Yes! My one and only " Christmas" Walking Dead T Shirt
I only had three!....after all I am more a savoury pig out merchant rather than a sweet toothed bunny
Thank heavens we didn't buy any scotch eggs
Anyhow
As I was feeding two new geese on the field ( I am babysitting them for a couple who are off to Malaysia for a month) I got to thinking.....
The one "Christmas thing "that worries me about getting older, is that I will be soon at an age where socks and slippers will be gifts " du jour" so to speak......now don't get me wrong , I do love some practical gifts ( my mother in law 's lovely hand knitted scarf and accompanying gloves are just two of the more welcomed pressies)I have received) but I would like to think I am a still a little more interesting than the recipient of a pair of brown cotton socks!
This year, I have been incredibly lucky when it comes to interesting gifts
A tiny and robust radio for field use
A walking dead " Daryl Dixon" T shirt,
A ticket to see Mathew Bourne's sex filled Swan Lake
A ticket to see Mathew Bourne's sex filled Swan Lake
A selection of baking tins AND baking beans( oh be still my beating heart)
A " find the zombie" cartoon book!
A baby bulldog calendar
And one joint gift from one of Chris' old colleagues and friend proved to be an absolute delight
A commissioned piece of original Chinese style art
"Cockerel, hen and ducks"
Quite lovely
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE GIFT. & WHY.?
Right , Christmas is now officially OVER
An electric heated propagator, oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteVicarious pleasure !
DeleteThe cock picture is a lovely piece of artwork. My fave gift was a bottle of Glen Moray. It was so good, we drank it and bought another.
ReplyDeleteWho needs turkey
DeleteVery posh, RED luggage to take onmy next holiday !
ReplyDeleteLove the chooky painting!
Red luggage..... How very cosmo
DeleteA Bee Gees Greatest Hits CD. Why?.....Isn't it obvious?
ReplyDeleteAs obvious as my daryl Dixon t shirt!
DeleteMy Granson gave us a Kilner 8 piece Sloe gin Set. We can also use it for plum brandy and have already obtained the plums and brandy, trouble is you have to wait 3-4 months for it to work, damn....
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, lucky you.
The Chinese painting is so apt and very beautiful.
Briony
x
I saw it before Christmas ...it was delightful
DeleteTwo bottles of red saddle back wine from Australia's Crooked River winery - hand delivered by my daughter to all the way to Wiltshire! And I'll forgive her for the reindeer socks.
ReplyDeleteI would adore some reindeer socks
DeleteHa, John, Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThe best present of all is feeling the world isn't heading for some new catastrophe.
And world peace
DeleteWe no longer DO gifts. Is that worse than socks and slippers? And Christmas isn't yet over... over here. We have The Day of The Three Kings to look forward to January 6. A parade the day before. Lots of candy. And the traditional day to exchange gifts in Spain.
ReplyDeleteWell that makes me feel like a pressie grabbing capitalist!
DeleteX
Haha. My hubby doesn't do gifts either. If we can afford it, then we buy it when we need it.
DeleteRight now, I have to say, the best gift I have received is that all our boys are doing well back in NC.
And of course, all the friends I have made over the internet. :-)
Belated Merry Christmas John and gang. We get restaurant gift cards from the kids for Christmas and that is our best gift as they last us for months.
ReplyDeleteBy the way you should pop over and see the very strange Santa Ice Cream cake we had on Christmas Day......very strange looking!!
He looks like a pervert gill
DeleteThe title of your post - my sentiments exactly.
ReplyDeleteMy brother in law donated to the 'education for girls' charity on my behalf, which was extremely apt as I'd just finished reading 'I am Malala' - the schoolgirl who got shot by the Taliban. Coincidental, but I was delighted.
Btw - I had intentionally put Taliban with a small 't', but it seems blogger obliges us to spell the shit organisation with a capital. (soap box being put away now)
ReplyDeleteWell said that woman x
DeleteCareful about spurning the socks and slippers. You might end up with a set of lacy lingerie instead! (the mind boggles)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite gift? We have a beautiful glass chess set given to us by an old friend who died in a car crash. Not only it is lovely to use, it reminds us of a wonderful guy.
That's sweet and very moving
DeleteJohn, you are TOO kind to Nick. As you say 'sweet and moving'. But what the hell: Read his prose. He was given a GLASS chess set by a friend who died in a car crash. That's the sort of information I'd keep to myself on account of being too ironic to share with anyone.
DeleteMy bitch is on a short leash this minute (being the season of good will and all) so I shall not give her free reign to procure the last pair of kid gloves left to handle Nick.
As to you, my dear John, the day the perfect present for you presents itself I will procure and deliver it - personally. This is less of a threat than it sounds. My first aid skills are rusty and dormant but somewhere. Roll on Easter. You will seek. But shall you find?
U
my best gift was a quiet day at home with indian food for our meal (spouse has a sinus infection). and 2 marx brothers movies.
ReplyDeleteSounds Very Woody Allen x
DeleteTwo pairs of cashmere socks. Yes, I have reached that age of being uninteresting (but they were cashmere).
ReplyDeleteCashmere socks = classy bitch x
DeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteI received the obligatory socks, slippers, and scarf; but no gloves. Someone missed a trick!
ReplyDeleteI have a spare set..what size are your hands?
DeleteThank eff its over too! My best gift was ...oh hang on, I didn't get any gifts lol
ReplyDeleteOh no.....I now feel like a heel
DeleteBut the Tasmanian Minimalist probably didn't want gifts.
Deletelove the Daryl T-shirt. And the painting is divine. I would love that myself.
ReplyDeletewe have a £10 limit. I was very pleased with my Big Bang Theory mug (Sheldon pictured) and a pair of thermal socks.
Hope you haven't been blown away
More storms on the way sol x
Deleteoh no! Batten down the hatches. We came home early as we have water running down the lounge wall. Could be worse, we could have no power and be flooded. I feel sorry for all the people who aren't at home at present due to such terrible weather.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had so many gifts from my lovely family and it's hard to choose a favourite. But for sheer ingenuity I pick the Ordnance Survey map, centred around my home, with a personalised front page. It has a wonderful photo of my dog, with the caption, "A selection of Woolly's walks . . but please, not in the rain . . .sob."
ReplyDeleteMy son (who organised the gift) calls my dog Woolly because of his long coat.
I had a copy of 'The Times' printed on the day I was born - very interesting reading, especially the adverts - when plastic was the 'new' thing and Juno Juniper tablets kept you regular!
Oh - a 6 bedroom house with 3 reception rooms 'and all the usual offices' on 1 acre cost £3,420 Them were the days, eh?
I love thoughtful gifts like yours.l..
DeleteI once considered finishing a relationship when I recieved a microwave oven
My fave gift has to be the Star Wars Luke Skywalker figure that my OH bought me 36 years after my Mum refused to let 8 year old me spend my pocket money on 'such tat'. He also got me a Stormtrooper torch keyring, Abba cd (he hates them) and tickets to see the lovely Gary Barlow. His mother bought me tights (which I never wear) in a size small. I think she's hinting that I'm a fat b**tard and need to lose weight
ReplyDeleteI always wanted a wookie
DeleteThe Star Wars figures are brilliant. We have a box of them from years ago. As for the tights, cut the legs off them and turn them into draught excluders! Nothing worse than wearing too small tights. My mum is much shorter than me and gave me some of her tights - not comfy!!
Delete£30 in evans gift cards, bought some big girls knickers, a pair of leggings and a lovely pink hoodie - very practical stuff!
ReplyDeleteBack in October, my niece and her mum bought me combined xmas/birthday presies of a king sized 4.5 tog duvet and a duvet cover/pillowslips from Ikea, then more practical bits to unwrap on Solstice eve/day, such as, cheese, biscuits for cheese etc. For which I am very grateful.
Big girls knickers
DeleteThe mind boggles
Instead of my usual sensible 'Hotter' shoes from my Mum I requested a pair of metallic purple DM's. There will be plenty of opportunities for sensible shoes in the decades to come! I like the idea of the find the zombie cartoon book and would have loved the baking tins too!
ReplyDeleteIf you would have asked me if baking tins would have me excited a few years ago..........I would have laughed in your face... Now look at me x
DeleteLove the painting.....gifts.....I haven't received a Christmas gift in absolutely years.
ReplyDeleteWait...that's not true...I DID get a Christmas gift this year. ...a beautiful 2014 calendar depicting the Staffordshire Moorlands from my good friend Gary. Thanks again Gary...it is a beauty.
DeleteI have emailed you about this x
DeleteI tell all kids and grandkids to not bring me gifts as I have everything I want or need and they have other things to spend their money on...and since my birthday was two days after Christmas I got a beautiful Celtic Knot with Initial necklace in silver and grandson and I went to see The Hobbitt...and I'm glad it's over also! Get the house back in order and eat more sensibly!
ReplyDeleteSoup today
DeleteAnd Decs down tomorrow
!
The best and only Christmas present we got this year..a patio door!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Did you get any glass with it?
DeleteSeveral layers...BONUS!!
DeleteJane x
My son and his new bride got me the book "Auntie Mame" - the movie was something we (son and I) watched many many times when he was growing up. I think we often watched it so I could subconsciously prove to him that our life wasn't that weird, comparatively. ;) Auntie Mame continues to be one of my heroes.
ReplyDeleteAh everyone should have a mame in their lives
DeleteI loved all of my gifts this year John and not a practical one amongst them. One present was tickets for The Shard which we've yet to do.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen Mathew Bournes Swan Lake at Sadlers Wells and it's wonderful as is everything he touches ….. you're going to love it. XXXX
I ADORED THE SHARD
DeleteIt's a delightful experience
I'd just written a lengthy entry on how I haven't had any Xmas gift for many years (sob sob!). But, reading above, I find I'm by no means alone. So a quick press of 'Delete' was in order.
ReplyDeleteDon't let your new calendar make Winnie jealous.
Now I feel like a real capitalist heel again!
DeleteAs the P of W once famously said "Whatever that means!" (Oh, I'm not referring to a 'Prisoner of War', but there again.....)
DeleteLove that piece of Chinese style art John.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite gift? Has to be the beautiful leather handbag bought for me by the farmer. I look at it, smell the glorious leathery smell and then think it is too nice to use.
How is that hen by the way?
She looks a bit brighter today
DeleteI have housed her with Phyllis diller the scruffy poll....
No gifts for us.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tradition...
What about cards?
Delete2 books about Anne Boleyn. I love history.
ReplyDeleteThose are chris' type of pressie x
DeleteI would love some new socks! I'm sick of darning all of mine. My favourite presents were a CD from my young son (first time he's actually saved up and bought us presents so that was lovely). Also beautiful jars of jam and marmalade were appreciated. We don't have much money to spend so we keep gifts simple and cheap. I love getting practical things and would also appreciate baking tins. Sounds like you did ok from Santa.
ReplyDeleteI was very lucky
DeleteI know that x
Best present :: the news that I'm going to be a Nana again somewhere around July-time.
ReplyDeleteSecond best present :: 2 tickets to the 'Strictly Come Dancing' live show in Glasgow in February.
Practical gift :: the white umbrella my mother gave me which begged the question 'WTF'? Mind you, it topped last year's - a pair of dinky wee step-ladders!
Wow..you will see ben Cohen
DeleteINTHE FLESH
My best pressie was a CD of John Mayall's "the turning point", to save me from wearing out my beloved old LP. Closely followed by a Nordic Ware Bundt cake thermometer.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that amazes me the most is how little it takes to make me happy the older I get.
Don't mention scotch eggs ... Do you know you can but posh ones with runny yolks?
ReplyDeleteI saw the at borough market in London and almost WET myself in excitement
DeleteA complete set of Minecraft figures made of lego by my son. Oh - and the cashmere jumper from M which is miraculously tasteful!
ReplyDeletePS - it arrived today - thank you!
Bank it quick.. Before it bounces
DeleteX
The trick to not receiving boring gifts is to only exchange with interesting people who know you well. The Asian fowl art work is a lovely piece to add to the cottage. You'll love the baking beans your Sister gave you. You'll never have a pie crust bubble up on you again, just nice evenly baked & browned pastry every time,
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward not to have any soggy bottoms x
DeleteLove the Cockeral, Hen and Ducks. Such a beautiful, clever and appropriate gift.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite was a book which has been out of print for over forty years. The clever giver discovered it has just been republished. I have already guzzled it.
Catching up with an old friend eh?
DeleteA van load of logs off my brother-in-law
ReplyDeleteWarming AND Practical
DeleteI thought that one joint gift said one joint, and I became rather excited and pleased for you. I received a steel front door and a security storm door to replace my wood and glass door that Franklin was about to destroy. I feel much safer now, thank you.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I did a " joint" blog a while ago xxx
DeleteI wrote a post quite some time ago about how a boy invited me to a high school dance and then uninvited me because I went off to smoke pot at a party. When I left, he was out smoking pot. He returned before I did and was angry. Glad I didn't marry him. He turned into a very conservative Republican in spite of all the pot smoking while young.
DeleteMy favorite gift is having my daughter home for Christmas and the silk work of art scarf she gave me is lovely. Happy New Year to you! And lots of wishes for you stay to stay dry and safe from all the rain I have been reading about.
ReplyDeleteLong time no hear..... Same to you callie
DeleteLovely pair of felco's and holster this end. No socks nor slippers. Would have loved to receive that gorgeous painting. Personal gifts have so much meaning.
ReplyDeleteWhat are felcos?
DeleteFavourite gift - a set of ping pong bats & balls from my sister in law. We have no surface suitable to play on but will no doubt invent something! :-)
ReplyDeleteVery sodden here in our corner of France! hope it isn't too bad in your bit of Wales.
More storms on the way!
DeleteThank you for asking.......enjoy your wiff waff
My new dog George was my best gift this year. He's such a happy fellow!
ReplyDeleteMy new dog George was my best gift this year. He's such a happy fellow!
ReplyDeleteHe has a kind face jennifer
ReplyDeleteWe are capitalist pigs here too, John!! lol
ReplyDeleteLet me see....my favourite gift would have to be a Merino wool jacket made in New Zealand......has already come in handy here in the cold North Atlantic!!
I expect a fashion shoot on your next blog entry jimbo
DeleteOh the PRESSURE!!
DeleteIron the top and get it on line
DeleteWe haven't had our family Christmas yet - that happens sometimes. And this time, I will miss it as I had already made plans to be in Tucson. But I did get socks -- with kitty cats climbing a tree.
ReplyDeleteWell someone HAD to get socks x
DeleteAnd I like them. Must be because I'm shaking hands with 60.
DeleteJust behind you
DeleteMy fave present this year was a Joseph Bentley (brand) Stainless steel and wood handmade spade and digging fork for the garden, with a beautiful pair of leather gardening gloves as a bonus. Heaven!
ReplyDeleteHave a safe and merry New Year x.
Jo in Auckland, NZ
Happy Holidays everyone! My favorite present this year was actually for my younger daughter. Earlier in the year she wrote a poem about our family heritage for her English class which was wonderful. As a surprise my parents had it printed, matted and framed for her. It is beautiful! Such a thoughtful gift from Grandma and Grandpa! xo
ReplyDeleteI only had three!....after all I am more a savoury pig out merchant rather than a sweet toothed bunny
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one, old chum!
My go-to gift for everyone these days is booze.
LOVE the painting!! I got a wildlife cam this Christmas that I am having fun with, but I also got a beautiful print from Deb from "Just Cats", of a woman feeding her chickens by a Ontario stone farmhouse, about a century ago. I'm framing that one asap!
ReplyDeleteLove the T-shirt. They have begun showing The walking Dead here on free to air TV. :)
ReplyDeleteThe entire 49 disc set of "Star Trek Next Generation". I will be swooning over Patrick Stewart for a long while! :)
ReplyDeleteJohn, apart from waking up again - a gift not to be underestimated - I was in for a surprise a day early (23rd).
ReplyDeleteUnlike some of your grumpy old commentators above I wish someone would give me socks and gloves. Gloves being hopeless. Like umbrellas. Always getting lost. Socks I have borrowed from my son. Without his permission. Next best thing to running around barefoot. I swear cold seeps in feet first. I can't think with cold feet.
Get knitting. Having said that: Did you know that, apparently, we lose more body heat via our scalp than any other body part? Makes a good case for bobble hats. In other news: Angora wool is off the market.
U
A bottle of mead. Who would have thought it actually existed outside of Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh novels but it does and it is absolutely delicious.
ReplyDeleteThe best gift ? the love, thought & care my daughter showed helping her brother & their dad choose my gifts.
ReplyDeleteBest other gifts ? My estranged brother & me speaking by phone for the first time in years. I phoned him in Thailand & we eventually got through to each other. He then phoned our mother who so wanted to hear his voice.
last night's hot tub party for my daughter; seeing all the cousins together giggling away was a joy.
Terribly sentimental of me I know but it's just been the best Christmas because of family xx
A lovely story to end on
DeleteMy favorite Christmas gift arrived a week before the 24th. A couple of thoughtless children decided they didn't want their pup any longer and pushed her through the garden gate to my gardener. We're now proud owners of a little Canis Africanus which we've names Princess. The cats are still a little wary of her, but she is the best thing this year yet! xxx
ReplyDeleteI saw Swan Lake last year in Exeter and it was stupendous; the dancer who played the lead Swan was sex on a stick. Even reawakened my long since gone libido.
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it as much as I did.