I have apparently gotten a reputation for good gift-giving, on the basis of commissioning a drawing of my parents from photographs, which they love, a couple of years ago. And, to be fair, some very strong refrigerator magnets which they desperately needed but it hadn't occurred to them to seek out. It's usually just books though.
I have a burning hatred of shopping that makes gift giving nearly impossible. I don't celebrate my birthday in part because I don't want the obligation that comes with receiving gifts.
We are now in possession of two identical Lego sets. Oops.
9 year old got a quadcopter from grandparents. With video camera. I've only crashed it into a tree twice in the first 5 minutes, haven't even explored its upper altitude limit yet.
Pokey accepted the off-brand Mac From Cars mack truck as the real thing. Whew.
Because real Mac 1) did not arrive in time, 2) cost $175, and 3) can now be returned.
3: We've done that--it's not a problem at all. The pieces are endlessly reusable. Now you can use one kit to make the thing in the kit, and other for all the other projects that might need bricks of those shapes.
Lego Santa was very good to JoJo this year, and to me! My mom gave me the new Mindstorms set! I don't think I've been so happy to get legos from my mom since I was Joey's age!
Everyone should have an eight-month-old for Christmas. The Calabat tried to pick up his new toy piano to eat it.
You just want to keep women barefoot and pregnant and having sticky pianos.
Depending on the size of that quadcopter, you might want to perfect your flying technique indoors, rather than outdoors. Unless you want to pull a Halford.
I got a really nice gift (Wes Anderson coffee table book of pictures and interviews. Shut up, I like it.) from a friend who I had 100% written off as "never going to see again after moving" because long story. I'm having trouble wording the thank you email.
At some point, we should just have everyone send out their quadcopters for a quadcopter meetup.
Merry Christmas/non-denominational festive bro hug to all.
I got a quadcopter for Christmas also. I haven't been able to use it yet.
I stopped giving gifts for holidays in my 20s. The parents of a former partner poisoned that well for me.
I gift throughout the year now, when I see something that someone clearly needs in their life. Because I know these things.
The spawn of various friends are different - you can't not give a kid stuff. My brother's kid got some magnets that are just strong enough to be slightly dangerous. A good friend's kid got a monster hat, because she, her husband and I have been obsessed with Jim Henson since we went to school together, and everyone needs a hat with horns.
My monocopter will be delivering an Xmas taco to Robert.
1: commissioning a drawing of my parents from photographs, which they love
That's a terrific gift: I did something similar for my mom, a drawing from a photo of the stone fireplace mantel in her home in the old days. To my surprise, she later framed and hung it. So that was a good thing. Recommended.
My son got a mono-copter but he's not being patient enough to learn it.
I thought about getting myself a bigger quadcopter for christmas, but probably I should think about, like, plumbing tools first.
I'd like to get a bigger quadcopter too, but I'm up against my wife's perception that I have too many quadcopters already.
Spike what do you think of the Walkera QR X350?
Peraps surprisngly, plumbing tools and amateur aviation are not incompatible.
Seems pretty nice. Its cheaper than the Phantom, but it has that GPS function, which is key. You could take the money you save and put it towards a GoPro, which is a pretty necessary accessory.
Looks like Walkera is supporting Android in addition to iPad for the WiFi connection now, which they didn't used to. Although I've heard that WiFi controllers have a bit of lag, as compared to some of those nice, expensive RC controllers you can get.
If your plumbing is plastic, you should get one of those nice PVC slicers. My favorite plumbing tool (aside from the big-ass wrench). Cost a lot more than those cheap rotatory PVC cutters. But if you ever find yourself having to replace all the PVC in a house where all the pipes had been frozen, its a godsend.
The pigeon masks were a hit. Now to get a group photo.
I got some good stuff ( a sendak retrospective book) but the most fun is watching the little kid open stuff.
The pigeon masks were a hit. Now to get a group photo.
I got some good stuff ( a sendak retrospective book) but the most fun is watching the little kid open stuff.
Holy crap do we have a lot of leftover ham.
So far for Christmas, we've gotten a new car battery. Tomorrow for Christmas, I think we're getting a new alternator. And the ability to go home. Merry Christmas.
I like giving gifts, my wife doesn't. This year we compromised by me getting a bunch of shit for the kitchen that we will both use.
Oh, and I got my nephew (the one who Santa is skipping) a Walter the Farting Dog toy with 3 real fart noises, so at least that will be some payback for my brother and sister-in-law and their shitty ways.
Mmmm, enjoy groovy Nu-Pontiff, now 30% less reactionary...
So full of food that I'll have trouble eating the cheesecake that I'm still going to eat regardless.
So Far Chopper wins the gift giving contest. Good job to all who got pigeon masks and quadcopters, but Walter the Farting Dog is in the lead.
No one wants to come in second place to Walter the Farting Dog.
My friends' kids got little rc helicopters and within twenty minutes, one of them crashed and stuck behind one of their solar panels. So the dad was up a ladder in the dark retrieving it.
My MIL the alcoholic is here, drunk, and fucking annoying. I am in the kitchen avoiding her. I'm not even sure whether she's switched from wine to spirits yet so it could be a while before she goes to bed. Next year might have to be just the six of us for Christmas.
Five year old Bianquette has been waiting til she's old enough for her copter for about two years now, I think, since she saw one in the mall.
I've come down with a nasty sinus infection or something, which gave me an excuse to leave my grandmother's early. Not sure if that's a net win.
38:
At least it wasn't stomach flu.
Merry Christmas! I'm babysitting my nephew in Atlanta tonight so my sis and BIL can catch a movie, then we're driving to south FL to see my dad's family tomorrow. Here's hoping for a smooth 9-hr drive while sitting next to a toddler!
(Also, my BIL needs to chill out with the fear of leaving his child with a sitter. I think I count as highly qualified to watch a 20-month-old, given that I routinely sit four young children at a time.)
I would vouch for your competent childcare abilities.
Exactly! It's like he's never seen my page at the other place!
27: we did a ham this year, and it was so fucking easy, and so much food and SUCH a good deal.
43: There were some sales on hams.
40.2: Is it that he doesn't like leaving his kid with other people or that he just doesn't like you? (It would be undeserved, if he didn't like you, but that might be what's going on.)
45: I like the hidden implication that J, Robot is greedy for baby (flesh).
Also, apparently Lee asked Mara about her favorite present, and Mara responded with the one that she gave to baby Selah (a toy cellphone), which has both of us overwhelmed with its sweetness. I got a sweater from Nia and a necklace from Mara and am wearing both. And my parents actually gave Lee and me a joint present, although it was just a framed picture of them. Still, progress!
47: Awww.
44.2: He's nervous about leaving the kid with anyone who isn't a mom, I think. Understandable when my nephew was an infant, but by now I would have thought it wouldn't be so fraught.
Christmas this year wasn't as bad as this, but there were still stressful periods. "OK, so that's now 300 percent of what I spent on everyone else in presents to me. Hope no one else is keeping track." "Do I own a tool that these oscillating blades go with?" "I hope these pajamas shrink in the wash."
To be more positive, the favorite present I gave was the pillow custom-made to look like the family dog. I'm not sure what the favorite present I got was, but it might be, contrary to my gut reaction, the TARDIS bathrobe.
47: As a person in a heterosexual relationship, I *HATE* joint presents. I feel like my personhood is being ignored. I might feel differently if I was aspiring to be treated according dominant cultural mores.
52: The alternative from them is no present. My brothers even got stockings, but I can't remember the last time I got an individual gift from my parents. They do generally buy us a family membership at the nature center, which I appreciate, but I don't expect anything individual and certainly not a couple gift.
55 -- I always knew the blog was a long con to promote Ogged's escort business. I just didn't know when he'd put the hook in.
My aunt bought a t-shirt for my husband that was perfect for him. This man is so picky and difficult that he bought all my presents I would have given him because for his birthday I ordered the exact thing he wanted based off of a link to the item and he still argued with me that it wasn't what he wanted. I'm really touched that my aunt picked so well because my husband's family gave up buying him gifts years ago (understandably).
C bought us a family present of Cards Against Humanity. We played it this afternoon. The 11 year old didn't always know what was going on, but still won loads more cards than I did.
My BIL also bought Cards Against Humanity. It was fun playing it.