And Now a Cheerful Thread...Name Some Memorable Gifts You've Given or Received

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
I mentioned on a previous thread how creative my best buddy has always been with presents. Sometimes it's not even a special occasion and he just drops off something for fun. Recently it was a whole box full of Monster High dolls for my daughter. He found them cheap at a yard sale and she was so happy.

Of course then I'll surprise him back and sneak to his house when he's at work and add yard decorations. Something unusual I found last year was a spider planter. He likes spiders so I put some pretty purple mums...a favorite color in the planter and left it on his porch...a few gnomes, once a big beautiful wind catcher and light balls.

His specialty is goodie bags and boxes. You'll open a box and there will be a handbag, sectioned box or backpack. In each pocket or section will be something thoughtful. He knows I love cats, bracelets, purple, bull dogs, and books. So there might be a purple purse, a cat knickknack, bull dog socks, a framed picture of my dogs and a Barnes and Noble gift card...oh and a Starbucks one so I can have coffee while I read.

How about you? When you got a present came from the heart or gave one?
 

I think I've told this story before on here but in case I haven't , here's the tale of how I came to be given the best gift I ever received.

Some years ago I was posting on a very large but now defunct over 50's forum, and mentioned that i was no good at knitting and had always wanted to own an Arran cardigan, but it was impossible to buy because I wanted it in red and stores only sold the cream coloured ones.

A lady whom I'd never had any interaction with at all who lived in a completely different part of the country to me ..sent me a PM saying if I sent her my measurements , she would buy the wool and knit the cardigan for me and I could settle up with her when it was finished..very trusting of her, but I was delighted and readily agreed!

Fast forward a short few weeks and I got an email from her asking for my address and she would send the cardigan, I asked her how much I owed her and I would send it electronically, she said no, because she would be putting the bill along with her address in with the package.. ( Wow, even more trusting I thought)

Anyone who knits by hand will know that Arran knitting is hard work, and the wool costs a lot of money..

Anyway the parcel duly arrives and the cardigan is there absolutely beautifully knitted, and a perfect fit, and inside the parcel a sealed envelope...but when I open it, instead of the bill and her address which I was expecting, was a beautifully hand written letter, and it said... ( i've shortened it a lot and paraphrased )

Dear ****

I hope you like your cardigan, I enjoyed knitting it for you. I have to apologise however, because it was never my intention to charge you for it. You see, recently my sister was dying, and all through her suffering I begged God to let her live, and I made a pact with him that if he did, I would thank him by showing a kindness to 3 strangers.

You are the last of those 3 in my pact, and so I hope that you will forgive my duplicity in allowing you to believe you would pay for it, but that was never my intention. ..so that is why there is neither a return address nor a Bill for the work. I enjoyed doing it, so please wear it with the my blessing and kindness of God!!

With best wishes ****


The funny thing is, that I'd never spoken to that lady on that particular forum, and I never saw her post again there...she just disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived ...but if she ever reads this, I want you to know ****y that I still have that beautiful red Arran cardigan and wear it every winter.. :)
 
One Christmas, I opened a present from my late husband that turned out to be one of those Harlequin Romance-type paper backs titled "With this Ring". Being as how I never read those kinds of books, I thanked him and set it down. He said, "No, read it - you might like it." So, to humor him, I opened it and in a hollowed-out place in the book was the diamond eternity ring I had been wanting for some time. I still have the ring....and the book.
 

Hollydolly and Jujube those are 2 of the most touching stories I've ever heard.

What I was going to say is going to be quite a come down. When my 2nd oldest son and his wife had their daughter, they were in their 40s so we knew it would be their only child. They named her after my mom so I took a pair of my mom's gold earrings with her initial on each one and mailed it over for my grand-daughter to have when she grows up.


 
hollydolly said:
I think I've told this story before on here but in case I haven't , here's the tale of how I came to be given the best gift I ever received.

Some years ago I was posting on a very large but now defunct over 50's forum, and mentioned that i was no good at knitting and had always wanted to own an Arran cardigan, but it was impossible to buy because I wanted it in red and stores only sold the cream coloured ones.

A lady whom I'd never had any interaction with at all who lived in a completely different part of the country to me ..sent me a PM saying if I sent her my measurements , she would buy the wool and knit the cardigan for me and I could settle up with her when it was finished..very trusting of her, but I was delighted and readily agreed!

Fast forward a short few weeks and I got an email from her asking for my address and she would send the cardigan, I asked her how much I owed her and I would send it electronically, she said no, because she would be putting the bill along with her address in with the package.. ( Wow, even more trusting I thought)

Anyone who knits by hand will know that Arran knitting is hard work, and the wool costs a lot of money..

Anyway the parcel duly arrives and the cardigan is there absolutely beautifully knitted, and a perfect fit, and inside the parcel a sealed envelope...but when I open it, instead of the bill and her address which I was expecting, was a beautifully hand written letter, and it said... ( i've shortened it a lot and paraphrased )

Dear ****

I hope you like your cardigan, I enjoyed knitting it for you. I have to apologise however, because it was never my intention to charge you for it. You see, recently my sister was dying, and all through her suffering I begged God to let her live, and I made a pact with him that if he did, I would thank him by showing a kindness to 3 strangers.

You are the last of those 3 in my pact, and so I hope that you will forgive my duplicity in allowing you to believe you would pay for it, but that was never my intention. ..so that is why there is neither a return address nor a Bill for the work. I enjoyed doing it, so please wear it with the my blessing and kindness of God!!

With best wishes ****


The funny thing is, that I'd never spoken to that lady on that particular forum, and I never saw her post again there...she just disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived ...but if she ever reads this, I want you to know ****y that I still have that beautiful red Arran cardigan and wear it every winter.. :)
Click to expand...

Wonderful story! I actually got a little misty eyed. Thanks for sharing that!
 
Years back, hubby made me a desert terrarium from an empty fish tank we had. He worked on it behind my back, in the basement, I was not aware at all. He carefully picked nice plants, rocks and other things to make it very natural. I loooved it, and loved him for taking the time to do it. I kept it going for quite awhile, but I have a black thumb when it come to plants. I don't kill them from neglect, my husband says I kill them with kindness. :(
 
Linda, heirloom jewelry is a very special gift indeed. I gave my niece my grandmother's diamond earrings before her wedding. My daughter in law got my mother's anniversary band. Better to pass the things on ourselves ya know?
 
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