys liked), OJ, cinnamon rolls, etc What a fun breakfast that was during a trying time.

   3. One year when I was teaching YWs, one of my Laurels made me a tape of several of her favorite songs. I loved her choice of music, but more than that I loved that she thought I would love it….if that makes sense.

   4. One Christmas morning our 11 year old son took pictures with his Polaroid camera (this was back in the 1980s). Then he made us a poster of our Christmas, wrapped it up, and gave it to us that evening.

5. Sharlee
   August 26th, 2010 @ 5:59 pm

   Oh, Michelle, I was doing the same thing yesterday! My husband took the day off work and we drove up with our son to help him get settled in at USU. Now, granted, he’s not 18. He’s 21 and a recently returned missionary, but still. Starting college is starting college, no matter your age. He kept telling us we didn’t have to come (“It’s not like I haven’t lived on my own for the past TWO YEARS!” he’d say). But I think he was secretly pleased to have us there–especially after we went out and bought a whole cartload of groceries for him and then I spent an hour cleaning and organizing his kitchen!

   Gifts . . . One of the most memorable gifts I ever received was a beautiful Bulova watch with a gorgeous band of inlaid silver. It was a gift from my mother for my 9th grade graduation. As a widow with seven children (“what’s so fearsome about that?”), she couldn’t afford such an extravagant gift–but she bought it for me anyway, and I treasured it for years and years. It was one of the few really nice things I owned as a girl. Eventually, the watch stopped working, but I kept it nestled away in a place of honor in my jewelry box. One year for my birthday (many, many years later), my husband, completely unbeknownst to me, sneaked the watch out of its resting spot and found a wonderful old-school watch-maker/repairman who took it apart, completely reconditioned it, and got it working again. I cried many tender tears when he presented it to me. It still works to this day–and is as beautiful as ever.

6. Rosalyn
   August 26th, 2010 @ 7:40 pm

   One of the best gifts I’ve ever had was from my father, a few years ago (after all of the kids were grown and married). It was particularly poignant because my dad, in general, isn’t big into holidays and gift giving.

   But he’d taken several months to type up the journals he’d kept when we were kids, and then painstakingly excerpted every entry that related to each child. Reading about the things I’d done as a child, and my dad’s observations of me, moved me more than just about any gift I can remember receiving.

7. beccalecca
   August 27th, 2010 @ 8:02 am

   I think the best gift giving I’ve done is the one that took the most time/effort for me as well. My husband is an artist, and in college we had little money for those thousand dollar easels but being recently married we couldn’t imagine him going to campus to paint in spare classrooms while I worked on homework at home or in a library. So he did his best to paint at home throwing a tarp on the ground and balancing his huge paintings against the walls. Over the summer I spent “girl time” with my friend for weeks, building a heavy duty easel (had to be big enough to hold LARGE paintings) ourselves with her brother’s power tools and instructions we’d found online. When we finally finished it the week before my husband’s birthday, my friend’s brother pulled it into his shed himself to protect it from the elements. (I think until he saw the thing completed, he didn’t really believe we’d get something useful put together on our own.) We blindfolded my husband and drove all over before stopping at the shed and revealing our secret. He was so surprised! And pleased! And still talks about that as one of the best gifts he’s received.

   I don’t know of flops that I spent a long time/effort on. But flops that we spent too much money on include all the electronic gadgets my siblings and I convince ourselves to get for our mom. She doesn’t know how to use a Roomba. Not really. But now she has one collecting dust in her living room. The only time it gets used is when one of us kids visit. Just because we like electronic gadgets, and just because we can think how useful it would be for her, does not mean that it will be used in actuality.

   I think one of the best gifts I’ve received was when I graduated from high school. My dad, too, did not really get into the gift giving. But this time he told my mom that he would find a gift for me instead of my mom doing the shopping. In high school I took photography classes, borrowing my dad’s ancient manual camera. I loved the thing and loved taking photographs. My dad shared this love with me, and so for graduation I ended up with a manual camera of my own that I could take real photographs with when I moved away to college. I still have that camera even though the digital age took over too few years later.

8. Paula
   August 27th, 2010 @ 10:11 am

   During the last few years of my father’s life he shared his life-long hobby of photography by means of a portfolio of his favorite family photos. Every year, for 7 years, at Christmas we would open “grandpa’s box.” He ran out of family photos so then he just shared his favorite photos. He even found old negatives of family members, my grandmother in her wedding dress, my grandfather fixing a flat tire and a favorite of my mom’s dad making a funny face at the camera when he was about age 7. He made developed and made the prints himself. At the time I enjoyed them. Now I cherish them. My children enjoy seeing the world through grandpa’s eyes. He has even inspired my oldest son to take up a camera. I know my dad would be proud of him. Even though my dad isn’t on this earth any more I can still enjoy his life through this gift.

9. Kay
   August 27th, 2010 @ 12:13 pm

   I think that the most meaningful present I ever received was my engagement ring. It is a tiny round sapphire with an even smaller diamond at each side. I teasure it because it shows that at last someone in this world loved me.

   Another favourite present is one I am presently looking forward to. The past 12 months have been terrible, with unemployment and losing 2 babies among other things. A close friend has decided that I need a treat. So, for her birthday in October we are both going to a spa for a day of relaxation and to be spoiled. I cannot wait.

10. Michelle L.
    August 27th, 2010 @ 4:33 pm

    Ah, I love your sweet stories. Thanks for sharing them. You have inspired me and many other gift givers.

11. michelle
    August 28th, 2010 @ 12:38 am

    Kay, just wanted to say I’m sorry for the loss of your babies. Job loss is hard, too, but that really caught my heartstrings to read.

    I think one of the greatest gifts came as a tender mercy via a conglomeration of a lot of people remembering my birthday one year — it all came at a very difficult time.

    Sort of makes me think that sometimes even the simple remembering can be part of a great Gift-giver’s tapestry.

12. Jennie
    August 29th, 2010 @ 8:52 am

    My favorite present was for my birthday last year. My husband surprised with with a hotel suite all to myself. But he knows I love to spend birthdays with my friends so he called everyone in my cell phone and invited them over to my hotel for the evening. He also went to my favorite bakery and picked up several desserts since it’s not a party unless there is sugar. I was so touched that he went to all that trouble and thought just for me (usually he’ll surprise me with a trip for the two of us. I love to spend time with him but it seems a little self-serving.)

    And there is no gift as great as being allowed to sleep in!

13. Sue
    August 30th, 2010 @ 4:34 pm

    A wonderful gift was from one of my sons a couple of Christmases ago. He bought me a beautiful wooden box and put a picture of the two of us on top of it. Inside, there was a funny and touching poem and a lot of little gifts and tokens… the meaning of which were explained in the body of the poem he had written.

    I was so touched that I couldn’t even finish reading the poem to the rest of our family.

    HIs father has given me similar priceless gifts, with notes and meaning attached.

    I LOVE such things.

    =)

14. Liz C
    August 31st, 2010 @ 1:31 am

    My dad saved his “mad money” for a year, and bought me an electronic keyboard (full size, weighted keys, the works) my second year at university, so I would always have access to music.

    I’ve had two gifts that stand out from a giver’s perspective. The first was the year I bought all the stuff to do party mix, baked it, and carefully packaged it back in the component boxes, then wrapped them for my dad.

    The second was the year my oldest turned 8, I was ninety years pregnant with our third child, and we’d been without steady work for seven months. We used salvaged wood, $20 in new materials and paint, and DH and I (with “big saw” help from my brother) built her a 7 foot tall doll house. She still plays with it regularly, six years later. It’s truly amazing, and her delight was well worth two months of late nights making it.

15. Dovie
    August 31st, 2010 @ 9:04 am

    I also aspire to be a giver of good gifts. Went to visit my Grandmother and Grandfather on Sunday. We were reminiscing about my dad who passed away last summer and she said that she really treasured some of the gifts that were from he and I. Often he would give me some money and some direction to get a gift for her so they would be from both of us but I got to really work on the crafting of the gift.

    When her mother my great grandmother passed away I got her a Monet print instead of a floral arrangement. My great grandmother loved to plant flowers and it was a painting of a flower garden with a hint of a house in the background. I like to think that it was a little bit like what my great grandmothers heaven was like.

    My grandmother is always in a hurry to cook. She would always cook things at the highest possible temperature. With 12 children to cook for she always seemed to be at the stove. Any time savings high verse medium heat could give her was something that was very valuable (I do this as well). The pot may need more attention but at least you don’t need to be there as long. As her arthritis got worse she was forced to cook sitting down on a rolling stool. She couldn’t see inside the pot or pan and was constantly burning things. It was driving her crazy. I thought what she really needed was a nice heavy bottomed pan set. So I bought her a small set of quality heavy bottomed pots and pans. Turned out that in all those years of child raising and grandchildren tending she had never owned a good quality set of pans.

    It made me happy to hear many years later how these and some other gifts had given her so much joy.

16. Sage
    September 2nd, 2010 @ 5:04 am

    Thanks for this post. I wish I were better at giving gifts. I recently spent hours and hours scanning every photograph I have of my oldest son to make him a book-only problem is that I haven’t finished it (I originally titled it “Sixteen Years of Silas”, now he is 17).

    My husband blindfolded me one year and had me guess what kind of chocolate he was feeding me. He has also tried to remember what I like and surprised me with it.

    I think thoughtful gifts make me feel loved so that’s why I want to be more thoughtful in giving to others. One problem is that I feel my kids have too much stuff, but there are gifts of time and classes that are meaningful. I’ll keep this post in mind!

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