I have been trying to do this myself - not for gifts but to let people know they are special to me. For instance, I was over a project through our church that involved the Operation Christmas Child (shoebox project). There is an elderly lady in our church who is not able to get out and shop for project materials, etc. She made sure to get money to me for our project. She is always one to volunteer for any job - even when many people much younger than her do not. Not long ago I noticed that. She is always so sweet to me. I wrote a note so she would know that she inspires and motivates me.

Best gifts I have received -

One that is special to me is the charm bracelet my husband started me many years ago and bought charms over the years to represent events in our lives. I treasure it.

When my mom was ill there are two of her closest friends who helped us so much. They were there for us every step of the way. They are still there and I have become very close to both of them. This past mother's day I sent them a card - not a mother's card (because no one will replace my mom), but a card that read "to a special person on mother's day" or something like that. I wrote both of them notes telling them what they mean to me.

I love this post HH and hope many people take your advice. We are sometimes so quick to complain when we don't like something, but I think it is important to let people know when they are appreciated too.

My Mother used to make nutroll, which required a lot of work~~3 risings. I had never learned to make it, and she passed away several years ago. Christmas never seemed like Christmas w/o her nutroll.

I mentioned this to my best friend a few years ago, and low and behold, she found and elderly lady who baked and sold the nutroll every Christmas, and i've received it as a gift the last 3 years. Unfortunately the lady passed away this year, now it's back to square one........or me finding Mom's recipe.

IMO, some of the best gifts are MEMORIES that take us back to our childhood or our 'much' younger days. ;o)

The best gift I ever received materially was a Montgomery Ward sewing machine as a wedding gift when I was 14. It came from my sister, who bought it on credit. I used that machine to sew curtains and clothing for my kids. I made Prom dresses and coats on that basic stitch machine for years. When it bit the dust, I cried. I recently told her it was the best gift I have ever received.

The best gift I ever received in a non material sense was a baby. I am Facebook friends with the person who gave me the absolute ultimate gift of trust. I enjoy seeing all the photos of her 6 year old son as he is thriving and growing. We have developed a mutual admiration for each other. There is no better gift and she knows how I feel about her.

My best Christmas Gift ever: DD2 hands down. I was irregularly contracting all day on Christmas, she was born the next morning. I had a c-section, and when they wheeled her into recovery she was wrapped inside a red and white stocking made by the volunteers and a red hat with a giant bow. It was in that moment that I decided to change her name from the original we had chosen for her.

Another was what my co-workers did for me when I had to have a total knee replacemant soon after DD2 was born. At the time DD1 was just 2, and DD2 was 4 months. Once I was home from the hospital, I was barely able to care for my babies or cook for them. DH stayed home the first week and sporadically my MIL would come and "help." However, my coworkers took turns every day sending over meals and when a family member wasn't there many of them stayed to help me with the kids. It was an excruciating rehab, I still can't believe I went through that with an infant and a toddler at home. I don't think I would have been able to do it without my wonderful co-workers.

As for a material gift, hard to say. There has never been anything that really knocked my socks off. Just goes to show you how material things are not everything.

golddust, you got married when you were 14???

One of the best gifts I ever got was great mainly because it was a surprise, and DH isn't really known for surprises. Usually every Christmas he asks me what I want, and I need to be very specific -- basically provide him with a web link to the exact item, and he orders it. He is very generous but there's not much "surprise" factor. One year, though, for some reason he went to the Kate Spade store and picked out a pocketbook for me. I almost fell off my chair when I opened it. First because I had never had a purse anywhere near that nice, and second because he chose it on his own and I thought it was so sweet!

Another great DH gift, which says a lot about the guy I married. He turned 50 a few months ago, and when he did, he told us he wanted to buy US (me and the 3 kids) gifts. The kids each got very generous gifts, and I got a celebration ring from Tiffany.

My real favorites, though, are the gifts and cards my kids have made for me over the years. There's nothing like a card written in crayon saying "You're the best mom in the world"!

Polly - you are so right about the material things.

Another special gift - one year my sister and I wanted those Gunny Sax dresses (anyone remember those?) which were expensive. My dad was on strike and my mom was a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids. We didn't lack for anything that Christmas. We had other gifts and instead of buying 2 gunny sax dresses, mom (who was an excellent seamstress) made one for my sister and I (they had gunny sax patterns). Such detail. Looking at that dress still makes me cry. Yes, I still have it - tucked away in my cedar chest.

Goldie - your response brought tears to my eyes.

tina

A locket my husband and kids picked out for me. I have tiny pictures of them in it. I wear it all the time.

Tina, I remember the gunny sax dresses- I was married in one. They were so pretty, I wanted that instead of a traditional wedding dress. It was ivory, with an empire waist and leg of mutton sleeves. Very seventies!

What a nice reminder of how nice it feels to be remembered. I guess I have several best gifts.

My best present was a horse from my dad when I was 14, when I needed something to throw my arms around and tell my troubles to. I still have dreams of Sundance.

The best gift I ever received was gifts of kindness from friends and strangers when my daughter and her family were in an auto accident. The cell phone company wrote off all charges for two months, a real estate broker dropped her fees on a home sale, my future DIL brought clean under clothes, neighbors fed our animals, an unknown group of MOMS later brought meals, strangers in the halls prayed, we had a blanket to sleep on the floor of the waiting room, later Ronald McDonald's house charged only $5 a day. People went the extra mile, especially the nurses. An amazing year of kindness that I had never experienced before.

I also love the cards I've collected from my children and grandchildren.

As I am involved with genealogy, I am engrossed in old family photos that have been passed down to me. I like to scan and enlarge them, and imagine what their day was like.
Looks like I need to get out my cards and write a few notes. Thanks for the reminder.

Tina! I still have the dress my mother made for me from a Gunny Sax pattern too. My mom was a great seamstress who often made her own patterns as well. (I didn't mean to make you cry!)

Sue, yes. I was married and *completely* on my own at age 14. Aimee was born two months after I turned 15. My mom firmly believed that you "make the bed you lay in." Today it's called natural consequences. I had sex with my boyfriend one time and got pregnant. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. Aimee has brought so much happiness into my life and I take great pride in raising her myself. I stayed married to her father for about 4 years but it was difficult because of his abuse. (Maybe the stress was too much for him, I don't know.) I did know that I did not want Aimee raised in that environment. When I was old enough to get a job and support myself and my daughter, I did just that. My parents didn't offer a dime to help but they had full confidence in my ability.

Sueb, thank you for reminding me of the cards and letters. When ever my kids would ask me what I wanted for a special day, I always told them I wanted a letter from them. I treasure every single one of them.

I've had so many wonderful gifts. One of the very best was a $25 gift certificate from the civics club at the high school. It was the first Christmas after I'd left my ex-husband. I was so broke I pawned my wedding band for $50 to provide a couple gifts for my children.

Unbeknownst to me, my family was 'adopted' by this school group and they brought Christmas to our house. I'd met with them when I found out and told them what the kids could use (basically everything as I'd only left with a suitcase of clothing when I left him). These wonderful kids brought toys, clothing & food and I was just in tears with gratitude. They were crying too! Then they handed me an envelope with the gift certificate in it and said that was to be used for me and that was when I really lost it.

Providing a beautiful Christmas for my children was the best gift, but when they included me, well, I felt that for the first time in a very long time that someone cared about me. It was amazing.

This year I'm going to give a card to the old man who is the crossing guard on the street I drive on to get to work. Every school day for the past 2 years I've stopped at that corner where he works and he WILL NOT make eye contact with me. He waves at bus drivers but not me. So I decided I'd make nice and give him a card thanking him for doing that job in all kinds of weather. Don't care if he waves to me in the future, I just want him to know that I appreciate what he does every morning (even if he DOES hold me up at least once a week.

Way to go, Pesky! Kill that man with kindness. LOL!

Awesome story about being adopted, Pesky. For the past two years, Aimee and I each adopt a family through 'Women of Worth'. We always go for the families with teens and spend an entire day shopping, marking off their list. Our budget is roughly $100. per person but we've been known to splurge with a little more for the kids.

One family had teens and a 10 yo. We bought the 10 yo the Mega Block Halo Elephant ($110.) and another set in the same series that was a less expensive.

We bought the Dad in one family a hoodie and needed work shoes.

Well, I don't need to list our shopping spree but we made several trips to the car just so we could free our arms.

Maybe someday you can repay a family because it is fun!

The best gift I ever received was not a Christmas gift, but rather a Valentine gift. I was in the 4th or 5th grade and had neglected to tell my working mother I needed a Valentine Day box until that morning.

Later that morning, as everyone was setting out their Valentine boxes, I look up to see our "babysitter", my mother's best friend who watched us before school, holding a beautifully decorated red and white box, with hearts and lace and red crepe paper, FOR ME. I will never forget that moment, EVER. The thoughtfulness still overwhelms me and one of my greatest regrets was not telling her how much it meant to me before she died.
Dee

Dee, that is an awesome story. Reminds me of the saying "It take a village." Sounds like you were part of a good one.

Dee, I have a feeling that she saw your thankfulness and love in your eyes that morning.

(and I'm starting to cry picturing the scene!)

Thank you golddust and pammyfay. And, pammyfay, I hope with all my heart what you say was true.
Dee

My greatest gift, like Golddust, was the gift of a child to raise as my own. To this day, I can't find the words to explain the profoundness this ultimate gift meant, and continues to mean, to DH & Myself. Ours was a private adoption. When our son was in his first year of college, I located his birthmother and birthfather with his blessing.
To thank them for this child of ours, we "gifted " him back them both. They were invited to call him their son, see him whenever they could manage get-togethers. His BF lives in another part of the country, but his BM lives only 30 minutes away from us. Whenever DS is home for leave or for holidays, he spends time with her and her family, too. She and her family have even celebrated Christmas Day here with us, as well as DS's 21st birthday party here. Both BM and BF and their families were invited to his college graduation ceremony, and to his going away party right before he went into the Army. Every year since I found her, his birthmom, who is now a dear friend, and I meet for lunch on his birthday to celebrate "our" son's life so far. We take silly pictures on our cell phones to send him, wherever his is at the time (college, grad school, Army). His birthfather has also become a good friend to us all. Although married, our son is his only child and he cherishes their times together and phone calls. He's, sadly, in the final stage of pancreatic cancer. DS flew out to spend time with him earlier this year and they just had their last phone conversation on Sunday, when DS was able to call him from Afghanistan.
I will always cherish this greatest of gifts and have told them both many times how much it has meant to DH & Myself.
Thank you for starting this lovely thread and thank you for allowing me to tell you all about my best gift ever.
Lynn

My 8 year old daughter has left me love notes every since she was able to write. Last week she tucked a piece of paper that said "beloved" in my calendar in my purse. I get scribbled hearts and rhymes and pictures and little notes written on the sidewalk or in the dirt or on my car window or in pancake batter.

This is a wonderful thread. I want to comment on everything posted...definitely fills any voids in the heart.

Was going to write something totally different, but after reading all my response has changed.

The blackboard. My "kids" are in late 40s - 50. They still leave notes on it for me, to be found at some odd time after they leave. I hate erasing those notes. But now realize it is time to photograph them and what a fun story book to give back.

Lynn, I do have to respond to you. What a wonderful gift received that you have chosen to return at moments so important to your son. No one but you must have been meant to be his mom.

I may have to change my response later because a box arrived from Apple yesterday addressed to DH, and it looks like an iPad. :)

Sorry -- brought it back to the material...

Let me backtrack now that I have re-thought my answer. The best BEST gift DH ever gave me was a little dark-haired package from Korea. We adopted DD 10-1/2 years ago. We had two young boys at home so we both couldn't travel -- we thought it would be too hard on everyone. And we could have had her escorted here, but the agency told us we could probably get her more quickly if we traveled to Korea. So DH went alone -- left on a Sunday, returned on a Thursday, so it was a crazy, whirlwind trip. He came home with a sprained ankle from tripping off a curb, an upset stomach from the food, unshowered because he had her with him in his last night at the hotel and couldn't leave her long enough to shower (she was 4 months old), but absolutely beaming with DD in her little carrier, just her fuzzy head showing because she was a tiny little thing. She'll be 11 next month. Best gift ever.

Oops, meant to include a visual. Here's me with my "present."

So there are three of us here who have adopted children? Awesome!! Beautiful, beautiful baby!

I hope it's an iPad!!

So there are three of us here who have adopted children? Awesome!! Beautiful, beautiful baby!

I hope it's an iPad!!

She's so cute - much better than an ipad!

Sue, I could visually see your DH at the door (or airport) when he got home and it put a big smile on my face. If that's not "true love" I don't know what is.

I've had many wonderful gifts but the most recent that I can think of was a few years ago. My kids married into wonderful families, we were so blessed because both dh's family and mine is tiny.

I was going through a very sad time one Christmas and my DIL'S sister got me a silver locket with my children's pictures in it when they both were about 3. I started bawling in front of everyone! My sweet dh had to hold me.

I wear that locket at every family gathering. :)