Merry Post-Christmas!! How was everyone's holiday? I'm drinking coffee I made in my new coffee grinder

I'm wondering...what were your favorite presents? Mine was the sound of my almost-six-year-old son going down the stairs as fast as he can (he's still a two-foot-on-each-step kind of kid) and then screaming HOLY COWS!! and coming back up the stairs to us and screaming SANTA WAS HERE!! That gets me every year...and every year its cuter and cuter. I spend the first 15 minutes of watching the kids open presents with a box of tissues...I get all emotional at the sheer glee on their faces opening more presents than they should be getting. It is truly a blessing.

My favorite unwrappable present, I think, was my coffee grinder. It makes GREAT freshly ground coffee.

So...let's hear what you all got...

I got an engraved claddagh ring from the love of my life, a brick from Wrigley Field (I'm a HUGE Cubbies fan), a gift card to Best Buy, and money for college from his mom.. a mini Wrigley, a Cubs ornament, and a gift card to buy my schoolbooks from his dad and stepmom.. a gorgeous sweater and necklace from my mom, various Christmas ornaments, a spa kit, and some books. I had a VERY blessed Christmas!!

emotionally.. and I had a hard time writing this because it means so much to me.. I haven't seen my grandfather in twenty years. my father just wouldn't allow it. around the 10th of December, right after my birthday, my mother called me into her room and gave me over a thousand dollars worth of bonds that my grandfather had given me for college. so of course, I promptly Googled him, found his phone number, and called him. I now have a wonderful relationship with a man I wish I could have known my whole life. my mom is out in Phoenix visiting my brother and sister-in-law, and I couldn't afford to go. so my boyfriend and his family more than made up for it by making me a part of theirs. this has honestly been the most wonderful Christmas for me.

Favorite moment for me was seeing my hubby father for the first time sober & coherent. To go from never once having spoken to me in the 7 years I've known the family to not only talking to me but giving me a hug ... well it just blew me away. I have hopes for his future instead of wondering when we'd get that call in the middle of the night...

My favorite actual gift was my husband surprising me. I didn't know he still had it in me. We were done with gifts, and he goes into the kitchen and pulls out this beautiful mug filled with candy. I said thank you and set it down and he just kept staring at me. So I figured he wanted one of the candies and I gave him one, then took one for myself and something caught my eye at the bottom of the mug... He bought me a beautiful necklace with amethyst - my favorite. So sweet. The gift could have been anything, knowing he still likes to surprise me and make me smile was worth everything.

I got chocolate for christmas because that was all I asked for. Merry CHristmas everyone~

My best Christmas moment was when my 21 yr. old step-daughter arrived and gave me a big hug. We have never been particulary close, although I have tried.

My favorite gift was DH got me an elliptical. I really wanted one. Now, to build up some endurance on it.

I didnt get anything YET im closing escrow on my very first home this friday
that was my families christmas no gifts not one but i have to say it was the most blessed of them all
all the kids kept asking me was we wont ever have to move again right mom
and i'd smile and say never again this is "OUR" home forever

telling my dd that santa came...and then having her nervously stand there because she was afraid he was still here then watching as she realized the kitchen was HERS

I like my fuzzy socks best.... My daughter knows I love them & gets me new ones every year

Not the most expensive (I also got a camcorder) but definately my favorite.

I really wanted a meat grinder & this small bowflex type weight thingy... didn't get either - guess I'll hafta buy them myself

I finally got a digital camera! I am SO excited! I also got some wonderful shirts, and a nice jewelry box.

I got a Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer! No more stirring exercise for me ha ha. And Stargate season 1!

Did I mention my sis and I are in our 30s and we still get Christmas stockings?

My DH finished my fireplace! We've been looking at the bare wall for 4 years and we couldn't decide on rock or tile or metal or wood or just what to do to finish it. Last summer I came up with a really nice design to finish it (we had a problem because we really can't put up a mantle). The design is with brass and stainless steel and DH got it all installed on Christmas eve (all except some caulking which he'll finish next weekend). It looks beautiful!

My other favorite things were telling my DS the story of DH buying him the Nintendo Wii (had to go to 2 stores, stand in line and hope for a ticket--no go at the first store--and then wait around 2 hours after getting the ticket in order to actually buy the thing). DS listened raptly and then gave DH a big, big hug. We really had DS going--he was convinced we couldn't find one yet we did get it the day after Thanksgiving! Playing the Wii is tons of fun, too! Boxing is a great workout! It was also DS's birthday.

Another great memory--making my MIL cry. I guess our present really surprised her!

Eightbitgirl-sounds like you have some amazing people pulling for your education. : )

My best Christmas moment was taking my two littlest ones and my little nephew out to sprinkle reindeer food in the snow. Every year there is a little blinking red light in the sky at just the right moment. They were thrilled beyond words.

My best gift was a family pass to the zoo. We will make great use of that this year.

I am so glad that I read this thread. I am so glad to see that to everyone that has posted mentioned that their best gift was not a thing. I got a few things, which I appreciate, but nothing compares to hanging out with my 15 month old twin nephews, (See my avatar). I just love em to bits. I had a few little gifts from them. "They" got me two little necklaces for them to play with while I'm holding them. So maybe that is a gift for them. Anyway, even if dealing with the adults in my sis-in-law's family was strained and difficult, the kids were great. It was one of the best Christmases (that doesn't look like it's spelled right.) I've ever had.

And oh, the other greatest gift of this Christmas as I posted in the mini-goal section was I finally hit 199.

At the risk of sounding totally shallow: best gift was the pink iPod Nano & iTunes gift card. Not so much because of what it is, though of course that rocks, but that their presence means my husband for once paid attention to me and to what I want. I'll start dropping hand-carved birch crochet hook hints now; our anniversary's not far off.