So ... what did you get for Christmas?

The best present was an admission from my wife that she's sufficiently keen to see the Beatles/Cirque show in Vegas that she would be willing to fly. Big thing for her. We'll make that happen.

Materially, the best things were the first-season SNL DVD set, a verrrrrrry nice (and large) bottle of scotch, a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau from an unexpected source and some assorted gift cards.

What I wanted that I didn't get was a "Chess for Dummies" book. But the in-laws gave me a gift card that I can use for that.

 

Check.

 

That's awesome! I knew it had a funny name, but it always eludes me.

As for my presents, the fiancee got me a Muck Fizzou t-shirt -- shocking I didn't already have one, huh? -- that Gnarls Barkley CD I always meant to buy, and a green Crocodile Hunter hat that I eyed for months but decided not to buy because it fell under want and not need.

Family from afar got me gift certificates to Best Buy and Circuit City, which will go to good use. First up, a rack to hold CDs I have yet to unpack from my move 10 months ago. I so need one.

 

Did you yell, "Small sample size" at her?

 

Well, there's a contraption with an alcohol-based solution that comes with it.

Put the razor in the contraption, press a button, and in 5 minutes you have a clean razor.

 

Look, I'm crawling up the wall...

 

- an ipod
- a subscription to The Onion
- NCAA Basketball 2K7 (Thanks, Bubbler!)
- John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme" (Thanks again, Bubbler!)

 

I admit it. I click on this person's posts just to se the icon.

 

Got some clothes (all the good variety, no crappy sweaters), CD (Jane's Addiction, replacing lost one), book (World of Karl Dilkington, USS Midway oral history, Elements of Style, assorted sports books), iPod accessories (chargers, FM transmitter), pics (me and GF, best friends' kids), leaf-looking ashtray (best friends' kids, will be used to hold keys, change), calendar (365 days, no ripoff), DVD (M:I:III), watch (G-shock self-setting), candy (Mike & Ikes, my fave), hot chocolate (my fave beverage and Ghiradelli's to boot).

Oh, my GF's reactions to my gifts for her (although I fear I've set the bar too high on our first Christmas) and my best friends' girls (5 and 6) not quite figuring out how I just so happened to give them Nintendo DS game cartridges for games Santa gave them that morning.

 

Mrs. Slash bought us new phones a few weeks ago, and that was our gift to each other. She needed a pocket PC for work and I finally got a tricked out one with camera MP3. My bro got me a Lance Allworth throwback, and I got a book, shirts of my alma mater, a watch and more clothes.

But the best part was not what I got but watching two people (my wife and mom) enjoy two surprises. I bought my mom a compilation of her favorite columns from a popular columnist that she enjoyed in our home state. I got the guy to personalize it to her. My bro wife and I all agreed tears would be shed. They were.

My mom and I worked to surprise my wife with a painting of our three little dogs. She knew an artist that came to our house and took pics of them, and then drew a fantastic portrait of them. My mom framed it, and it was great. My wife was shocke when she opened it. The other great thing was having my bro with us fom the west coast after not being able to see him last year.

 

Mrs. Armchair gave me a nifty new digital recorder, which is a big hit with me. The $75 worth of Barnes & Noble gift cards were also well-received.

Mamma Armchair came through with the funniest gift though. I'm now the proud owner of A Christmas Story Leg Lamp nite lite. It's a Major Award.