Best Christmas gifts

Tweaking_Time

In case someone is indeed looking for gift ideas, I though this thread might compliment the Worst Christmas gift thread.

The single best Christmas gift I have ever received is an automatic-start for my truck. Nothing else has even come close.

KyleGrace8

I honestly cannot remember a Christmas gift that left any sort of impression on me in either direction.

more_skal

When mom made dad leave

rsclause

Some of my favorites are:

Hydro Flask, my daughter gave it to me and I use it every day. It keeps my water cold even if I leave it in a hot car all day. I am never without it.

Battery powered flashing band that I put around my leg or arm while running at 4:30 AM also from my daughter.

A insulated stainless beer growler with a bike mount from one of my sons.

A guided trip skiing down the Vallee Blanche in Chamonix from my other son.

rdevol

When I was about 8 or 9, I got a banana seat bike one year for Christmas - purple with daisies on the seat, matching basket, streamers for the handles, the whole works. I had been riding my sister's old rickety bike for years, so it was awesome to get a cool new bike!

denversillygoose

My parents and I usually make each other things, so that's always cool. Some of the best purchased gifts have been frame bags for my bike (anything bike related, really) or anything related to my quirky interests (legos, sewing, records, etc). I love when my husband creeps my Pinterest account and gets me weird things I've pinned that I would never get for myself.

klkarlen

The most expensive and maybe the best was a sapphire and diamond bracelet from my now ex husband with matching necklace and stud earrings. It was the one year he put some thought into gifts.

I loved the hand knitted sweaters that my grandmother made when she was still alive.

When I was 8 I got a battery operated plastic basset hound dog called Gaylord, because I really wanted a dog and would pester my parents all the time for one. I thought it was pretty cool at first.

MarylandRose

In ~2009, a lovely guy I'd only been seeing for a few months gave me a Kindle for Christmas. The relationship didn't last, but the Kindle did - it's been my faithful traveling and lazy day companion ever since. I lived abroad for a year in 2011-2012, and I think I read just about every free Kindle book out there during my downtime.

Related: another Best Ever Gift - when I left to live abroad, that ended a relationship with another great person, who surprised me by shipping me the boxed set of FRIENDS DVDs. We had basically just broken up and then he opted to spend probably $70 in shipping on top of the cost of the DVD set to send me this gift. We'd often laughed about how culturally "out of touch" I was because I'd never really watched the show, so he sent me the DVDs to watch in my spare time. There wasn't really enough internet speed to Netflix/stream/skype with my family, so FRIENDS was a really nice taste of home. And I did finish the series before I returned!

gearhead426hemi

I think the best gifts are one that you make. I think it shows you put thought and time into every gift. This year I attempted to make a wooden mug with my wifes Scottish family crest on it. I hand drew the crest then wood burned it. I wove old twine to make the rings and then I burned it make it look aged. I have a elk horn that I plan on using for the handle.