Some people have a knack for picking out just the right present, and some don't. My mother, two of my aunts and my DD have always had the gift of finding really neat items and I've always had an adrenaline rush when I saw their names on the tags. I suspect I am more guilty of giving weird presents than getting them. People my age remember when the stigma wasn't attached to cigarettes and old Mom and pop stores on the corner sold little packs of candy ones with one end of the cigarette dipped in red dye to look like it was lit. You'd prolly be drawn and quartered if you ever gave those to a child now. But, I found a WHOLE CARTON of them and gave them to my niece and let's just say my sister wasn't impressed. I bought my sister in law's kids a set of snare drums because she bought mine a set of finger paints the year before and they painted my carpet and walls with them. So I don't think my SIL was impressed either. I have seen that rather deflated look on the recipients faces more times than I care to remember. OTOH I have gotten a few whoppers where gifts are concerned. A garbage can from my ex husband and a twenty two rifle. The rifle I was actually happy about. I have never figured out the garbage can. What bothered me most was not the gifts, but he was so excited about coming up with that combination, he showed them to me before Christmas. That is a no-no. I was peeved about having the surprise ruined. I've receive a statuette made of cow dung. That's a close second.........from my sister vis a vis the candy cigarettes. She also got me one year a casserole set what looked vaguely familiar. It was familiar because it was the same gift she got me for Christmas the year before.

DH's family draws names for Christmas and we have a $25 limit. One year my FIL drew my name and asked me what I wanted. I had seen some Christmas themed dishes at Zellers for $25 and asked him for those. He wanted me to go and get them myself, but I didn't think that would be as much fun so I asked him to take care of it. Then my DH asked me what I wanted our small kids to give me. I told him the same thing, thinking that then I would have Christmas dishes to serve eight people as each package was a service for four. On Christmas morning I opened the gift from the kids and of course was thrilled to be surprised with my set of Zellers dishes. At the in-laws, I opened the same size box. Inside was a beautiful service for four of really expensive Christmas dishes - FIL didn't think the Zellers ones were nice enough! So then DH had to take back the Zellers dishes and we had to buy the rest of the service of the expesive one. DH had travelled to five stores in four towns to buy that set of Zellers dishes! To this day (about 25 years later) we still use those expensive dishes for the month of December.

For those who like to give such gifts, and I am one, I find that people get more enjoyment out of the gift if they can choose the charity (unless you know of a particular cause they are involved in). My kids have a fundraising site on Razoo.com, which is a great platform with tons and tons of charities, and you can order (physical or e-form) gift cards from Razoo. Then they can go on Razoo and choose a charity. I am sure there are other ways to do it (not just Razoo), but the thing is you are giving a gift card that can only be used to charitable giving, but the charity is up to the recipient. I have done this with good success. ETA: Here is an article on the subject, see the table at the bottom. http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/charity-gift-card-tips-suggestions-1271.php

Cleaned up and ready for bed! Dinner went well. A few people cancelled due to icy roads, everyone else made it and as each new group arrived they were hailed as heroes. It really is crazy slick out there. I decided to steam the crabs, but to assuage my vegan friend, I first chilled the crabs by setting them outside until they went dormant, then placed each one in boiling water to kill it quickly, before transferring to the steamer. 25 minutes steaming. The crabs were very good, although I can't say they were dramatically different than boiled crabs. After dinner, getting ready for a white elephant present game. SWMBO is sitting at the piano. The man in the black sweater is a standup comic, a very funny guy. His wife has white hair and is also wearing a black sweater. She was a model in England in the early 1990s, now a makeup artist for film, TV, and print. She recently returned to England and reconnected with her friend who fronted the BritPop band "Lick" and, for a brief moment, was in the limelight, then walked away from music. https://youtu.be/jYeAE4y6Vkg She and her friend are working on a book or screenplay or something about those days. It is an interesting story. The English music scene then was controlled by a few labels and promoters who choose which bands to make into stars. He was overtly gay and that was still unacceptable in the industry. They struggled, finally found a label, started touring and released an album, then the pressure blew the band up and he decided it wasn't for him. He recently regained control of his band's music and I've been listening to their first and only record. Not exactly my kind of music now (or then - in the 1990s I was a jazz snob), but it sounds pretty fresh even 25 years later. We haven't had a big dinner party for quite a while. It was fun to shake off some of the rust and get a bunch of friends together. Finally, here's the cat with her Christmas present, knitted by DD. She doesn't mind wearing it.