The best holiday gift you received this year?

[Guaranteed]

Sometimes you can get really great gifts from unexpected places. This year my sister got me this massive collection of old Doonesbury books- like TWELVE of them- stretching from about 1970 to 1981. When I was first opening it I wasn't too excited...just saw a bunch of books, thought, oh no, something more to read. But then I saw what it was, and I was totally blown away. It was beautiful. :)

And the best part was that she picked them up at a Friends of the Library sale. They were just sitting there on table. I can't imagine how many people must have just passed them on by. 50 cents each or something. :P

What'd you guys get that you were really pleased with or surprised about?

[DontBlameMe]

1. DVD burner

and not just a dvd burner, but a dual layer dvd burner!!!!

[Guaranteed]

9. NICE...my girlfriend and I have been looking

into that, she says it's pretty complicated. Does the dual-layer thing mean you can actually fit a DVD onto one disc?

[DontBlameMe]

36. Yeah, it will hold 8.5 GB, which should be sufficient for any

movie DVD. Watch out for the encryption and copy protectin, though. A lot of software out there won't copy those. Especially the stuff that comes with the burner itself. I have a copy of Pinnacle Studio 8, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[NJCher]

12. yeah! I got one of those, too!!

My husband gave it to me--attached to a new Gateway!


Cher

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I was shocked

not by a Christmas gift, but something I received the month before-a personal note handwritten by my favorite actor, thanking me for my work with a charitable organization he is affilitated with.

[Guaranteed]

4. That's awesome...who was it? nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

31. The fellow is

quoted in my signature line. I've never met him, and probably never will, as I don't travel over to the East Coast. He's a real class act, and I was overwhelmed by his kindness.

[Left Is Write]

3. I was completely surprised and utterly thrilled -

My parents found our missing home movies, movies that spanned the mid 60s to the early 80s, movies that had been missing since they sold their house in 1992.

They found them, kept it a secret, and had them put onto DVDs - set for themselves and a set for each of their five children.

When I opened that package and slowly realized what I had been given, I cried.

[trof]

6. Awwwww...that's sweet.

What great parents.

[Guaranteed]

11. That is really beautiful...

Thought they were gone for so long. That's amazing. :)

[trof]

5. Red sweatshirt with TWA 75th Anniversary logo.

Only found them a week before Christmas and my daughter had to do some fancy stepping to get it in time for the big day.
She loves me, she really really does.
I flew for TWA for 30+ years and they folded forever shortly after their 75th year.
Ah, memories.

[bigwillq]

7. Tires and brakes for my car

from mom and dad.

I hate paying for car repairs.

[Maddy McCall]

8. My dad got me a weather alert radio...

He was worried about me living out here in the woods by myself, so he bought me this radio, which will warn me when severe weather is headed my way.

It's my favorite because it makes me feel loved by my dad. :)

[catbert836]

10. The Best of George Harrison

A CD that I've wanted for about a year now.

[The empressof all]

13. Roomba

My floors have never been so clean! I love him.

[trof]

14. Was gonna get one for my daughter, but

she has a cat AND a 2 1/2 year old and I fugured it wouldn't make it two feet.

[The empressof all]

24. I have two dogs and two slobby humans

It's very sturdy and does a great job. It goes about 90 minutes on a charge so I've been letting it go at a charge a room. I normally don't vacuum a room that long so the floors are getting really clean.
You do have to pick things up before you start it but you would probably do that anyway before you vacuum. I put it in the room and close the doors to trap it in. The set I got also came with virtual walls you can use to confine it but I don't need to do that in the layout of my house.

I can't tell you enough how great this thing is. I have always hated to vacuum and now I'll never have to do it again. Most of my house is Pergo but I have some Berber Carpet in the bedrooms. Does a great job on both. My friend who has one has regular carpet and she says it leaves vacuum lines.

[Guaranteed]

16. I gotta get one of those.

Sounds like it's working pretty well?

Does it work in multiple rooms?

[Texasgal]

21. COOL!

Does it really work? I've been curious about those!

[The empressof all]

26. yes, it really works (eom)

[Butterflies]

15. A really really soft charcoal grey hoodie

When I wear it I don't even have to brush my hair because I just pull up the hood - does that sound especially lazy of me?

[tuvor]

17. Pee-Wee's Playhouse Volume 1

Trivia: Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo composed the incidental music for the show.

[hatredisnotavalue]

18. bose speaker system for my kitchen computer stereo

so very, very sweet

[n2mark]

19. Not to show favoritism

my favorite gift from my daughter was Victoria Secret variety box of body splash and my son gave me a digital camera. They both gave from the heart, that is what matters to me. I enjoy both equally.

[Bok_Tukalo]

20. The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War

821 Maps, 106 Engravings, and 209 Drawings.

The thing is HUGE.

[Guaranteed]

23. WOW.

That sounds like months of fascinating reading.

[koneko]

22. Everything

2004 was one of those years when people just nailed their gifts for me. I loved each and every gift I got, so it's hard to pick one out over another.

If I had to pick out one item, it would probably be the seated/heated back massager my mom got for me.

[Guaranteed]

28. I love those Christmases.

Had one a few years back. Really something. :)

[Autumn]

25. Two rolls of toilet paper

From my republican son in law. Wipe your tush with bush,even has his cowboy caricature on it. My favorite gift.

[Guaranteed]

27. LOL good lighthearted sense of humor

on your daughter's husband, there. Good pick. :)

[Autumn]

32. Very good pick

even if he is a republican, of course I call him her closet liberal.

[Kat45]

29. Some much-needed memory for my computer, and he will install it

for me as well.

[Amaya]

30. My mom gave me

a trip to France to see my best friend. Best gift EVER! :)

[LWolf]

33. The time off work.

A life saver; nothing wrapped in pretty paper could compare.

I used that time working with my coming 4-year-old filly. I spent a year planning, another year looking for the "perfect" sire, a year waiting for her to be born, and 3.75 years raising her, and she is perfect in every way. She's the perfect trail/mountain wandering partner to take me into old age.

[Magrittes Pipe]

34. The happiness of those I love.

[noshenanigans]

35. Not to sound too girly about it..

but I got a Marc Jacobs purse that I had seen in a magazine and adored. I have such a handbag thing, it's sick. Some girls are all about shoes, I'm about purses.