Happy Non-Denominational Giftmas and/or Day Off Work!

[cleolinda]

Lots of sad and serious things in the news today, but I don't really know how to talk about all of that this point. All I can say about the Detroit incident is that I'm going to focus on the positive and be glad that the bomb didn't go off, it's a Christmas miracle, etc.

I was really tense all day, but Christmas went reasonably well. I got my mother a scone pan, some mixes, and Super Special Cinnamon from Thailand, I Don't Know, and juliamac's dad's book, Game Changers, since she's a huge Alabama fan; she seemed really pleased with both of them. She had been going through the King Arthur Flour catalogue, idly pointing out things she liked, and I was all, eh, scones, whatever, that's kind of meh, cinnamon, don't know why you need it from Thailand, psh, don't know who here would eat scones OMG DON'T BUY IT FOR YOURSELF, DON'T BUY IT FOR YOURSELF. Reverse psychology seems to have worked, and she was surprised when she got to that box--the big one in the picture below.

You can't possibly guess what color
my wrapping paper was.

My sister was flipping through the Ellowyne catalogue, and as far as I could gather, she liked this one the best, so I got it for her. We did end up getting my stepfather a Kindle, which I think kind of baffled him at first (it was a surprise, not something he had asked for), but he started getting more enthused when more family came over and everyone began to ooh and aah over it. The dogs (who actually have little stockings with their pictures on top) got bones.

 

HAY GUYS

Me, I got the Faeries Oracle cards with the Brian Froud artwork that I had really wanted, a fragrant mess of soaps from Lush (because my mother was like, look, I don't want to give you something randomly chosen from Bath & Body Works that you don't even want; get something you like and consider it a gift card used in advance), and some indulgence in my love of (inexpensive) jewelry. Apparently turquoise is Pantone's Color of the Year for 2010, so I'm already on top of that.

Also, a Lindt milk chocolate Santa, who is no longer with us.

And I was sincerely, ridiculously excited to get a couple of art glass coasters for my desk (you may remember the Giant Rust Spot of Doom on the metal file cabinet beside my desk where I always set my iced tea):

Then for dessert, we had Texas chocolate cake (don't ask me, I don't know) and nectar hibiscus cake, aka "hummingbird cake." It's got cherries, pecans, coconut, and a cream cheese frosting, but neither hibiscus nor hummingbird in it. Again, I don't know.

 

And then they told me to stop playing with my iPhone while family was over. The end.

So: what was your favorite present, and/or what did you do today?


Oh, P.S. I put up A Very Shelfy Christmas, Part 1 yesterday.

Comments

[melissa-actress.livejournal.com]

I got a Kindle today as well. Which is awesome because I am someone who, while packing for a trip, sits on the floor trying to narrow down the pile of 12 paperbacks down to 5 to take...and will sacrifice clothing in order for more book room in the suitcase. So, squeee!

Played a little golf with my dad and about to put the totally-from-scratch-dutch-apple-pie in the oven for dessert.

Those coasters are gorgeous!

Merry Christmas!

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

LOVE my Kindle. Hope you enjoy yours!

(P.S I have a bunch of Kindle posts here: http://txvoodoo.livejournal.com/tag/kindle - I also need to make a post about how to convert other formats to Kindle :D)

[friggeng.livejournal.com]

Oh, that Ellowyne is CUTE.

My favorite present was definitely my Tonner Snow White, who I would of probably never gotten if I hadn't read SLOD, haha, so thank you for that.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Did you get the one in the classic dress, or in the patchy dress?

[wenelda.livejournal.com]

So: what was your favorite present, and/or what did you do today?

HBP on DVD (knew I was getting that, but I still loved seeing it wrapped and under the tree), and SHERLOCK HOOOOOOLMESSSS. Which is as brilliant (and more than) as everyone thinks. Of course, I am a Guy Ritchie and a Mark Strong fangirl, so I was rather bound to like this movie (hell, I even like Revolver, so what does that tell you?), but OMG IT IS BRILLIANT. Only a great abuse of capslock and exclamation marks will express my true love for this movie, but I will refrain from doing so here.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I yearn to see it--huge Sherlock Holmes fan over here, and it looks like so much fun that I don't even care if it's "accurate" or not, which it so obviously isn't--but I didn't get to go.

[kittybacklash.livejournal.com]

My favourite gift was a hot water bottle with a russian doll cover. She is adorable and a good replacement for my beloved devil. Now I wish I'd gotten one of your inexplicable cakes as well, though O_O

[caitlen.livejournal.com]

I spent it with no family around for the 2nd year in the row, and this year was better than last year. I watched old movies all day, after being supremely lazy in the morning, and cooked a ham (from a piece of pickled pork, a la Nigella Lawson's "Ham in Coke") from scratch all afternoon. We ate most of it in the evening :D It was MADE of win.

I got a wireless electronic weather station that is like THE MOST AWESOME XMAS PRESENT EVER! I don't even have a proper spot for it all outside, but you can bet your bottom dollar that didn't stop me from putting it all together and most of it up and outside!! I can now tell you how fast the wind is (OK in our courtyard, not actually how fast it's going in the rest of the town) and what temperature it is (we had a COOL xmas! in the teens (celcius) all day!), all without having to go outside! It's made of win and was completely unexpected and I'm stoked :) (My Mum sent me normal xmas stuff like new pajamas and a diary and a nice scarf, and a necklace that has my name on it, so I'll never manage to forget that now. . . but I love it anyway.) My partner didn't give me a physical present (we don't give them, despite my reverent wish that we DID - I love giving pressies) but gave me a present in the way he didn't whine about it being xmas ALL DAY (he hates it. I think it's something to do with the fact that everyone follows along with it, you "have" to see family, which he hates doing, and that a bunch of his family passed around xmas.)

[7tree-hugger.livejournal.com]

OMG my friend got one of those for his birthday last year. They are crazy awesome! We spent about two weeks just watching the windspeed/pressure etc change minute by minute.

I hope you have bucketloads (or rain gauge tipper cups full) of fun with it.

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

As someone who has adopted Metro Detroit as his home town (I've been here 20 years, but am originally from Los Angeles), I agree with you 100% about how to handle today's news. Figures it would happen here.

Love the gifts you got and received. I'm glad everyone enjoyed them.

As for me, my Christmas present consisted of the company of my new bride for our first Christmas together as man and wife. She cooked the best roast beef and garlic mashed potatoes, complete with her secret ingredient of love. The gravy she made from scratch was the best we've ever eaten. We didn't need anything else.

Merry Christmas!

[inkytwist.livejournal.com]

I got a portable DVD drive for my netbook (OMG WATCHING MOVIES FINALLY IT'S BEEN SO LONG) and also lots of chocolate. And a couple of Lucky bracelets and an address book. I love seeing and hearing about everyone's gifts, it's so fun! :D

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love Lucky jewelry. In fact, I think the silver/turquoise earrings might have been from them.

[beachlass.livejournal.com]

Favorite present - probably the sparkly bracelet from my daughter.

My parents and brother came yesterday, and slept over, and we had presents and eventually breakfast (in the afternoon) and the more food for supper. And then they went home, and we're flaked out for a bit, and going to watch a movie.

Also - Nigella Lawson's recipe for maple glazed parsnips is absolutely awesome.

And my mother brought a Christmas tree made of rice crispie squares.

[chulacabra.livejournal.com]

Our big to do was last night when we went to see a holiday concert featuring a rocking Klezmer band, a jazz dance troupe and several choirs, all hosted by Tia Carrere, who stopped every five minutes to adjust her rack (she still looks damned good for 42). Today was gift opening with my son (TRAINS! TRAINS!) and we've just polished off ham, mashed potatoes and green beans. So all in all, a mellow but happy Christmas.

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

Today I was in Michigan, home alone. My husband was at work and all my family was in Alabama. I read fanfiction and finally finished the Annotated Wizards M15M while snacking on sweettarts and leftover ham. It was a really nice day.

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

My comment on Detroit: I have a layover there next week. It's gonna suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

I always love hometown disses.

[scarolinagrl.livejournal.com]

I've been dying to try LUSH's stuff for a while, sadly, there's not a store near me. My parents were in NYC last week and went by the store and had a box of stuff shipped to me. I cannot WAIT to start using it.

Do you have a favorite LUSH product?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I LOOOOOVE the Honey I Washed the Kids soap, and have a little tin of the solid perfume as well. And at Christmas the last couple of years I've tried to stock up on Snow Fairy stuff, which they only sell in the winter--the shower gel, the Godmother soap, and another solid perfume. I also got the Snowcake soap and the Rock Star soap, but I've never tried them before. Strong florals give me headaches, so I go for stuff that smells like candy, really.

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

My favorite present was this corset (http://www.pendragoncostumes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=steampunk&Product_Code=clasp_corset&Category_Code=women), which much like your LUSH was purchased by me and Mom then told me it was my Christmas present. Merry Christmas indeed!!

[christwise.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, that is HOT.

[aymaera.livejournal.com]

The best present I got omg it isn't even real yet and I don't care I'm so excited - My mother is making me this dress:



She went to a place in the states that sells end of the bolt remnants and got SEVENTEEN METERS OF BLUE VELVET OMG. Plus EVEN MOAR to make a black cloak for it.

I'm a member of the SCA and it's going to be ready for our Twelfth Night event and it's going to be amazing.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

OMG indeed!

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

My mother had an Ursula Vernon print I bought earlier this year professionally framed. And Dad bought her a Wii (well, Dad handed me his credit card and said "I don't know anything about this thing; you order it!"), which is kind of going to end up being a present for everyone.

[snippy]

We had presents weeks ago, being Jewish, and I got an omnibus edition of the first three Vampire's Assistant books because I liked the movie.

Today we saw Sherlock Holmes which I liked but wished was more slashy. And now I want a crossover of Sherlock Holmes and A Room With a View (which I watched again yesterday), so that Cyril Vyse (Daniel Day Lewis) goes to Dr. Watson about an ailment and stumbles into an investigation which he ruins, and then gets whipped soundly by Holmes.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

My brain parsed your first sentence as two distinct ones, and I got: "We had presents weeks ago. Being Jewish, I got an omnibus edition of the first three Vampire's Assistant books because I liked the movie." I was trying to think of what connection there could possibly be between vampirism and Judaism.

[jharrison19.livejournal.com]

I got raybans and a seagull TLR! Yay vintagey stuff!

[tephra]

I got a Resinsoul Mei to go with my Bobobie March. :) The March was the ultimate in surprise birthday gifts and she's been wanting company. Here's a photo of them together and both are in need of new hair. The Mei is the larger doll and she's also in need of clothing. Supposedly Tyler Wentworth clothing will fit her... I just have to locate some at prices that won't kill me.

[jedilora.livejournal.com]

I'm....actually sitting in the airport right now still. I got to the airport this morning in Boston to find that my original flight had been canceled, so today I've been in Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, and I'm about to get on the plane to my ultimate destination of Pasco, WA.

But this trip to see my dad's brother and cousins and Grandma was my Hannukah gift from the folks, so I got sitting in an airport.

My favorite thing was in MN, when the lady dressed as Mrs. Claus was wandering the airport giving out lollipops to "all the good boys and girls," and a little girl asked her where Santa was and she said, "He's home, napping. It was a long night for him!"

Awesome.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Awwwww.

Sincerely, good luck getting home. The whole Detroit thing is not going to make it any easier.

[soulforophelia.livejournal.com]

My favorite present, hands down, was a food processor.

I AM SO EXCITED. I totally want to go out and buy a shitload of peanuts and make peanut butter... or tomatoes... or anything that I can grind up. :)

[sertcake.livejournal.com]

I arranged for my mom to get my boyfriend a food processor. his reaction is pretty much the same (salsa! cheesecake! sausage! ground up food of any variety!) we got home and he ground up a potato, JUST BECAUSE HE COULD. =) Love presents that feel like toys even though we're adults now.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

Oh, and since you mentioned your love of jewelry, I want to plug the folks who designed one of my gifts from me to me: www.unusualearrings.com. They made me a gorgeous pair of hematite and silver double-pierced threads (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/Tabbyclaw/vistme/earring.jpg).

[delle.livejournal.com]

this was a jewelry Christmas for me - darling silver earrings w/ blue robins from the Dancing Daughter, amythyst hoops from Elder Son, sapphire drops from Younger Son and Himself and two pieces of Really Big jewelry (necklace and bracelet) from my mom.

Best gift? Having Elder Son home from TN/college for the holiday and how wonderful he is. (He went to Midnight Mass with us! Willingly! And participated! and when I told him he spent too much on Christmas for me and his brother - he gave Younger Son enough on a gift card for Younger Son to get the computer monitor he wants - Elder Son said 'it's Christmas and I love Christmas').

Dancing Daughter is in Hawaii with The Boyfriend and his family, my first year w/o one of my kidlets home for the holiday. I miss her.

Last night was full-out Polish (kielbasa and 5 kinds of homemade pierogi) and tonight is turkey w/ all the trimmings. I am going to put on *so* much weight!!!

[sunnygirlva20.livejournal.com]

I think my favorite presents are the Garmin GPS unit I got for my car (I'm always getting lost) and a new 12mp camera to replace my sadly beat up 8mp one.

I'm spending my Christmas break at my parent's house. I brought my 8 mth old kitten with me so she is walking around hissing and growling at the dogs (Carin terrier and basset hound). Its rather entertaining.

My brother came up from NC for 2 days and we managed to only have 1 fight so all in all its been a good holiday. Now excuse me I'm off to eat some left over ham.

[ellie-sparks.livejournal.com]

I got one for Christmas last year, and let me tell you, it never stops being helpful. Just make sure you don't leave it plugged in, or it'll drain your battery very abruptly (I made that mistake).

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Watched the rain melt the snow, did a couple of loads of laundry and spent about three hours trying to get into the Archive Of Our Own to read Yuletide fanfic before giving up.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

*is still lurking around AO3, watching each page take roughly two hours to load*

I did manage to read my story when the floodgates opened last night, and today my day started off with a squeeful note of thanks from my recipient, so ireally don't see how I could have asked for anything more for Christmas.

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

Happy Non-Denominational Giftmas and/or Day Off Work!

No, no. It's Happy New Who Day.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

OMG, yes! I totally forgot I need to...er, locate it. Canadian Who fan here. Got hooked on the Christmas Invasion a few years back (which is the only special they've shown here).