So what did you get for Christmas?

Oh you did do well, Merry Christmas. Well dh and I don't do presents we concentrate more on the kids and we shall go out one night after xmas instead. My parents aren't coming up until tomorrow so we still have more presents to come,so far I got

A Boots naturals collection body spray set
A wooden cat ornament
Some Nicky Clarke Hair straighteners
A bottle of Bucks Fizz (yummy)
A bottle of Hardys Pinot Grigio (even more yummy)
A silver cardigan
Two purple beaded bracelets

x

I got my favorite movie from my son since I lost mine...No Country for Old Men.

We didn't actually exchange gifts.

However, I got Dottie a new office chair. Now she won't have to sit in one of our kitchen chairs when she's at her computer.

Dottie gave me a glass miniature electric guitar, just a knick-knack but very pretty.

There may be other stuff coming...

From my parents:
A new nice digital camera
An HP Mini notebook computer (my dad always gets us gadgets)
A willow tree figurine
A jacket with built in headphones in the hood straps
Money

From my sister and fam:
The America's Test Kitchen cookbook

From DH and DS:
Lots of fuzzy socks
A bunch of yankee candle votives
Kitchen tools...new spatulas, a whisk, tongs
Two new kittens

From MIL and FIL:
A programmable thermostat (was actually a bday gift)
A $40 gift certificate to Whole Foods (my fav store)
A nice candle

From BIL and SIL:
A set of 4 bubble baths from Bath and Body Works
A mug with cocoa mix and a cookie
I was spoiled this year.

I received a surprise gift of a fuzzy red robe. Nice and warm and soft and cuddly.

Also some slippers and a fuzzy throw and money for clothes.

DH got a box of Dewar's Chews (very yummy candy that is made right here) from the Pastor of our Church thanking him for all the volunteer work he does.

I got a pink pair of Joe Boxer jammies with cats all over them from a co-worker for the SS exchange our team did.

Then DH and I went to movie Christmas Eve afternoon.

That is it. We cannot afford to get each other gifts. We are going to have a good meal since I was able to get the fixings for our turkey dinner for a good price.

I did get DH a nice tie tack to wear to his Dad's memorial on Dec 17th.

I got two boxes of chocolates, an Android smartphone and a monogrammed towel. The in-laws gave me money for a gold necklace, but I spent it on a high-tech snow shovel instead.

1 cup of coffee
A jewellery box
Amethyst & Diamond Ring
Cat Calendar
Cat Date Book
Book
Picture Frame
Flavoured Teas
Flavoured Ground Coffee
Chocolates
Tim Tams
A gorgeous musical snow globe!!
Bath sponge, soaps, fizzies
Scented candles
Kitty treats and a can of Fancy Feast for Abby
Not sure what my brother got me. We haven't seen each other today yet.

And.......








The Flu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I won't be going to my brother's for dinner. They're coming by around 2 or so to pick up the slow cookers of cabbage rolls and meatballs that I made.

I hope you feel better soon!

My favorite gift, a black round pendant, 1 side has a silver cat engraved on it, the back side has "I LOVE MY CATS" engraved in silver on it. It's really nice.

Oh Linda, I'm so sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!

Lovely Christmas everyone!

Gary and our families didn't exchange gifts this year. I got a lovely gift package from Chris (Snake_Lady) that was SO thoughtful, with a gift of happiness (a card and little charms), some really cute red christmas socks, a kitty calendar, and a strenght & courage plaque.

Did I say I wasn't going to get a lot of Christmas presents?????? What I got from my Secret Santa I'll tell under the SS Gifts thread, I also got a
Book bag that has cats as different authors on it
Three DVDS, THE INHERITANCE, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and LOST IN AUSTIN, which is a modern version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
Three pairs of sock
Two pair of KEDS, one black and one red.
Four books, CAT COMING HOME,A NOSE FOR JUSTICE,MURDER PAST DUE and THE DEVIOUS BOOK OF CATS.
And the rest are from my SS.

I got a day off with pay! I also got a day of leisure and a day spent with my husband and the kitties. Can't ask for more than that, except for someone to come do all the cooking and cleaning!

I got a fluffy pink Snuggie! Couldn't believe my eyes. My DH sure knows hows to surprise me. I'm actually going to use it though.
I got some Thunderpants (super comfy NZ undies) and a lovely print from my sister, and lots of chocolates and yummies from relatives.
My friend gave me a gorgeous ceramic platter that she saw me coveting, and a whole bunch of lovely gifts for looking after her pets.

I got the book for Christmas! But I like the movie, too.

Also:
Fiesta bowls
a sterling silver cat necklace
Clogs (I'm a shoe addict)
a makeup kit
Victoria's Secret/Bath & Bodyworks shower gel
Literati wireless reader
Pillows
a pineapple cutter (I like fresh pineapple, but there's no good way to get into one of those things)

We played Dirty Santa at my sil's and DH won IMHO the best prize: a large, primitive looking decorative cat. I think it is ceramic, but I'm not sure. He's a beauty. I was jumping up and down like I won the lottery. (I traded the gift I won...a santa nightlight...for a box of chocolate bon-bons )

besides all my beautiful ss gifts.
from Dh
knitting socks book ( using circular needles and knitting 2 socks at once)
Winter boots
cute snowman measuring spoons
3 pairs of warm socks
a gorgeous white lace tablecloth
christmas placemats
kids
Lush bath set
Tim horton's coffee mug
Santa
address book
Book (House Rules)
scratch and win tickets
Aveno bath set

What can I say I am spoiled rotten.

Goodness, I don't even know where to start! First of all, I'll let you all know that the dinner at Mom's last night went VERY well.

From Dana:

My Kobo E-Reader!
A beautiful pink crystal cat figurine.
A watch.
A 365 Page a day Cat Calendar.
TONS of chocolate.

From Mom: Literally a whole CAR load of stuff!

A pink purse.
A big purse with kitties on it.
REALLY nice down pillows.
PJs
3 sweaters.
A spring jacket.
Enough bath and body stuff to last for years.
Enough teas, coffees and hot chocolate too last for years.
A clock with the face of a kitty on it.
A beautiful wall picture with a cat in it.
Lots of books about cats.
A cat wallet.
A little blow up boat to have fun with in the summer.
The list seriously goes on and on...

My Grandparents:

A kitten calendar.
A door plaque that says "Cat Lover".
A little book of cat quotes.
Candles.

Dana's Mom:

A cat cross stitch picture.

Dana's Grandmother:

A Winner's gift card.

Soooooo spoiled, and truthfully a little overwhelmed!

Kailie, I'm SO GLAD to hear you had a nice time at your mom's! That was probably the best present of all.

From bfs family I got a ton of different teas and a personalized mug, cafalon fry pan since my old one just bit the dust, a flipper thinger to replace my cheap one that I hate, 'ugly' boots (they look like uggs but bf hates them so we call them my pretty ugly boots haha) my sil has the same taste in shoes comfy fuzzy and warm and our guys hate them haha, new dishes to match my future kitchen color, a hand blown ornament, lottery ticket, plaid shirt (awesome haha), shirts and mugs with bfs dads and step moms business logos on them. My step dad is making us a replica of the coatrack shelf we bought in the summer and my mom made me a cute christmas decoration. Bf and I got curtains and new ceiling lights for our bedroom and I'm giving him the money I got in cahoots with his sears gc to get a nail gun kit and the rest is mine for whatever I want. I think a cat tower and tea kettle.

Happy Holidays!

I was really lucky with gifts this year

My Mum, Stepdad, Dad, Nana and Grandad gave me money. Which is a huge help at this time of year.

From my Dad - I also got a jenga set, a year planner/diary type thing, a top up card for my cellphone and lots of scratchies (instant wins)
My boyfriend's Mum - a gift voucher for a lovely clothes shop
My aunty and uncle - a beautiful necklace
My boyfriend some lovely new clothes

and I bought myself a brand new digital camera...I mean the cats did

From DH I got:

Brown suede boots
lounge pants with kitties on them
Shrek 2 DVD
a Borders gift card
a $10 gift card for Frontierville dollars (a FB game )
a Christmas "teddy" (AKA lingerie...more of a present for him I think!)

From MIL:

a very pretty and WARM robe!
fuzzy bootie slippers
TSO CD
JCPenny gift card (which will come in handy since one of the dogs shredded our bedsheets while we were at her house for dinner

From a co-worker:

A book (can't remember the name and I left it at work to read in between calls. Another co-worker said it was very good though)
a cat calendar.

With all this plus my awesome SS gifts, I am definitely spoiled this year!

Hubby:
A $25 gift card for barnes & noble for my nook
A diamond cat necklace from Kay's
Dewey: The Library Cat book
Marlin goose gun (tomorrow)
Chrome-platform pole shoes (tomorrow)
Andes mints (tomorrow)

"My Kitties":
365 Day Cat-a-day calendar
All black cats mini calendar
To-do note pad with cats on the side

Parents:
Cards
Knick knacks from the Dollar Store like packets of tissues, breath drops, dried fruit, a car towel, etc (cant remember it all off the top of my head)
A coat
A diamond cat necklace
Large kitten calendar for each of us

Friend I work out with:
A pink stun gun
Pink PJs with white kitties on them
Chocolate and cookies

Gifts from my SS, of course! (Posted in gift thread)

Mother Nature:
SNOW!!

When we go back to SC tomorrow we'll have Xmas with the in-laws.

Edit: Forgot to add what my friend got me a few days before Xmas

Let me see.....

A set of Fiesta in Paprika (as soon as a new color comes out, DH always gets it for me)
Fiesta pitcher in Paprika
King Arthur Flour cookbook (a reprint of their first cookbook)
Alton Brown's Good Eats: the Middle Years
Temp-tations chicken roaster in cranberry (it's just gorgeous!)
Toscano - Catgoyle on the Loose gargoyle wall climber
Toscano - Double Trouble two-headed dragon wall climber
iTunes Gift Certificate for my iPod
Stephen King's Full Dark No Stars (Mollipop gave that to me )
large bag of M & Ms with peanuts

DH actually got me two Catgoyle figurines and two Double Trouble figurines by mistake. But he never bothered to send the extra ones back because he knew how much I liked them. I may take one of each to work for the walls in my cube. I don't think we're going to hang them outside on the house....I like them and I found neat places for them in the house. So we'll see. My BIL is a big gargoyle fan, too, and he'd like to have the extra Catgoyle gargoyle figurine.

I'm a bit emotional as I wasn't expecting much this Christmas, so please bear with me...

As I posted in the SS gift thread, I had a very generous SS who was thoughtful, gracious, and for whom I am very grateful to and for. I won't write down everything that she sent me again, but you're welcome to go back to that thread to see just what I mean when I say that Nikki was wonderful.

I had an early Christmas with some of my family last week and received two lovely purses, a pair of soft pj's, a soft robe, a fluffy robe, fluffy slippers, some kitty and dog toys, and lots of chocolate and treats.

From my family, today, I got a Nook e-reader (which I was very surprised to have received -- I had wanted one and even asked for one for Christmas, but knew it was too expensive and frivolous. However, my brother (and, apparently, my mother) chipped in and got me the Nook (not the color one, I LOVE the graphite one), a lovely chocolate brown leather cover, and a gift card which allowed me to download two books. I also received an alarm clock/radio that plays nature sounds, 5 pairs of soft, cushy socks, 2 pairs of holiday socks, a pair of pajamas, a journal and pen set, and a wallet (that goes with one of the aforementioned purses).

When I got home from my mother's house, my roommate had my gifts ready. She bought me a wallet (that goes with the other purse I received from my father, a new huggable pillow (my old one is, well, rather flat these days ), money towards e-books or Nook accessories, and two beautiful handmade ornaments (she is an artist).

I also received a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks, gloves, lip balm, a kitty coin purse, and homemade treats from my SS at work.

And...perhaps the biggest surprise came from an individual with whom I had a falling out with about two years ago. They are still very close to my roommate, but have shunned me for two years. However, today I received a peace offering of sorts and, while it still feels awkward, I am very grateful. They gave me a beautiful silver charm bracelet with hearts (hearts are my thing as they remind me of my late grandmother), Bath & Body Works lotion and foaming soap, a beaded bracelet, an ornament with the word "believe" written on it, some yummy smelling, hypoallergenic soaps, and some tea and food-stuffs.

I was very, very lucky this year. I'm not sure where everything came from or how it came to be, but I feel very blessed. And, I feel equally as blessed to have been able to be there for others in need and to give those I care about loving, thoughtful gifts. It was a good Christmas. Words can't even describe...

Next up is my birthday in 4 days . I told EVERYONE that I don't expect anything, but I have a feeling they're not going to listen. I already know my mother is going to get me a gift card for my Nook and I suspect I'll get some other trinkets and accessories then as well.

I always say that Christmas is full of magic. Well, the fact that my family and I were able to come together for a weekend without walking away pained is a miracle. I don't expect it to last forever, but I am certainly going to cherish this weekend and hold it close to my heart. And, who knows -- with all of that magic going around, maybe there's a bit more left for all of us...

i was spoiled this year

I got from Blaine
A Pandora charm bracelet
Nail varnish sets
He adopted me a tiger
A cat pen cat umbrella cat mirror

Mil got me
A watch and some body sprays

My brother and his girlfriend
A links of london charm bracelet

My other brother
A I love my cat bracelet
Shower gel

My parents
Books
Slippers
Tights
Two bags
Chocolate
A bottle of wine
A bottle of gin
Blue spotty pj's

From my husband: True Blood comics and perfume. We didn't get each other much because our puppy was our gift to each other. By the time we bought her a crate, toys, food and vet bills she ends up being an expensive gift.

From my mom and sister: a sweater, candle warmer, perfume, scarf, pajamas, socks, candy, slow cooker, a book and a bunch of little things

From my boss: 2 bottles of wine and $40

From the guy who runs my work on weekends (he is like a weekend manager): $13 for Wendys. It was very nice of him to do, even though he put really weird amounts of money on everyones gift cards.

From my Grandma: $40

From my In Laws: pajamas, socks, a digital photo keychain, 2 nights out at the movies (2 movie passes, 2 drinks and a popcorn), $50 for a restaurant and $250 for Wal Mart. We did not expect anything like that. The gift cards were a gift for both of us, and he also got pajamas, socks and a keychain.

From my husbands Grandma: $100

From my husbands aunt/uncle: a food storage set that is supposed to keep food good longer.

We have my family Christmas today so there will be something from whoever drew our name.

Well, I just posted in the SS Gift Thread about all of the sweet and thoughtful things that my lovely SS, Chris, sent to me

In addition to my SS presents, I also recieved:

Jack
A silver bracelet (with two intertwined hearts) the links and 1 heart are polished, the others are a satin finish

stocking stuffers: lots and lots of lovely LUSH products in my favorite scents (Snow Fairy and Snowcake!), and some yummy chocolates!

Jack's family
2 adorable Christmas themed porcelin brownie tins and 1 Christmas serving platter (his momma knows I love to cook!)

A cute snowman plush wrapped around a blue blanket - from Jack's Aunt Pam

A Target giftcard - Jack's grandparents

My Dad and another lovely friend
Some $$ for Christmas

My sister Kimmy and her kids
A yummy body wash set

I was spoilt also, far more than I expected considering our money situation currently, but I'm very lucky and appreciative

From my parents; two pairs of jeans, two hooded tops/jackets, a couple of tops, pyjamas, DVDs, a 'Skins' boxsey which I have wanted for so long, a calendar with a new word a day (nerd? me? ), hair accessories, a lovely necklace and umm, maybe a few more things

From my sister and brother in law I got some lovely smellies.

From my aunty, uncle and cousins I got a HMV gift card for £15 which I spent on a Superman top and a DVD

From my grandparents, one set money, the others also and some chocolates.

Umm, I also received more chocolates from various people, more smellies, etc.

I also took part in two secret santas (not here), and from the first I got a guinea pig teddy, hamster toys, hamster treats and cat toys. From the second I got a lovely necklace, a little purse/bag, worry dolls, a book about cows, homemade hamster treats and a gorgeous tree decoration.

Happy? Me? Definitely!

I consider what I spend the money on to also be gifts so I'll include - I went to some sales and bought two pretty new tops (one £2, one £4), a new cardigan for £7, a guinea pig calendar for £2.50, a Toy Story mug for 38p!!! and some other things. Still got lots left so I'll save it

Hubby got me a new robe.......leopard spotted (so now I have leopard PJ's, leopard robe and a leopard Snuggle (from last year) - you won't be able to find the Oci's now....lol

And he got me a unicorn figurine for my collection and a "spotted" kitten that looks like an Oci (or close to it). I've seen mackerel and classic tabbies but this is the first spotted one that is not a leopard.

I got hubby an Arceological (sp?) Bible he wanted - its pretty cool. And the boys got us Walmart cards