What's the best gift you've ever gotten or given?

dar512 · 11-30-2006, 02:49 PM

When Mrs. Dar and I were newlyweds, we would try to outdo each other as to how much we loved each other. "I love you higher than a skyscraper" etc. We ended up, of course, with "I love you infinity" -- which we've been using ever since.

Last year I bought her an infinity bracelet (a mobius strip made of silver). I'm pretty proud of that one.

Mrs. Dar gave me a PC toolkit many years ago that I absolutely loved. Mostly because it wasn't on my list, but she knew I'd like it.

I also got a Swiss Army knife one year from my Mom. That also was unexpected and has been well loved.

Hoof Hearted · 11-30-2006, 03:57 PM

My hubby loves toasty bathrobes. He wore his old one to death some years ago and we never replaced it because he could never find a bathrobe that had all of his "requirements":
Hood.
Long sleeves.
Deep pockets.
Tie not attached.
Super long length.

The bathrobes we found were usually lacking in the super-long-length department as they mostly came only to just below the knees.

So, I bought a pattern and altered it to make it super long...and I made him a robe out of fleece with a hood, and long sleeves, and deep pockets, and a non-attached tie AND a length that came down to his ankles!

He loved it and had no clue that I had been making it for him. I find him wrapped up in it on the couch...with only his nose peeking out of the hood and his slippered toes barely peeking out of the hem.

Aliantha · 11-30-2006, 04:51 PM

My wedding ring.

11-30-2006, 07:49 PM

Multiple orgasm.

JayMcGee · 11-30-2006, 07:59 PM

ahhh..... you're a treasure, hoof, you really are. I sincerely hope your man knows how lucky he is.

As for me.... I think the best I got was from the Current Wife on my 50th - a totally unexepected weekend at Portmerion.

skysidhe · 11-30-2006, 08:01 PM

I got a huge fat 1000 page book on charts from my partner a couple of days ago.

In the mail all the way from Canada I recieved a white wool jacket with a Rush patch on the sleave plus a couple other things.

I'll post a picture of them later since I am very proud of these guys who make me feel so incredibly loved and that is the best gift.

SteveDallas · 11-30-2006, 10:27 PM

I think I would have to say a bouquet of flowers that I gave Mrs. Dallas in 1994. It was opening night of her conducting The Gondoliers.

Sounds fairly commonplace, except that I was playing in the orchestra. What this meant was that we were at home together, we drove together in the same car, we were setting up music stands, etc. etc. etc. We were never apart for the whole evening.

Even so, she didn't see the flowers until after the show and was completely surprised by them. She still talks about how (pleasantly) shocking it was.

There was also the time I sent her flowers at work for Valentine's Day when she was working in Center City Philadelphia. So she had to carry the flowers home on the subway, and apparently attracted a satisfying level of jealousy from other women.

Along the same jealous vein, her birthday was this past Tuesday. I took the afternoon off to take her to lunch in Philadelphia. This seemed to not be a big deal--something nice, surely, and something we don't get to do that often, but not something to write home about in shock and amazement. Yet the other moms at the bus stop were all fawning over me & being so impressed that I'd do something like that. (I find this something of a cause for concern--I don't need to cause more trouble with the other men in the neighborhood!)

dar512 · 12-01-2006, 09:06 AM

Nice guys really do finish first - where it counts.

Sheldonrs · 12-01-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dar512

Nice guys really do finish first - where it counts.

If they are REALLY nice, they make sure their partner finishes first. ;-)

Sundae · 12-01-2006, 10:12 AM

I bought my parents tickets to see Turandot, which isn't staged very often. They were expensive - relatively, I had the money for them at the time - so it's something they wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for me.

My Mum was grateful when she opened them, "Oh you shouldn't" etc etc, but it was her face on the night, when they got back home that stays with me. I wish I could make her look like that every night.

And my Dad's whispered, "Thank you. We both cried our eyes out"

12-01-2006, 11:02 AM

Honestly, my wife and I have exchanged some great ones in our time. Quite a few hand-mades. Some well written ones and some trips.
I don't think of a wedding or our relationship as a gift.
I'm a dude, my memory is not specific like that, they were all great and wonderful.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-01-2006, 10:10 PM

One of the best, and can be redone every year, is put money on their account at the vets.

I gave my folks a trip to Hawaii for their anniversary but they were going until spring so I gave them dolls for Christmas.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-01-2006, 10:13 PM

Probably the gift I gave, that brought me the most pleasure, was a puppy.

skysidhe · 12-01-2006, 10:22 PM

aww so sweet!

Those are great gifts Bruce. I love what you did with those dolls.

[edited out spiel about red flags. Thanks steve]

SteveDallas · 12-01-2006, 10:38 PM

In my experience, if flags are going off, there's always a reason.

People are weird about money. If I pick up a video game for $25, Mrs. Dallas will often give me "a look." She'll never say anything and she'll never admit it, but I know she thinks I shouldn't spend the money "frivolously." On the other hand there are certain expenditures relating to clothing and lunches out with friends that I would never make myself and consider equally frivolous, but are just natural for her.

11-30-2006, 02:49 PM	#1
dar512 dar512 is now Pete Zicato Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago suburb Posts: 4,968	What's the best gift you've ever gotten or given? When Mrs. Dar and I were newlyweds, we would try to outdo each other as to how much we loved each other. "I love you higher than a skyscraper" etc. We ended up, of course, with "I love you infinity" -- which we've been using ever since. Last year I bought her an infinity bracelet (a mobius strip made of silver). I'm pretty proud of that one. Mrs. Dar gave me a PC toolkit many years ago that I absolutely loved. Mostly because it wasn't on my list, but she knew I'd like it. I also got a Swiss Army knife one year from my Mom. That also was unexpected and has been well loved. __________________ "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." -- Friedrich Schiller

11-30-2006, 03:57 PM	#2
Hoof Hearted ...you smell something? Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Monroe, GA Posts: 420	My hubby loves toasty bathrobes. He wore his old one to death some years ago and we never replaced it because he could never find a bathrobe that had all of his "requirements": Hood. Long sleeves. Deep pockets. Tie not attached. Super long length. The bathrobes we found were usually lacking in the super-long-length department as they mostly came only to just below the knees. So, I bought a pattern and altered it to make it super long...and I made him a robe out of fleece with a hood, and long sleeves, and deep pockets, and a non-attached tie AND a length that came down to his ankles! He loved it and had no clue that I had been making it for him. I find him wrapped up in it on the couch...with only his nose peeking out of the hood and his slippered toes barely peeking out of the hem. __________________ I have the ability of single-minded determination and focu...Hey, look! A horse!

11-30-2006, 04:51 PM	#3
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	My wedding ring. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

11-30-2006, 07:59 PM	#5
JayMcGee Cardigan-wearing man Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Much Binding In The Marsh Posts: 1,082	ahhh..... you're a treasure, hoof, you really are. I sincerely hope your man knows how lucky he is. As for me.... I think the best I got was from the Current Wife on my 50th - a totally unexepected weekend at Portmerion. __________________ I like wearing cardigans...... my current favourite is an orange cable-knit with real leatherette buttons.

12-01-2006, 09:06 AM	#8
dar512 dar512 is now Pete Zicato Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago suburb Posts: 4,968	Nice guys really do finish first - where it counts. __________________ "Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." -- Friedrich Schiller

11-30-2006, 07:49 PM	#4
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	Multiple orgasm.

11-30-2006, 08:01 PM	#6
skysidhe ~~Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.~~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 6,828	I got a huge fat 1000 page book on charts from my partner a couple of days ago. In the mail all the way from Canada I recieved a white wool jacket with a Rush patch on the sleave plus a couple other things. I'll post a picture of them later since I am very proud of these guys who make me feel so incredibly loved and that is the best gift.

11-30-2006, 10:27 PM	#7
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	I think I would have to say a bouquet of flowers that I gave Mrs. Dallas in 1994. It was opening night of her conducting The Gondoliers. Sounds fairly commonplace, except that I was playing in the orchestra. What this meant was that we were at home together, we drove together in the same car, we were setting up music stands, etc. etc. etc. We were never apart for the whole evening. Even so, she didn't see the flowers until after the show and was completely surprised by them. She still talks about how (pleasantly) shocking it was. There was also the time I sent her flowers at work for Valentine's Day when she was working in Center City Philadelphia. So she had to carry the flowers home on the subway, and apparently attracted a satisfying level of jealousy from other women. Along the same jealous vein, her birthday was this past Tuesday. I took the afternoon off to take her to lunch in Philadelphia. This seemed to not be a big deal--something nice, surely, and something we don't get to do that often, but not something to write home about in shock and amazement. Yet the other moms at the bus stop were all fawning over me & being so impressed that I'd do something like that. (I find this something of a cause for concern--I don't need to cause more trouble with the other men in the neighborhood!)

12-01-2006, 10:12 AM	#10
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I bought my parents tickets to see Turandot, which isn't staged very often. They were expensive - relatively, I had the money for them at the time - so it's something they wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for me. My Mum was grateful when she opened them, "Oh you shouldn't" etc etc, but it was her face on the night, when they got back home that stays with me. I wish I could make her look like that every night. And my Dad's whispered, "Thank you. We both cried our eyes out" __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

12-01-2006, 11:02 AM	#11
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	Honestly, my wife and I have exchanged some great ones in our time. Quite a few hand-mades. Some well written ones and some trips. I don't think of a wedding or our relationship as a gift. I'm a dude, my memory is not specific like that, they were all great and wonderful.

12-01-2006, 10:10 PM	#12
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	One of the best, and can be redone every year, is put money on their account at the vets. I gave my folks a trip to Hawaii for their anniversary but they were going until spring so I gave them dolls for Christmas. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 04-07-2007 at 05:49 PM.

12-01-2006, 10:13 PM	#13
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Probably the gift I gave, that brought me the most pleasure, was a puppy. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 04-07-2007 at 05:49 PM.

12-01-2006, 10:22 PM	#14
skysidhe ~~Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.~~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 6,828	aww so sweet! Those are great gifts Bruce. I love what you did with those dolls. [edited out spiel about red flags. Thanks steve] Last edited by skysidhe; 12-01-2006 at 10:51 PM.

12-01-2006, 10:38 PM	#15
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	In my experience, if flags are going off, there's always a reason. People are weird about money. If I pick up a video game for $25, Mrs. Dallas will often give me "a look." She'll never say anything and she'll never admit it, but I know she thinks I shouldn't spend the money "frivolously." On the other hand there are certain expenditures relating to clothing and lunches out with friends that I would never make myself and consider equally frivolous, but are just natural for her.

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