This year, my present haul went pretty well overall I think. I didn’t dislike anything I got in particular, and liked most everything pretty well. Last year, my roommate and I brought my daughter to the store to get presents for us, this year we couldn’t afford the extra presents which is unfortunate but hopefully we resume it next year.
It all started at Thanksgiving where I got my gifts from my brother as usual. From him, I got his usual donation to charity, but this year I got a $50 gift card to a local movie theater. This gift was a hugely meaningful gift to us and I don’t think my brother knew how much it meant. In a year in which we have been struggling to pay the bills, one of the first things we stopped doing was going out to see movies. And seeing movies was something that we did on a regular basis previously. This gift allows us to go out and do something we enjoy doing, but at its base it allows us to get out and do something, which is phenomenal for us. We have already seen 2 movies: Black Swan and Tron: Legacy. We are rationing the card in hopes of seeing two more before it is used up.
Next my sister, who traditionally has struggled to figure out what to get me I think. This year I don’t think she did that bad. They got me a tube that they filled with Dr. Pepper (which is my favorite Soda) and they put a key to my car that I asked for. And then they also got me some Strawberry and Rhubarb Cherry jam in a jam holding container, then lastly my sister made a shaving kit for me. None of these gifts I thought were terrible. I liked the tube of soda and the jam quite a bit and will put use to the shaving kit. So I think it was all good.
My mom and I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond shortly after Thanksgiving to buy my gift because I knew what I wanted to get, but wanted to actually go and feel it to make sure that I was picking the right brand. I wanted a couple of really nice knives and so I had set my eyes on a pair of Global knives. However, even though they said they carried the brand, BB&B didn’t have Global in store. We instead picked up the Calphalon knives and decided these would also be good and so my mom got me a Chef’s Knife and a Paring Knife, using a 10% coupon to help stem the cost. This was a very exciting present to me because our knives that we had previously were falling apart and rusting (one knife was being held together by duct tape). So we desperately needed something new to cut with.
My roommate’s parents asked me what I wanted this year, they decided on a gift card. Initially I told them Target as they have a better game department and a broader range of things to get. However, I got a $10 gift card at Best Buy from doing something good at work, so they got me an additional $50 at Best Buy so that I could be sure to get something, or a couple of things, that are good. They also bought me a tiny Italian Recipe book, I haven’t fully looked through it but I always enjoy getting recipe books and I love Italian food so this was good.
Lastly, my roommate. I don’t think my roommate quite topped the present that she got me from last year, but again for the second year in a row I think she did pretty darn good. This year she totally re-did my bathroom. She got me new bamboo towels, bamboo wash clothes, a bathmat, shower curtains, toothbrush holder and new wall art that all matched. It was all yellow, grey and stainless steel which was awesome. It had the feel of modern without the sacrifice of color which is what I like to go for. The theme was a city, because I like cities and the buildings. The curtain was very unique and was like and artist’s drawing of skyscrapers. It is hard to describe, but it is really cool and I was thrilled by it. The bathmat is also something of note, it is not just a normal mat, it has these little cloth peg things which are funny but kind of feel good on your foot. It gives character to the room (as if it needed it but it is great).