A bird bath with a solar powered fountain and a machine that tempers chocolate were my favorites.
kay

It was a very lean Christmas here this year.
We mainly just bought for the grandkids.
But I did get one gift from my DH. Some very badly needed RAM for my computer. :-)

The best gift I got this year was being able to share yet one more Christmas here with my 85 year old dad. 2nd ....being able to share a couple hearty and genuine lauphs with a sister who I'm frequently at odds with. 3rd...not being overcome with anger over my eldest son's decision not to spend Christmas day with his mother and close family, but rather with his dad who pretty much abandoned him from age 2.

None of the above were gifts from family or friends. These were gifts from God, and made my Christmas day Very Special and Memorable indeed.

Linda

My best gift was being able to be here another year and spend christmas with two of my daughters,and I didn't have to cook one single thing. 2nd best was my first daylily journal from the membership some one bought for me..I have no idea who bought it for me,but,I surely loved this first journal.So many pretty pictures and information to read in it.

Jean

A Hohner Blues Harp harmonica in C.

I was happy to read all your post---Linda , your were blessed this year with the great gift of family. You also Jean, spending Christmas with your Daughters and not having to COOK!! YAHOOO! Ed, you will have to utube us a tune on that Hohners. Maybe a little John Lee Hooker??????
the season is still young I wonder who else will share with us....

ps I got 30lbs of deer meat grounded for the dogs this am!!! oh Santa is still out there and we got water again! all the pipes froze up here...............
cole

The turkey didn't thaw so we were FORCED to eat out. No cooking, no dishes, just a nice meal at a Chinese buffet. Then we drove around to see all the Christmas lights that we didn't get to see before because of the shopping traffic. That was a gift to me from above....

It has been an emotional holiday for my family this year as it was our first Christmas without my Dad. My best gift was having my neice and nephew come up and help make Christmas cookies with Mom and I. It was the begining of a new family tradition that will have nothing but happy memories associated with it.

My second best gift was heated seats for my winter truck from DH, although I really wish they would have come a couple of weeks earlier as horrible as our weather has been the last two weeks!

Julie

My favorite gift...the chance to drive to WA and visit my 103 yo grandmother and let my kids spend Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa. It has been 3yrs since we were last in WA.

Second favorite...lots of gardening books on daylilies and iris to read including Stout's 1934 "Daylilies" and the AIS' 1979 "World of Iris" which both contain good history of species and early hybridizing and developments in hybrids.

Well we didn't do Christmas this year, we only bought for the 4 youngest grandchildren. We didn't even put up a tree, nor do we have one to take down. That was the part I always dreaded. It's strange not to put up a tree as I've always had them all over my house and at least one in EVERY room of the house.

As I've got older I now realize that the tree and all the trimmings is not the true meaning of Christmas. I personally never could understand my mother telling me she didn't want or need anything, and don't bother with getting me anything. Now, I understand 100%. Times are too difficult to buy for everyone and everyone EXPECT something in exchange.

We celebrated Chirstmas at Church and had our Christmas dinner there. We did exchange cards at church with one another, but everything was hand delivered and made it much more meaningful.

Then last night for New Years we were in bed by 7:30 and asleep by 8:30. We slept through the New Year shabang.

So I guess my favorite gift would have to be the gift of Jesus Christ.

Happy Gardening and Happy New Year EVERYONE!
Marian

Happy New Year, daylily lovers!

103?!!!!!

Marian, we made it to 10 pm last night.

My favorite Christmas gift this year was the ability to finally buy my sweet step-dad a whole bunch of presents that he actually wanted.

I never know what to get him, and so he never really gets much for Christmas (gift certificates).

This year was different: he retired, and my mom kept mentioning all kinds of little things he could use around the house and Mike and I bought all of them. He was opening presents for over an hour! It was so fun.

Wishing for health and happiness for all of you this new year!
Renee

My favorite gift was my first hug and kiss from my youngest grandbaby. My second favorite gift was from my husband...a dump-truck load of nice dirt - a 14-yarder. That should keep me busy for a while!

I hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous 2009.

I had lots of favorites....one of the best was all my family being together on Christmas Eve and the very best of all was my new great granddaughter, Kelsey, born on Dec. 10th. Here she is at "Nanna's" for Christmas Eve.

What an awesome, proud Nana you are, Jan!!! I got to see my grandbaby during the first week of Dec. They went to Venezuela for Christmas and New Years to see Manuel's family. They are supposed to be here for our "late Christmas and my birthday" sometime later this month. I am a long ways from being a great grandma, but it is really nice to see Serenna interact with Mom. She is the first Greatgrandbaby to be close enough for Mom to get to see often and watch grow up. Serenna is her 13th. great grandbaby, so I am so glad that Schlumberger decided to transfer Manuel to Sugar Land, TX so not only am I closer, but Mom actually gets to see her more than once a year, as it seems all the other ones are so far away, that's about all she gets to see them, if even that often. So, my Christmas with my grandbaby will be later this month, but that's OK with me as I am glad that she is getting to see her Grandma and Great Grandma on Manuel's side, and I can't wait for my hug again!!! LOL Congratulations on your new addition and bundle of love and thanks for the so sweet picture!!! Jan G.

Oh my goodness Jan you and I have alot more in common. My great granddaughter Camber Lynn was born December 18th while her daddy was home from Iraq on leave.

It's nice to have someone fairly close to my age to chat and visit with. LOL Kelsey is so beautiful and looks like a little doll. I know your going to SPOIL her rotten.

Now if we can just get some blooms out of our daylilies as lovely as our baby girls we'll have it made. (wink)

Happy Gardening Everyone,
Marian

My favorite gift was my new Sirius Satellite Radio subsription. I work at home on my computer and spend lots of time at my desk. Don't like to listen to the free radio I do not like talk radio and the stuff I like to listen to is not played on air.

In case your not familiar with this, its much like the concept of cable TV. No commercials, which in return you pay a monthly fee for the service. There is an internet option were you get to sign up and get the service on your computer and just listen on your speakers. They are just the side of my screen so here I sit typing on my computer and listening to commercial free music.

And you can have what you want. My favorite channel is 50s On 5 which is the the pop music of the 50s. Life before the Beatles invasion. I love it so much that I hate to turn on the TV to watch some favorite TV show of mine because I have to turn off the radio. I have been staying up really late at night (till 2AM) reading great fiction and listening to great old songs on Sirius Internet Radio. Life has been good.