I dropped lots of 'subtle' hints that I wanted Amazon gift cards-but only 1 of my daughters gave me one. But I am not complaining. I will just keep watching for price drops on the books on my Wish List!

Pat

Genuine Scottish shortbread biscuits! The shops were full of tins of them and I did think someone would drop at least one down the chimney!

A promised trip to Folly Beach, in future.

An ipod. I was hoping my sons would go together and get one for me. I got socks instead. Sigh. It's the thought that counts, sort of.

I should add that I did ask for warm hiking socks, so it was not some random last minute gift.

Dedtired, I heard that when you quit believing in Santa is when you get socks and underwear.

I'm sitting here munching on a piece of Harry London peppermint bark, which I didn't ask for, shouldn't be eating in addition to all the other treats I've consumed in the past couple of weeks, and dearly love.

Dedtired, I received SEVERN pairs of sock for Christmas, unasked for but always welcome when living in a cold house in a damp country. A couple of pairs came from a friend in Canada where they do 'cold/warm' properly. They are made of alpaca wool so should be extra cosy.
Carolyn, I've not heard of peppermint bark. Is it a sort of Bah Humbug? I'm assuming you know what a humbug is!

Peppermint bark made with white chcocolate......heavenly !!
YUMMO :0)

'Tis the week after Christmas
All goodies consumed
It looks like my workouts
Must now be resumed !

Harry London peppermint bark is a layer of milk chocolate and then a layer of white chocolate and topped with chopped peppermint candies. Double yum!

I got a beautiful wool cardigan sweater that I was eyeing, and about half the books on my wish list. The day after Christmas I ordered most of the rest of them.

Rosefolly

" Molto gracie ! " I'd say
If I'd gotten the Stone,
Now I'm left to learn Italian
All on my own !!

A tin of Scotch Shortbread
was all Annpan desired,
Dear Santa take note:
Your elf has been fired !!

An Amazon card
SHERWOOD have been nice,
Now she'll spend her own cash
For her bestseller vice.

A musical ipod
and earbuds for her head,
Dedtired discovered
She got socks instead !!

Two more pairs of long socks received yesterday; total now nine pairs . . . and counting.

Veer dreamed of presents
with contents so sweet....
So far she has nine pair
of socks for her feet !!

Yoyobon, you inspired me...

A beach towel I wanted,
A present for Yule
But I didn't get one
For dips in the pool...
So shopping I went
Though I felt like a fool
For when Santa misses
Buy-your-own is the rule!

Brava !!
Now let's see who else might be inspired to add to this :0)

Have I lost my mind !?
Am I in this alone?
I slapped down my Visa at Target
To pay for the Stone !!!

SERIOUSLY !!
I did that.
After having read all the bad things about
credit card and debit card abuse at Target.

See what happens when you don't get the gifts you want?
You are left to your own devices !

No problems with Target in Australia that I know about. However I do have a credit card with a small line of credit which I use for online purchases as advised by a respected TV financial adviser. I check the balance after a transaction too! So far, so good...

Sean Connery...................

Emma, LOL!

I received only two of the books that I'd asked for (well, put on my Amazon wish list anyway) but I did receive a gift card, so like Rosefolly, I ordered the rest of them myself after Christmas.

I received an Amazon gift card, but being the selfish, materialistic, shallow person that I am, I wish it were for A LOT more.

Being a very lucky person, I received everything I wanted for Christmas.

However, luck only goes so far. Who would think that out of the 4 million credit card numbers involved in the Target hacking, mine would be one that was used by the bad guys? Yes, it happened yesterday but Bank of America caught it right away and let me know immediately, I don't know how they identified the charges being made as suspicious but thank goodness they did. So, once again, I am a lucky person.

Sheriz, I did talk to Santa in the mall, you should have heard him laughing. He said he would try. (:-((

Well, we sure got the cold weather, so I enjoyed my warm socks. What I am not enjoying is the four extra pounds, thanks to all the goodies. I also got a book -- Fannie Flagg's latest. Can't remember the title and not one I would choose on my own, but I liked Fried Green Tomatoes, so I may enjoy this.

Frances, can't believe your card was hacked What bad luck. Glad I stayed out of Target.

Enjoy your gifts, whether they were from someone else or from yourself. But -- Sean Connery? Isn't he getting just a bit long in the tooth? Why not wish for Colin Farrell?

Colin Farrell...........nope, but Colin Firth in one of his brooding character roles....YES , YES, oh...YES !!

However, Colin Firth as himself is a big letdown.
He has a toothy smile and is rather dreary and ordinary.

I got a stained glass window for our horsebox and a heap of coffee table books about trees (although because they were from nitwit offspring, I found various shop receipts (and these books are going back to be exchanged for something more useful than 'the Consolations of the Forest: a Meditation on Solitude' and 'The Mighty Oak' ....they mean well but..........I wanted some new chisels.

Campanula, I am confused about the window. Do you mean that you got a window like in a church for a vehicle for conveying a horse? My mind boggles!
Do you work with wood? I have had a problem as I asked for wooden knobs in place of iron rings to go on the drawers of a pine bedside and was given a pack of untreated raw ones. I have been trying to match them up by dunking them in strong tea for a short while and then rubbing them with beeswax polish. I am still not completely satisfied but I don't want to varnish them to the correct colour. I had better results with the tallboy knobs, they were darker to start with.

Oh, Annpann - no, we live in the horsebox....at least when we are at our wood (actually, a neglected poplar plantation). The horsebox is a huge converted (by us) Leland DAF lorry with a sleeping area above the cab (where the window will go), a tiny kitchen/living area (we have a woodburner) and a little workroom. We do work in wood although we are both gardeners (Design and Build), semi-retired because of health issues.
The tea business does work but you might have better luck using a water based stain, then treating the knobs with one of the oils suitable for wood (Tung, teak, linseed). I never varnish wood as several coats of oil and then a good beeswax keeps the wood well preserved, needing re-oiling maybe once a year - even for external timber. Just remember to remove excess oil with a dry cloth (or it will remain sticky forever) and give it a good buffing when the oil has dried (24 hours)

Campanula......where are you located?
Your home sounds so interesting !

Yvonne

Cambridge (in rented housing)....but we have 5 acres of woodland in the Yare valley, Norfolk - primitive and a bit scary (the off-grid thingy, especially) but all that space which no-one can take away from us is the most thrilling project in my life (after children).

I know exactly what you mean Campanula. I looked at your MyPage and googled your lorry :), very cool and glad to see you pursuing your dreams! We own our own home but escape regularly to the wilderness, high up in the mountains where we see no one except the local wildlife. (Have had some interesting encounters with bears) It's all Crown land...at some of the lakes the forestry dept designated camping spots, a few picnic tables and an outhouse. There is no charge but you are encouraged to stay there to protect the environment. You bring in your own water and you take out all your garbage.
Here is our "horsebox", it's a 4x4 because most of the places you go are accessed by old logging roads and impassable by regular vehicles. The canoe goes on top, we use it all the time.

I wish I had a caravan parked near the Indian Ocean for a second home away from the city. We sold ours many years ago. It was very simple and would cost too much to buy another as they are so fancy now! I don't drive a car so can't even hire one.
I enjoyed our get-aways! My husband used to go to country car races and we would park on the infield and watch the cars go around the track. He used to do the commentary.
I didn't buy wood stain as I only needed a tiny amount for six small knobs so decided to try the tea method. The wood just soaked up oil and I had to rub in a lot of beeswax as well before I was satisfied with the finish. Staining would have been easier, I know!

Oh brave, we have a canoe (a Coleman Canadian) which I intend to never, ever set foot in. Maybe canoeing round the coastal Mediterranean but not a hope of wallowing around in the freezing Yare.
Bears!!! The worst? we have to contend with are Chinese water deer and Muntjacs (they do have tusks though). Oh yeah, and some really ferocious wood ants.....and mosquitos and horseflies.

Ann, another non-driver. Do you sometimes feel like we are a persecuted minority (as a cyclist, I have a certain antipathy to a lot of road users)?

The idea of an renovated Airstream always seems like such a cool way to get away.
However, I'd want it totally rebuilt before I bought it.
Some of the photos on line of beautiful modern interiors really are amazing.

'Tis but a dream.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of renovated Airstreams

Campanula, I don't ride a bike although we have a good number of cycle paths around so the cyclists don't have to share the road with motorists etc. just pedestrians, also a problem at times!
I have an excellent bus service (after some prodding of the local politicians, around election time is best!) that leaves from a stop outside my retirement village and gives me a lot of freedom to travel. I am entitled to free fares in non-peak times, all day at weekend and Public Holidays.
I feel happy for someone else to do the driving. I took a lot of lessons and even had my own car but to no avail. I was hit from behind when I was a learner and this upset me so much that I never progressed to getting a licence.
A later series of accidents even had me unable to be a passenger in a car for a while. I can still get an occasional panic attack so rarely go in a car now. I prefer bus and train trips.

Annpan.....
Bus trips...hmmm.....the last one we took to NYC was driven by a man who had to be in his 70's.
That made me very uneasy.

Also...if the weather turns ugly I'd rather be in control of the vehicle myself.
I get panic attacks when someone else is at the wheel in these cases !

Yoyobon, did the bus trip to NYC you mentioned mean in something like a Greyhound bus? We call that kind of bus that goes for a long distance a coach here in Australia as in the UK.
The bus I mean is for mainly short trips around the local area or the circular bus ride that encompasses the suburbs and links with the train system. This takes three hours to complete the run.
It only takes me 15 minutes to go to the CBD on an Express bus route, then I can go on a train from there to the outlying suburbs to visit relatives etc. Very easy, safe and free!

Yes it would be that type of bus..
It has fairly comfy seats, movie screens for movie dvd's and usually a bathroom on board . ( Under no circumstances would I ever consider using it.........I have my limits !!)
However, as I said, it seems you either get the old, old man driver or the younger dude who spends the trip texting and driving !!
No thanks.