Coolest Christmas (Or Other) Gifts Ever

[bartfull]

Elephants are my favorite animals. When I lived in San Diego I always bought a year's pass to the zoo. I spent my lunch hour there at the children's zoo where all the baby animals were. There was a baby elephant that I got to know very well. When she saw me coming she would run to the gate to greet me. We would walk around while I talked to her and petted her. When it was time to go, she would walk me to the gate, wrap her trunk around me and give me a hug. I loved her SO much, and I know she loved me too.

As for Christmas presents, well, I don't have any family left, but I have memories of Christmas past. There was the time my Mom made a beautiful, very intricate afgan that each member of the family wanted to claim. It took her MONTHS to finish this thing and she gave it to my Dad so my sister and I wouldn't fight over it. But come Christmas, we each got our own.

One year I got a beautiful new Gibson guitar. Another year I got a beautiful Ovation guitar.

And one year I got my sister a beautiful Ovation guitar. That was fun. I wrapped a note in a box. The note said, "Go look in the refrigerator." In the frige was a note that said, "Go look under Mom's chair." Under Mom's chair was a note that said, "Go look in Daddy's cabinet." In Daddy's cabinet was a note that said, "Go look under the bed." Under the bed was a guitar case. When she said, "There's only a guitar under the bed" (the house was full of guitars), I told her, "Open the case. Maybe there's another note in it."

When she opened the case, and saw a left handed guitar with a note saying, "Merry Christmas", she knew it was for her.

[IrishHeart]

Few things can compare to sharing with her the magic that can only be found in the pages of a book. To people who get it, it means everything and to people who don't it seems silly. That I was able to share my passion for reading, and can continue to share books with her means a lot to me.

I SO get this.

I just got a note from my Godchild--who is having her first child soon--and I sent her what I have always sent all little ones

in my life...A basket overflowing with books.

Know what she told me? She still has the books I gave to her as a child....35 years later.

Same with my niece and her wee ones.

She saved them all too!

Makes me so happy to see them all bookworms like me.

My friend's daughter in Med School told me she still has the Wizard of Oz I gave her when she was 4...She's 30 now.

I confess, I still have my books from when I was little. They are my most treasured possessions.

My Dad's hands held those books--and he read them to me over and over again.

A Book--and the love of reading--is the gift that keeps on giving!

[Adalaide]

Elephants are my favorite animals. When I lived in San Diego I always bought a year's pass to the zoo. I spent my lunch hour there at the children's zoo where all the baby animals were. There was a baby elephant that I got to know very well. When she saw me coming she would run to the gate to greet me. We would walk around while I talked to her and petted her. When it was time to go, she would walk me to the gate, wrap her trunk around me and give me a hug. I loved her SO much, and I know she loved me too.

Elephants are okay. Lots of people I know love them. I wish I lived close enough to the zoo for it to be worth it to get a pass. It is especially cool how elephants are very human emotionally. I'd be happy with one as a lunch buddy.

"There's only a guitar under the bed"

:lol: That is too funny!