Your all time favorite Christmas Gift

[wenrob]

When I was young I remember the best present ever. An 8 Track player with 2 Tapes (Grease and Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band). Boy, did I think I was the coolest thing ever. I listened to those 2 tapes over and over. We all know how well 8 tracks went over - and those were the only 2 tapes I ever got. But I loved that thing...

I got a portable 8 track player for my 9th Birthday along with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. I took that thing everywhere (and made my stepmother nuts doing it. ) For Christmas I got Supertramp Breakfast in America and a Rainbow album. Didn’t learn to appreciate Ronnie James Dio until I was in my teens but I’ve owned no less than 10 variations of that Supertramp album. The CD had a flaw in it where it would skip ever so slightly and to this day even in MP3 form I still “hear” that skip in my head.

 

[Dancind]

Has to be when my husband upgraded my wedding ring. We didn't have much money when we got married, and I think it was our 10th year. He hid the box in the tree and I truly did not see it until Christmas Day and he pointed it out. That was a shocker!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

When I was around 20 years old, working and paying bills. Did not have a lot left over for extra's. My younger sister was in a worse boat than me. She moved out at 19, so she truly did not have any money for extra's. She shows up Christmas morning, and hand out her gifts to each of us. She got us a 12 pack of our favorite beverage! A case of 12 oz cans of diet coke for me, and you would sear I hit the lottery. I still think it was my best gift ever. She had hardly any money, yet her gifts were personal and thoughtful.

Then there was that time in 3rd grade when I got a Shaun Cassidy watch........

 

[Lynn CC]

Actually mine was just last Christmas when my son flew DH and I to Austin to have Christmas vacation with him, DDIL and our 3 grandsons. Being with all of them was such a priceless surprise!

 

[saucymb]

Christmas 1983 - Strawberry Shortcake Berry Happy Home - and I still have it!

 

[low-key]

I got a portable 8 track player for my 9th Birthday along with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. I took that thing everywhere (and made my stepmother nuts doing it. ) For Christmas I got Supertramp Breakfast in America and a Rainbow album. Didn’t learn to appreciate Ronnie James Dio until I was in my teens but I’ve owned no less than 10 variations of that Supertramp album. The CD had a flaw in it where it would skip ever so slightly and to this day even in MP3 form I still “hear” that skip in my head.

anit it funny how are minds work

 

[BlueStarryHat]

As a kid we got Intellivision, and thought we were hot stuff. It had Pong and Hockey Pong and my sister and I played with it for hours and hours. State of the art back in the early 70s, crap now.

As a young teen one year I got a stereo. It had a turntable, radio and also a dual deck cassette player, one deck could record right off the radio. I kept a cassette in it at all times, and I still remember running across my room to press the record button when a song I liked would come on. I also got some albums-I remember particularly Styx' Paradise Theater, and The Game from Queen (which had Crazy Little Thing Called Love on it). They don't make 'em like they used to-it was still working great when I left it behind during a move in the 90s.

And as an adult my Mom bought me my first computer, a refurbished HP with Windows98 and AOL dialup. I was totally stunned that she would spend so much money for me.

 

[Turksmom]

When I was around 20 years old, working and paying bills. Did not have a lot left over for extra's. My younger sister was in a worse boat than me. She moved out at 19, so she truly did not have any money for extra's. She shows up Christmas morning, and hand out her gifts to each of us. She got us a 12 pack of our favorite beverage! A case of 12 oz cans of diet coke for me, and you would sear I hit the lottery. I still think it was my best gift ever. She had hardly any money, yet her gifts were personal and thoughtful.

Then there was that time in 3rd grade when I got a Shaun Cassidy watch........

We must be twin souls! My favorite Christmas gift was from my best friend in high school- a 12 pack of Diet Coke and a 3lb bag of Golden delicious apples. My favorite snack. My best birthday gift was a Shaun Cassidy concert on my 9th birthday.

 

[amberpi]

As a young kid: lite Bright

I’m glad to hear this. We bought the kids one recently in a weird caffeine induced buying spree at target.

 

[mom2rose&john]

Atari video game system I was awesome at Asteroids!

 

[wenrob]

I’m glad to hear this. We bought the kids one recently in a weird caffeine induced buying spree at target.

Hell, I’d take one now! Or a Simon. Every year I resist the urge to buy myself one.

 

[amberpi]

Hell, I’d take one now! Or a Simon. Every year I resist the urge to buy myself one.

They had both at target...just sayin.’ Get sleep deprived and then drink a bunch of Starbucks and go to target and when it’s time to wrap you’ll have forgotten half of what you bought. It’s kinda like being drunk but with no hangover except the hole in your wallet.

ETA: we also bought them a Spirograph, because we are gluttons for punishment.

 

[marthachick]

I got a bicycle one year. We never had a lot of money growing up so it was totally unexpected. DSis and I got one each. A white 3 speed Schwinn with high handle bars, banana seat and a basket on the front. These were top of the line bikes and we were thrilled. I think mine is still at Mom’s. This was probably 42 years ago.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

It's funny, the bicycle is the one I remember too, when I was 7 or 8. We got my 7 year old his first bike this year and I'm so excited for him to see it, I might actually get up super early this Christmas to beat him to the tree so I can see the look on his face.

 

[quandrea]

They had both at target...just sayin.’ Get sleep deprived and then drink a bunch of Starbucks and go to target and when it’s time to wrap you’ll have forgotten half of what you bought. It’s kinda like being drunk but with no hangover except the hole in your wallet.

ETA: we also bought them a Spirograph, because we are gluttons for punishment.

@amberpi Can I just say how much I’ve enjoyed reading about your new family. I hope you have the merriest of Christmases. Check back with us after the holiday. I’d love to hear all about it.

 

[a1tinkfans]

As a kid....my yellow 10 speed bike with a big red bow! it ultimately got passed down to my sibs.

As an adult ... my parents held out 5 white envelopes and we each/5 got to choose one.
My parents said one of us was going to be Very happy with the closed check intimating they were different amounts. Of course they were all the same...Very Generous gifts.
And we all laughed that there really was no favorite, lol. Very Blessed with parents that always shared of themselves and their Financial freedom. They ingrained in each one of us that financial freedom was something to strive for. All of us took that to heart..

RIP mom

 

[BrianL]

I've told the story on here before, but mine is the Super Nintendo that I was convinced I wouldn't get. It's my Red Ryder BB gun.

 

[amberpi]

@amberpi Can I just say how much I’ve enjoyed reading about your new family. I hope you have the merriest of Christmases. Check back with us after the holiday. I’d love to hear all about it.

Thank you, that's very sweet. We've had to spread the holidays way out because over actual Christmas we get very little time this year (the calendar just worked against us, no big deal), but so far so GREAT! My ILs are fantastic and recently moved to be closer to the kids, and my family is all in and we're just doing things together and really being a family. It's not perfect, but it's still great.

 

[AndreaDM]

As a kid, the trampoline. It was the big gift to me and my siblings. They had just come out and were quite expensive so it was pretty much our only gift that year other than the usual socks & underwear. It was rectangular, not round and back then we'd never even heard of padding for the springs or safety netting lol. It wasn't very cold that year so we stayed up Christmas Eve jumping into the wee hours of morning, then when we had to get up to go to Grandma's none of us could move, we were all so sore.

As an adult, probably last year when my fiance got DD and I front row center balcony tickets to see Hamilton in Chicago. The year before it was front row seats to Disney on Ice. He knows I value experiences over "things"!

 

[bigbabyblues]

Thank you, that's very sweet. We've had to spread the holidays way out because over actual Christmas we get very little time this year (the calendar just worked against us, no big deal), but so far so GREAT! My ILs are fantastic and recently moved to be closer to the kids, and my family is all in and we're just doing things together and really being a family. It's not perfect, but it's still great.

That's what they will remember, long after the toys are forgotten. As far as the Lite Brite, I loved mine, my kids loved theirs, and my best advice is to separate the pegs into baggies or containers or something, one for each color.