What's the best present you ever gave and received?

I usually don't want much for holidays so I generally get what I ask for. I think the best gifts are when you're not expecting them, at other times of the year for example. Can't think of the best present, maybe when my parents bought me my first truck, it was a suprise.

I remember the holidays based on good times with family and friends.

When my Dad was in the military and my parents were overseas, my mother's high school yearbooks were lost while in storage.  When I was a teenager, I wrote a letter to her school and they actually found an extra copy of her senior yearbook and sent it to me for $5. 

I gave my mom the yearbook for Christmas.  She was definitely surprised! 

My oldest brother, McKenzie, loves to grill -- he grills his dinner almost every night, so a few years ago, I him a brand that said 'MAC', so he could brand the steaks he grilled.

It's awesome. Now everytime I'm over there, he offers up a "Mac" steak. He even travels with it when he comes home for the holidays.

My dad and I took a trip to Boston on Sept. 20, 2001.  Well, he had this little money clip/nail file/pocket knife thingy that he had carried for about 25 years.  It was a gift to him and it had his company logo on it and everything and it was just part of...well...him.  It was just one of those things that he was used to having and was particularly attached to it.

Well, the security guy was going to let it go until some a*s hole standing behind us pipes up and says, "Hey that thing has a blade!"  Bye bye sentimental money clip.  Honestly, the thing couldn't have cut hot water.

As it turns out, my wife (girlfriend at the time) happened to know some people at the airport and made some calls.  She got in touch with a guy who worked in the security area who had access to the confiscations.  This guy dug through about 3 trash bags full of stuff until he found it.

I got to send it to him that Christmas.  I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he opened it.

Aawww...thats sweet!

Funny how two characters such a small amount of information can tell such a story, eh?

Not to hijack, but we didn't fly out of BR until 6, got in at 1 in the morning here, so no buffet last night. Fixing to head up the strip, though.

The best present I ever gave was a 1999 Honda Civic to my mom in 2000!  The joy on her face was just too much.  BTW, I am not rich or anything, I had just received a rather sizeable backcheque at that time and my mom's old Honda was falling apart..

The best present I ever got was my cat, Darwin, from my wife in August 2000 ... sort of an early birthday present.