When our children were small, we were on a very tight budget and I handled the money. Even my husband had an allowance. After Christmas one year we were at the mall and he asked me what kind of jewelery I liked. I showed him a tasteful onyx and diamond set with necklace, earrings and a ring and promptly forgot about it as it was well beyond our means. The following Christmas, when he gave me the box to open, I was literally in tears! He had used part of his allowance every month, for 12 months, to buy it for me.

A compliment. It always feels good to get a good remark from someone.

Gift of time spent with me.

Nearly 8 years ago my parents took us kids on a family holiday to Disney Land. Whilst we were there I was with my dad in one of the gift shops they have, as I was such a keen softballer, I picked up a Disney Land Baseball, turned to my dad at the age of 9 and said, how cool is this?!?!?! He then stopped for a few seconds and just looked at me and smiled, then he said to me, "if I buy you that will you keep it special and not use it as a game ball and if anything ever happens to me you look at that ball and remember me and know I love you."

After leaving the US and being home for not even 2 weeks my dad was travelling for work and was run off the road by a drink driver and died.

I don't know if he had some sort of sign or what, but I do know that, that ball has gotten me through the toughest times of my life and to this day I hold that ball tight and still cry because I miss my dad.

I don't think theres another gift I have ever been given that means so much and don't think anything could ever top this gift.

A handful of flowers ripped out of my garden from my grandson.

When I decided to get baptized last year at the age of 20, my boyfriend gave me a cute little blue box that he carvedf my initials and a cross into, along wth the date. Inside was the most delicate gold cross necklace. I wear the necklace almost everyday, and each and every time I look at it, it reminds me of his love for me. The funny thing is is that I'm always asked where he got it, and he still wont tell me. It will always remain a mystery.

last year for Christmas my mother made individual photo albums for me and each of my siblings, using all of the old photos from our childhoods. How delightful to be able to share our own childhoods with our children!

Mothers Day Memories 1970

I was ready to ush out of our bed to make sure the children (2 1/2 and 16 months) were safe in their cribs, when my husband stopped me. He gave me a kiss and wished me "Happy Mothers day".
"Listen" he said: He reached under the bed to turn on a tape recorder. "Your Present" he said.
The voices I thought I had heard came from a tape recorder under the bed - Jim had taped the children's "conversations" on several occasions while I was at work. Talking with each other in unidentified phrases, their voices reflecting their frustrations with each other, their tenderness and loving sounds. Some of the words we, to this day, are still trying to decipher.
This was the most meaningful gift I have ever received. Sometimes, when I remiscen, I listen to the tape - thinking of times past and the pleasures the childen have given us.

When I graduated college friends of mine gave me a laundry bag with my name on it. It was not fun, it wasn't "cool", it wasn't expensive...but I used it EVERY SINGLE DAY for the four years I was in college. And my laundry never got mixed up with anyone else's. It meant more to me than any of the jewelry and books I got at graduation.

On my ninth birthday, I was visiting my grandmother in Jamaica. I remember telling her it was my birthday and she had a look of distress on her face. She told me that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to bake me a cake and all she had was $5--her only $5. I told her it was okay but she insisted that I take it. Although I didn't want to take her only money, it warmed my heart instantly because I knew she gave it to me with sincerity and love. Although it was $5 and at nine, I wanted more, that bill meant more to me than anything else I received because it was all she had. That experience really taught me the value of sincerity--one that I cherish to this day. Now that my grandmother has Alzheimer's and does not remember who I am, the love I have for her because of her love for me, keeps her alive in my heart every day.

When I was in second grade my best friend, Jacob, was crushed by a garage door two weeks before my birthday. We saw Star Wars about a month before that and he was Han Solo and I was Chewbacca. On my birthday his mother gave me an unfinished birthday card he was making for me. He was drawing a picture of Chewbacca fo rme and had glued a bunch of his hair to the picture. I still have the card along with what is left of his hair from my opening it every day on my birthday for the last 29 years.

My little sister is 10 years younger than me, but we are best friends. My university has a special tradition at commencement. Every graduate asks someone to be their "escort" and that person walks in a special gown with them to their seat and then does the honor of putting the graudation hood on the graduate. Well, when it came time to graduate, I asked my sister to be my escort. At that time, she was 11. With her own money, she bought me a special James Avery ring and had it engraved. She had no pockets in her dress so she was holding it in a little bag in her shoe and when we were in the graudation line up outdoors, she took it out of her shoe and presented it to me. I'll treasure this gift all of my life.

Hi Yall!
Happy Christmahannukwanzica to you. I GOT A MR. POTATO HEAD!

My best friend, bought me a pair of slippers for christmas. She also made me my favorite cupcakes. She is a great friend of mine, that made me my favorite cupcakes.

My sister gave me a cantine when I was 9 or 10. It was a cacky green cantine, I could put my own water in it and sling it over my shoulder. It just spoke to me. It gave me independence and the ability to go anywhere I wanted.

My favorite gifts that I've ever gotten are being with my friends and family.

My husband and I were going through a very diffucult time becuase the guards at the prison he is in, didn't let him come out of his cell for no good reason. I didn't know how to help him, because his rage is so justifiable. How could i help him get over it? So I was greatly relieved when I heard about his worry rock. Whenever he was in his cell, he'd reach into his pocket and rub on his worry rock. Over the months he told me how the worry rock was getting smoother and smoother. It was a source of great release of tension. Everytime he got mad, he'd put his hand in his pocket and rub on it. He'd tell and show his friends about it. It was a sort of icon amoung his friends in the prison. It represented the successful stress relief in the face of abuse. As it got smoother, there were a lot of yellower streakes which would shine in the sun. Then one day, he told me that he had to get rid of his worry rock becuase they'd confiscate it. He had a preminision that they were going to confiscate it, and if they did he didn't know what he'd do. So one day in visiting, he cam out and sat down with me. And then he handed me the worry rock. And told me to sneak it out and keep it in a special spot. I was thrilled to have his worry rock in my posession. It had more of him connected to it, than anything else. And every now and then he asks me how is his worry rock. Now I keep it in a special dish on my table. I look at it every day and treasure this gift. Now he's working on another gift, and I hope I get that one too.

My aunt, Martha made me a book. She made a book of music with pictures of me. She made a verse about every year of my life. Now every year she writes me a song and adds each year to a new book with pictures. It's become one of my favorite gifts that I can play on the piano and also look at the photos of my life.

My son Ian. He was born 11/9/2006. This is proving to be the best Christmas yet!! It is amazing how all of the 'shopping stuff' doesn't mean as much when I look into hi little face. He IS our present this year!!
Happy new parents in NY!

When my daughter wasn't quite 2 she picked all the buds off an azalia bush and handed them to me.."I Love You , Mommy>'

I was in third grade in the early 1970's recession and the middle child of three on a Michigan dairy farm It was my first year not believing in Santa Claus and money was very, very tight. All I wanted for Christmas was a "maxie" coat. I remember my Mom with tears in her eyes sat down with me a week before Christmas and explained a new coat was not financially possible. I said I understood and said since my little sister still believed make it special for her. I really thought nothing of it again until my mom and dad with a twinkle in their eyes handed me one large box on Christmas. My heart raced I knew exactly what it was--my "maxie" coat. I was so happy I put it on and did not take it off for hours. Later that day, I climbed up on Mom's lap and said, "but Mom..." She immediately stopped me and said we found a great deal on the coat so they could not resist escpecially since my heart focused on making Christmas special for my sister instead of myself. I will never forget that Christmas and the meaning of my "maxie" coat.

My most memorable gift was when my mom croqueted a bunch of clothes for my Barbies. It had been an especially hard year for us and no end in sight. Mom knew the tree would be bare underneath, but at least we had each other. Thankfully, Mom has always had a talent with croqueting... My Barbies had more clothes than the stores had, better colors, and a better variety of styles and coordinates! I was so ecstatic when I got them. And still so moved that Mom did that for me.

As a kid growing up, I was very close to my grandpa. Of 10 grandchildren, I always knew I was his favorite (but he made each of us feel that way). He passed away when I was 12. At the age of 24, my grandmother handed me an old Valentine's card with scribbled handwriting. He had kept my Valentine for all those years. She also gave me a family photo album with the kindergarten picture of me that was worn away from always being in his wallet.

My 74 year old mother was a Florid snowbird. The last winter she was in Florida, she suffered 2 aneurysms that left her in a nonresponsive coma. During this time, I received a card saying that a co-worker had requested that I be remembered in prayer. The card simply said "they were praying that I would feel God's love and peace surrounding me, and giving me strength and courage during my mother's illness". I still have the card displayed in my office and I still get tears in my eyes (11 years later) because it meant so much to know that someone had kept me in their thoughts when I thought I was all alone.