I thought I would start this thread to give everyone inspiration and ideas for the upcoming holiday season. For me the greatest gift I ever gave was back in 1994 I was attending community college. I was a member of a small college business club. We decided to adopt needy families for the holidays. We set up an angel tree, collected gifts and a local supermarket donated food baskets. We personally delivered the gifts and baskets to the needy families. Words cannot describe the emotions that escaped me that day. They will last a lifetime. Now it's your turn to share.....

I pulled a co-worker's name for a gift-exchange. The poor girl was madly in love with Kevin Costner (back in the Dances With Wolves days) to the point she'd blush and get the vapors. So I wrote him a letter telling him about Jenny. He sent back an 8X10 autographed photo, dressed in full "Dances" costume that said, "Jenny, I'll meet you at the movies." I bought a nice picture frame that I wrapped. We opened the gifts at a fancy restaurant during our company Christmas party, and Jenny really loved the frame. But when she took a closer look, the poor girl almost passed out. She started shaking and bawling her eyes out, making a huge scene. I should dig through my old photos and see if I can find that grown woman crying over that picture!

Thats great Delarla. Kevin has property here in SD and a great casino in Deadwood (The Midnight Star). I must admit he and his buns were pretty hot in that movie.

My grandmother was burned out of her home of 60+ years back in summer 1991, and lost almost everything she owned as well as her dog (who didn't die, but who had to be given away). She and my mother lived in an apartment for almost a year while the house was rebuilt, and in the spring of the following year when they moved back into the house friends and family threw a housewarming party.

My grandmother had always owned a dog, and until a few years before the fire those dogs had been a succession of Great Danes. The last dog, for some reason, was a smaller mutt and she had never really connected with him--she hadn't really been all that sorry to lose him.

But the theme of the housewarming party was making the house back into Grandma's HOME, and for that, I felt a Great Dane was necessary. I looked all over the place and found a Dane rescue shelter about 50 miles away, and enlisted the help of a family friend to take me there on the day of the party. We get back, and Grandma is there in the livingroom surrounded by friends and family, but wondering where I am (my presence had been expected, and she's thinking I blew her off).

When I walked in with this enormous and gorgeous brindle Dane, with a huge lace ribbon collar around his neck, my grandmother's face just welled up with emotional tears. The picture I have of her holding and kissing his face is displayed in the room in which it took place, what is now my own livingroom.

So it wasn't a Christmas gift, but it was far and away the best gift I ever gave. Grandma and her Dane had several more happy years together, and he indeed made her burned-out, rebuilt house back into her home.

Alex, tears are burning through my eyes. That one really choked me up. I've got a thing for Danes and Grammas. I got one of each. Thanks for making me bawl because I'm still grieving for my kitty and the tears soothe my allergy eyes. I wish you could find the pic of Gramma with that big bow around Baby's neck for us???

Pam, what an awesome thread!

Okay, I'll switch the mood to funny. The most obnoxious b**ch on Earth worked at my last law firm who was determined to ruin the party for the whole bunch. She was nasty, mean and rude to everyone. So I rigged the gift exchange. We did it "White Elephant" style, so I told everyone not to pick the really big box. It was the prettiest, largest package under the tree, so when it was her turn to either steal a gift that had been opened, or pick one from the tree, she naturally picked the most elegantly expensive looking box.

It was a box of fart bombs. Yep, I actually found a whole case of them because I lived close to an Ice Cream Man supply store. Apparently some ice cream trucks carry these little gag fart bomb pouches that you stomp to emit a very foul smell as a prank. She got an entire case of them.

The snotty witch was horrified when she opened the gift and actually got nasty with people who wouldn't trade with her, and then that's when I gave the entire law firm the most beauiful gift one can give - PEACE. The woman actually shut her mouth for a good hour and sat in angry silence. Amen.

These stories are amazing! The one about the dog got me a little choked up. That was so thoughtful of you Alex!

The best gift that has ever been given to me (aside from my salvation through Christ) is my beautiful son Dylan.

I prayed for 7 long years, went through 4 miscarriages, and so much heartache. I didn't think I'd ever have a child to call my own.

The day that the doctor found out what was wrong with me and then declared me healed, I finally experienced some hope. Then when I heard him say I was definately pregnant, I was filled with even more hope.

But the best day in my life, bar none, was the day I first gazed upon the face of my long awaited child. I remember just staring at him, unable to comprehend that he was REALLY mine, and that I was finally a mom. I couldn't believe that this little being would one day call me mommy. The depth of emotions that I experienced that day is unparalleled.

I am so grateful to God for the gift of my son.

My emotions are over whelming today. Thanks for sharing your stories. I think I need to buy some more kleenex.

Alex, tears are burning through my eyes. That one really choked me up. I've got a thing for Danes and Grammas. I got one of each. Thanks for making me bawl because I'm still grieving for my kitty and the tears soothe my allergy eyes. I wish you could find the pic of Gramma with that big bow around Baby's neck for us???

I have the picture, but I'd have to scan it in at work. I'll see if I can do it. It really is a lovely photo.

I hope I haven't given "my best gift" yet! So, I'll tell about the best gift I ever received. Now, like Kelly, the gift of my daughter tops the list. Thank you, God.

The best gift from a human being on earth category was given last year at Christmas...a 10 day trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My mom and dad, my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, DH, DD, and I all went. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, and spent 10 days together, having a great time! Better than great! Magical. This was my mom's dream: to be able to give her kids and grand kids a fantastic trip! As it turns out, she fulfilled this dream just in time, because in February she had surgery on an Thoracic-Aortic aneurysm, and after 5 months of hospitalization, she passed away in July. She was 72. This trip was the last time we were all together like that. It sometimes make me sad when I think we will never get to do it again, but mostly, it just a warm and magical memory. I will return there, hopefully many times, and remember that great gift! Sorry about all the Kleenex that's getting used on this thread.

Cindy

What a fun thread! I am so excited about this right now, cause we just booked it. We are giving my mom and father in law an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii this summer! I have been bursting to tell someone - haha! I'm so thrilled. They retired youngish, but have run into some tough financial times recently, so they think they will not travel for a year or more. (They love to hop in their cars and make trips they can drive to in a day or two........) We are paying for their airfare out to Hawaii, for 3 nights in the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel - a much nicer place than they would ever pay for themselves - and then we hop on a cruise ship, and do a 7 night cruise together. The other night a program about Hawaii came on the tv and my mother looked at my father in law and said something like, "We will never be there, I guess...I sure wish we could go. Maybe we'll hit the lottery, or something." Which made me so happy to know they WANT this gift ~ Christmas will be really special this year!

AmyK

Cindy, I got goose bumps when I read your post. Kelly, I knew exactly what your was going to say before I read it. Amy, that's a wonderful gift, I did something like that for my parents, my mom had never been out of the US, and we took them to Aruba and PR, trips she still talks about.

Well the best gift I ever received was from my best friend's father who is a nurse. I've always looked up to him and he's been like a second father to me.

A few years ago he gave me a hand made quilt and all the pieces on it were different colorful scraps that reminded him of me and his son (my best friend). Some with music notes, hot air balloons, halloween, summer scenes, hot chili peppers. I knew he was making it for me, I just didn't know what it was going to be - but he had asked me to bring him a bed sheet of mine to sew onto the back - so I brought the very first bed sheet I ever bought on my own in my new place to help commemorate the quilt.

It's really wonderful and I sleep with it every night on my bed. It is the best gift I have ever received hands down. Its something so unique to myself and everytime I look at it, it invokes strong nostalgia and brings me comfort. I hope to have it for a very very long time - I hope to have it with me in my old age and pass it on down to my future children someday.

Hmm - my grandfather died of cancer 2 years ago January. He had golfed all his life. When my parents met and married, my grandfather (maternal) told my dad he would have to learn how to golf before he'd be allowed to marry my mother. Anyway -- his favorite golfer was Tiger. To make a long story short I wrote Tiger a letter about my grandfather, his story, why he liked him so much, etc. and received *3* autographed pictures signed to my grandfather. I gave them to him on hs last xmas, about 2 weeks before he died. He was so proud to show those pictures off to people... Some people at the pro shop offered him something crazy like $10k for the three pictures (apparently he *never* does autographs) but he wouldn't hear of it.

Once I won a family a house, but it asn't for xmas. I knew of a family that had been struck with tragedy after tragedy - truly the saddest story I'd ever heard, let alone witnessed. I was friends with one of their sons in highschool (he was swining over a lake to jump in, got tangled, and accidentally hung himself over the lake - and that's just the tip of the iceberg for this family). Anyway, I heard on the radio that (now I can't remember the name of the group) some group had built a house, flully handicapped accessible, stocked with groceries, etc. and were going to give it away to the winner of an essay contest about what it means to be human. I figured what the heck, wrote & submitted the essay with the intention of winning for them... it won, I won the house, and I gave it to the family. Aww shucks...

I give alot of nice gifts away for xmas but mine wasn't a xmas one..I actually gave my grandma a heart necklace with my grandpa's pic on it about 6 months after he died *easter time* we were all greiving so badly and she was really shutting down..I suprised her with the gold necklace and she cried for about Eleven *yes i said eleven hours* straight..After that she was much better..We still grieve (grandpa died in 1997) Grandma wears that necklance almost all the time..

Kristen