Best present you’ve received

[Anonymous]

Small Korean thermos that kept coffee really hot and was super cute.

Small leather rolling suitcase carryon.

Swatch pop watch when I was ten.

Star earrings from my brother, again around 10.

All gifts from my brother.

[Anonymous]

A snowglobe with Paris in it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best present I received from my high earning sibling was when she finally respected my boundaries that she needs to stop sending "gifts." Let me tell you the gifts she would send for birthdays or just because she is oh so "generous" that she expected endless gratitude for:

-Clothing with holes and stains from ebay

-Clothing for my kids that is dryclean only with a note that said she expected me to save it in pristine condition in case she ever had children so it could be passed down

-A second hand necklace completely twisted in knots with a stone missing

-A massive toy for one of my kids in about 10000 little pieces where you would need to hire a handyman/woman to put together because even my handy-husband felt it would take hours to put together

For any gift she expected thank you note, emails about gifts use, photos of child/adult with gift. No thank you. We were never close and she was actually quite cruel to me growing up. She likes to brag about generous she is.

You completely missed the point of this thread.

We used to just say "thank you" and move on, but she badgered you for more. We tried the polite "the gift is your presence, no need for material things." Nope. I had to spell it out. We do not want gifts. She kept sending them even more often...you can't even donate clothing with holes. Finally she stopped. That was a true gift. No more reminders of how my seemingly bright and accomplished sister wants to keep sending me junk while expecting endless praise and gratitude.

[Anonymous]

My father was in Vietnam for a year and we missed him so much. Our mother was under a lot of strain having to manage the household and four kids while knowing he could be killed any moment. When he came home, he brought each of his daughters a bottle of perfume and a fan. I still have them.

[Anonymous]

When DH and I had just started dating, we saw a Jumanji board game at Target. It’s just a basic game, not the fancy wooden one in the movie. Fast forward 10 years and Christmas morning I opened up a handcrafted Jumanji game that had magnets to snap the pieces in place and the swirling orb in the center. We only played it once before he passed suddenly the next March. I keep it tucked away in my bedroom and just open it and throw the pieces out and watch them snap into place now and then. He was not overwhelmingly thoughtful, so the few things like this meant a lot.

[Anonymous]

Obviously my child family etc. But otherwise- a Burberry scarf and a Marc Jacobs bag I had coveted In my early twenties. My husband gave me a nice watch for my 30th. We rarely do gifts, but those were significant and stand out to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father was in Vietnam for a year and we missed him so much. Our mother was under a lot of strain having to manage the household and four kids while knowing he could be killed any moment. When he came home, he brought each of his daughters a bottle of perfume and a fan. I still have them.

My dad flew a lot when we were young and he used to bring us the old school cocktail stirrers (swords and axess, etc) and little umbrellas. Thought they were so cool. Still have a bunch. Now that I'm older and a dad I realize they weren't really the right thing to give us in the amount he did, but oh well, we are all imperfect.

[Anonymous]

Food. I love food gifts. High end things I wouldn’t normally buy.

[Anonymous]

1. A friend from high school--not even a close friend--gave me a painting she made of my mom, about a year after my mom died. By that time, everyone else had stopped asking how I was and assumed I'd moved on, and the thoughtfulness of that gift remains the most memorable of my life so far.

2. Ds got me a second cat for my birthday last year. He would only say that he had somehow "rescued" it from his vet school. And that I didn't want to know what he had rescued it from. But this was my second cat, so tipped me into official crazy cat lady-dom. I love it.

3. Dh gave me a pair of big, slouchy gray sweatpants, which I like to wear around the house. I can tuck my feet into the bottoms and they are so cozy. Actually, he didn't give them to me voluntarily. I took them over. But I love them so much.

[Anonymous]

Down payment assistance on my second home (which I repaid in 24 months).

But for a gift with no strings - my mom bought me a Peloton at the beginning of quarantine because I was depressed.

[Anonymous]

All my pictures of film and black and white photos from baby to present in a flash drive & cloud categorized by year.

[Anonymous]

Most joy? I am a birdwatcher. DH has been giving me great gifts around my hobby. Binoculars, birdfeeders, squirrel baffles, native plants etc... but my best gift from him are two heated birdbaths.

I use the birdbaths year round without the heat. I use the heating only during winter and it is magical. It is the biggest attraction for the wild birds during winter and my patio is like grand central station of birds.

They wait patiently when I change the water at least 2-3 times during the cold winter day because all the splashing results in a lot of water falling out.

Birds need to keep their feathers clean (and fluffy) during winter to survive the cold. Clean feathers allow for better insulation and the way to keep it clean is by bathing.

[Anonymous]

A girlfriend back in high school made me a quilt that I still have. I was so touched.

[Anonymous]

Diamond earrings from my family for my 21st birthday. I’ve worn them practically every day in the 24 years since.

[Anonymous]

Finding out I was pregnant.

A breakfast prepared by my 5 y o child.

Homemade birthday cakes from my mom.

My grandmother’s presence.

Peonies blooming for the first time in my garden.