This year I got an electric shaver and I'm super happy.
Why not, I'll throw in this year's birthday presents too. From my sister, I got a soda machine which is awesome. It makes seltzer and then you can add syrup or crystal light to make soda. From my parents, I got a laptop. (Budget, value for your money laptop). This year's birthday present was a way bigger than usual but I really needed it and I'm broke. I never had my own brand new laptop before, I just inherited my mom's old laptop when she got a new one and it was about 4 years old when I got it and then I had it for another 6 years and although it was dying for a while and had life prolonging procedures several times, this year it was just painful. I think that 10 years is already a great lifetime for a laptop.
For previous birthdays: A recurring gift that I would ask for most of the time was a bag/purse or a pretty watch. Occasionally it's a coat. What else? Sometimes technology. One year it was a DVR and that was awesome and now that we have it everyone loves it. A smartphone was a gift (droid incredible). There were mp3 players. I didn't have much music on it but I liked listening to the radio on my commute.
Amusingly, my first mp3 player (the kind that runs on a battery) has long since died and I've gotten a new one (only to find out that although it's more advanced the battery life is vastly inferior) and recently while cleaning I've found my sister's mp3 player packed somewhere far away with other. You see, parents usually don't have the slightest clue what to get my sister and getting her whatever they get me seems to be as good a guess as any. (They've certainly done worse) So just don't tell her about the mp3 player I rescued because she's just going to put it away somewhere and completely forget about it.
Why not, I'll throw in this year's birthday presents too. From my sister, I got a soda machine which is awesome. It makes seltzer and then you can add syrup or crystal light to make soda. From my parents, I got a laptop. (Budget, value for your money laptop). This year's birthday present was a way bigger than usual but I really needed it and I'm broke. I never had my own brand new laptop before, I just inherited my mom's old laptop when she got a new one and it was about 4 years old when I got it and then I had it for another 6 years and although it was dying for a while and had life prolonging procedures several times, this year it was just painful. I think that 10 years is already a great lifetime for a laptop.
For previous birthdays: A recurring gift that I would ask for most of the time was a bag/purse or a pretty watch. Occasionally it's a coat. What else? Sometimes technology. One year it was a DVR and that was awesome and now that we have it everyone loves it. A smartphone was a gift (droid incredible). There were mp3 players. I didn't have much music on it but I liked listening to the radio on my commute.
Amusingly, my first mp3 player (the kind that runs on a battery) has long since died and I've gotten a new one (only to find out that although it's more advanced the battery life is vastly inferior) and recently while cleaning I've found my sister's mp3 player packed somewhere far away with other. You see, parents usually don't have the slightest clue what to get my sister and getting her whatever they get me seems to be as good a guess as any. (They've certainly done worse) So just don't tell her about the mp3 player I rescued because she's just going to put it away somewhere and completely forget about it.
What did you get for Winter Solstice/Yule/Christmas/Hanukkah/Winter holiday of choice?
I always get really great presents from my parents. That's because I'm the one who figures out what would be a great present for me, I let my parents know, and then they know what to get me. This applies to my birthdays of the last several years and this year to christmas. (Just to be clear, this is a pretty recent tradition, only when my parents became very comfortable financially) It sounds kind of bad, but it's really awesome getting what I actually want instead of something like expensive perfume- and I used to get perfume (or smelly lotions) practically every year.
Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family who can do this, for everyone else we have to guess. I would say I'm pretty good of thinking up great presents for other people. What a lot of people do is think of great presents that they themselves would appreciate as opposed to what the other person would like. This works only if the two people in question have the same preferences and wants.
I also don't think a gift has to be useless, why is it constantly being reinforced on tv that a gift can't be something the person would ever buy on their own? Maybe it should be of a higher quality /degree of luxury than an everyday totally practical purchase but it shouldn't be useless.
So: what did you get?
I always get really great presents from my parents. That's because I'm the one who figures out what would be a great present for me, I let my parents know, and then they know what to get me. This applies to my birthdays of the last several years and this year to christmas. (Just to be clear, this is a pretty recent tradition, only when my parents became very comfortable financially) It sounds kind of bad, but it's really awesome getting what I actually want instead of something like expensive perfume- and I used to get perfume (or smelly lotions) practically every year.
Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family who can do this, for everyone else we have to guess. I would say I'm pretty good of thinking up great presents for other people. What a lot of people do is think of great presents that they themselves would appreciate as opposed to what the other person would like. This works only if the two people in question have the same preferences and wants.
I also don't think a gift has to be useless, why is it constantly being reinforced on tv that a gift can't be something the person would ever buy on their own? Maybe it should be of a higher quality /degree of luxury than an everyday totally practical purchase but it shouldn't be useless.
So: what did you get?
This message last edited by Vivien on 27/12/2011 at 05:16:58 PM
Presents!
- 27/12/2011 04:16:42 PM
1922 Views
I received a GPS unit for my car.
- 27/12/2011 04:33:40 PM
1533 Views
Did you get your egg separator?
- 27/12/2011 04:38:04 PM
1344 Views
I did!
- 27/12/2011 05:08:36 PM
1455 Views
Ha! Just make sure you wash your eggs before cracking them.
- 27/12/2011 05:33:52 PM
1325 Views
What? Why would you wash an egg? I've never heard of this. 
*NM*
- 27/12/2011 11:33:57 PM
774 Views
*NM*
- 27/12/2011 11:33:57 PM
774 Views
This is news to me too.
- 28/12/2011 12:30:00 AM
1363 Views
Ha, don't listen to me, I know nothing about this.
- 28/12/2011 01:36:34 AM
1333 Views
That's a relief. You can't eat raw egg in this country anyway, so I don't need to change any habits.
- 28/12/2011 10:37:47 AM
1231 Views
Is there a law?
- 28/12/2011 03:29:39 PM
1333 Views
What I mean is that everybody considers it unsafe to eat raw eggs.
- 28/12/2011 06:37:17 PM
1280 Views
It is suggested in the US that you cook the yolk to solid too.
- 30/12/2011 11:58:10 AM
1274 Views
That sounds ridiculously over-cautious to me.
- 30/12/2011 05:48:56 PM
1308 Views
Me!
- 27/12/2011 05:08:51 PM
1329 Views
I'm scared of those.
- 28/12/2011 07:14:55 AM
1360 Views
- 28/12/2011 07:14:55 AM
1360 Views
That logic is interesting 
- 28/12/2011 06:06:48 PM
1944 Views
- 28/12/2011 06:06:48 PM
1944 Views
It's often the best plan. I've got a nice list I let Tim pass out to people. 
- 27/12/2011 05:23:08 PM
1295 Views
- 27/12/2011 05:23:08 PM
1295 Views
Boiled egg and toast soldier set???
- 27/12/2011 05:32:15 PM
1225 Views
I kid you not.
- 27/12/2011 05:37:49 PM
1966 Views
That is hilarious. 
- 27/12/2011 09:18:42 PM
1560 Views
- 27/12/2011 09:18:42 PM
1560 Views
I got an ipad.
- 27/12/2011 05:51:39 PM
1377 Views
Awww awesome.
- 27/12/2011 05:57:53 PM
1368 Views
No but
- 27/12/2011 06:56:50 PM
1410 Views
I didn't ask for it.
- 27/12/2011 07:06:47 PM
1299 Views
Re: No but
- 27/12/2011 07:19:51 PM
1274 Views
Well that makes sense.
- 27/12/2011 07:51:41 PM
1252 Views
You must share ways to make it more useful.
- 27/12/2011 07:09:18 PM
1326 Views
Use Calibre (or other, similar, software) to convert PDF to MOBI.
- 27/12/2011 08:08:26 PM
1309 Views
Hm.
- 27/12/2011 09:07:48 PM
1400 Views
A lump of coal.
- 27/12/2011 06:26:43 PM
1165 Views
Re: A lump of coal.
- 27/12/2011 07:43:16 PM
1369 Views
Which Перелетные птицы?
- 27/12/2011 08:40:48 PM
1412 Views
I didn't get anything except two ornaments and pajama pants.
- 27/12/2011 06:40:55 PM
1353 Views
Re: I didn't get anything except two ornaments and pajama pants.
- 27/12/2011 09:29:28 PM
1298 Views
Everything I wished for 
- 27/12/2011 07:39:17 PM
1257 Views
- 27/12/2011 07:39:17 PM
1257 Views
You had a foursome with Scarlett Johanson, Angelina Jolie and Jessica Biel? *NM*
- 27/12/2011 09:40:13 PM
709 Views
I got a suit.
- 27/12/2011 08:40:40 PM
1274 Views
My Immediate Family will celebrate Little Christmas on New Years Day...
- 27/12/2011 09:11:36 PM
1233 Views
Camcorder + case + SD card, coffee grinder, ball bearing maze puzzle with money trapped inside.
- 27/12/2011 11:40:52 PM
1306 Views
Anastasia doesn't tell you what she wants?
- 28/12/2011 12:29:31 AM
1405 Views
It can be difficult, but only if you don't know what you're doing.
- 28/12/2011 01:18:31 AM
1330 Views
I didn't see that one!!
- 28/12/2011 07:11:10 AM
1260 Views
I think accessories are wonderful. And I had a kickass gift season.
- 28/12/2011 04:36:21 PM
1286 Views
My Christmas gift: my 6-week old son slept for 6 hours straight through the night. *NM*
- 28/12/2011 01:26:12 AM
686 Views
a Pressure Cooker ...
- 28/12/2011 02:41:00 AM
1300 Views
What does it do?
- 28/12/2011 02:43:58 AM
1305 Views
It makes meats n veggies super tender ... faster than average ...
- 28/12/2011 03:25:38 AM
1395 Views
That's awesome..
- 28/12/2011 03:35:41 AM
1289 Views
The newer ones are much safer, so long as they are cleaned and maintained ...
- 28/12/2011 03:42:15 AM
1208 Views
I love mine for brown rice. It cuts cooking time in half. No explosions in 2 years. 
*NM*
- 30/12/2011 12:07:20 PM
717 Views
*NM*
- 30/12/2011 12:07:20 PM
717 Views
The vodka fairy was very good this year.
- 28/12/2011 02:10:21 PM
1373 Views
*NM*