5 For Friday: Gifting and Re-Gifting Edition :)

santa babyHidey-ho neighbors! I hope your holidays were just as sexy as all your budgets this week :)

I had a most FANTASTIC time hanging with my families and watching Baby Money experience his first Christmas – I want to do it all over again!!!

But since we can’t do that, I figured we could at least re-visit some of the joys from the week and talk about all those crazy good (and not so good) presents you may have received this year. Feel free to comment anonymously if you’re afraid to answer question #2, haha…

Here we go…

  1. What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year?
  2. What was the worst gift?
  3. What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas?
  4. Did you re-gift any of your old gifts?
  5. Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday?

I’ll answer first, and then it’s your turn:

  1. Best Gift: Hmm… this one’s close because I got a TON of awesome gifts this year, especially in the coin department which I was thrilled about!, but if I had to choose one I’d say it’s a tie between two, haha… A bracelet my dad gave  me which is usually unlike him (making it even MORE special), and a picture my wife gave me of the baby and I sleeping next to each other head-to-head. I freakin’ love that little nugget!
  2. Worst Gift: The worst gift I got this week was a book that I had already owned. So bad in that department, but spot on with what I obviously like ;) And now I get to return it and pick up something else which in a way makes it one of the best gifts! Haha… so did I cheat w/ this one?
  3. Best Gift I gave: I’m gonna venture to say it was this old antique tea cart I picked up for my mom 5 months ago when she had spotted it at my consignment shop but didn’t want to spend the money… She had talked about it for DAYS afterward, always wondering if she should have just sucked it up and bought it (she lives out of town), and when I went back to the shop for something unrelated I saw that not only was it still t here, but it was on sale at 30% off! So I quickly snatched it up and had been holding onto it since ;) The best part was that after a few weeks of initially seeing it, my mom had called and asked me if I thought it was still there and I told her that it wasn’t, so someone must have bought it, hehe…. Which is the truth! I did! You should have seen the look on her face when she opened it up :)
  4. Re-Gift? We actually didn’t re-gift any of our old gifts this year, probably for the first time in a while, haha, but we DID receive a re-gift!! And do you want to know how we *knew* it had been re-gifted? Because we had given the exact same gift to THEM last year!! They re-gifted to the original gifter – the ultimate sin! Haha… It was pretty hilarious…
  5. Favorite Part: My favorite part hands down was celebrating the holidays with our baby for the first time, and realizing that WE are now Santa from now on! It’s so strange and so wonderful at the same time :) And watching my family (especially my mom!) play with him and take care of him throughout the week was equally as exciting to watch. We have a new family member to celebrate with going forward! :)

Lots of joy and excitement this year for sure. And I can only hope that 2013 will bring more of the same. Now your turn to play the game! How did your gifting turn out in the end? What was your favorite part of the holidays? Answer the questions above in the comments!

Happy weekend, everybody :)

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27 Comments

  1. Lance @ Money Life and More December 28, 2012 at 7:15 AM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? A Nintendo Wii (and I got Wii Fit for my birthday earlier this month)
    What was the worst gift? A pack of undershirt T-shirts… but I needed them so not so bad.
    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? I gave my brother Ramit’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich… hopefully he learns a lot!
    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? Never regift :)
    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? Time off from work! Easy answer!

    Reply
  2. Trinnie December 28, 2012 at 8:29 AM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? The best gift: Some vintage-inspired jewelry that was handmade for me by one of my bffs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SparkleLux…the most thoughtful gift was a stockingful of gluten-free, organic candies and snacks from the husband.

    What was the worst gift? one of those smelly things with the oils and the reeds…this one smelled like pine trees. I live in CO–I think I get the smell of pine tree naturally. (gift came from parents :/ )
    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? I gave the husband a new Amazon Kindle Fire HD–he had no clue and was super excited

    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? NO REGIFTING……EVER! ;)

    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? The best part was Vinny waking up looking for his Santa presents. At 5 yrs old, he finally gets it and this was the first Christmas that he was beside himself with excitement. Love it!

    Reply
  3. Jay MacLean December 28, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? – A new Citzen watch. It’s one of the Eco-Drive one’s that charges itself so it never needs a battery!

    What was the worst gift? – A pair of jeans from Express… simply hate the way they fit…. going to return them, sorry Mom!

    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? – A Nexus 7 tablet. Those things really do fit nicely in one hand.

    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? – Nope!

    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? – Getting to see my sister. She usually works over the holidays but she snuck out to see me!

    Reply
  4. Slackerjo December 28, 2012 at 9:04 AM

    My family is quite well off and I find it hard to buy for the affluent. They have everything. So I give to charity in their name and ask they give to charity rather than give me gifts. I don’t need anything. This request is ignore pretty much every year.
    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year?
    I made progress this year, I got two family members to donate to charity. Seriously, it’s like pulling teeth with them!
    What was the worst gift?
    Instead of donating to charity, I received a pearl necklace and earrings (I don’t even have pierced ears) that I will never wear.I gave them to my sister in law. She is far more girlie than me.
    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas?
    I always make a charitable donation that helps someone become self reliant, ie livestock for breeding, supplies for schools, and medical supplies to improve health. I like to think, even if it’s on a small scale, I am helping a few people escape poverty.
    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts?
    I donate most of my gifts to a charity shop down the road. I suppose that’s regifting. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gifts, it’s just that I don’t have a lot of room to store stuff I will never use and I feel guilty that someone might actually like the gift I am not using.
    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday?
    Cranking up the heat in my apt, putting on the fireplace DVD and reading a book.

    Reply
  5. Joanna @ Our Freaking Budget December 28, 2012 at 10:06 AM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? Definitely some leather boots from my husband. He knows how to pick ’em (after I send him the link!) :)

    What was the worst gift? ….. can’t answer this one because it was all well-intended ;)

    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? I got my husband a surprise fun gift (a game he’s wanted) and signed it from our future daughter since I had *technically* spent all I was supposed to already!

    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? Never!

    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? Having my husband home! We have fun together.

    Reply
  6. HighOrderGuiltComplex December 28, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    1. What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? hands down an ipad – unexpected and unasked for so made it even better :-)
    2. What was the worst gift? old lady slippers -ugh
    3. What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? got bf stereo to replace his broken one, now we can hear the tv again
    4. Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? absolutely!! On Friday I got a container of disposible straws, on Saturday had to have a white elephant gift. Owned those straws less than 24 hrs :-)
    5. Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? got everything put away by Christmas night and house mostly clean. Also got to spend a bunch of time with friends/relatives with my days off of work.

    Reply
  7. Emmy December 28, 2012 at 11:26 AM

    Best gift – I got a Keurig! Just a small one, but since its just me at my apartment it’s perfect. I can’t wait to get back down to Missouri (snow and all) to test it out. Maybe I’ll save some extra money with my coffee drinking now. Lol

    Worst gift- honestly, I didn’t get any bad gifts this year. I gave a bad one, does that count? I got my dad a new coffee maker, but apparently it’s the same one he already has so we have to exchange it for a new one. :( but don’t you love how in my family we have simialr tastes?

    Best gift I gave- probably the Nine West watch I got for my mom. She said it made her feel special to have such a nice brand, and not just a generic watch.

    Re-gift- nope. At least not as far as I know….

    Favorite part of the holiday- it’s been awesome coming home and hanging out with my family. I even got to meet my sisters boyfriend (and maybe soon to be fiancé?) we also went to Les Miserables last night with some old friends – ah! So amazing. I feel lame saying a movie was one of my favorite parts, but Les Miserables basically defines why I love theatre, musicals, and storytelling so much.

    Reply
  8. Chris December 28, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    Best Gift:
    The best gift I received has to be the Hornady Reloading Kit that my parents got me.
    Worst Gift:
    The worst gift is a remote control flying shark. I’m not sure why my uncle got me this but it requires helium to work and that is way too much to do for something that will get broken in 10 minutes. My cat would absolutely love it though if I got it working…
    Best Gift Given:
    The best gift given would have to be the neon green Michael Jordan socks I got for my brother. Just because when he opened it he said, “How’d you know I needed neon green socks?”
    Re-Gift:
    I don’t re-gift. But my ex-girlfriend left a Bath and Bodyworks pack at my house (that I bought her last year) when she moved out so I gave it to my brother’s girlfriend who I didn’t know was going to be at our Christmas. So sorta re-gift.
    Favorite Part:
    Hands down, favorite part was getting to hang out with my family again. I have fun with my friends but nothing beats trying to get my dad to say he likes “Black Hawks” and “Fish Sticks” with my little brother.

    Reply
  9. Edward Antrobus December 28, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    1)In our names, my wife’s parents gave $200 to the “Restore the Shore” fund.
    2)As part of a collection of really awesome crocheted items, there was also a crocheted bookmark. Neat idea, but it’s kind of thick to actually use in a book.
    3)We gave our 2 year old neice a knit hat that looked like puppy. She wouldn’t take it off the rest of the night.
    4)Umm, I don’t even remember what I got last year!
    5)Spending time with family on Christmas day… all the way up until my brother-in-law accidentally took my keys home with him and we had to borrow my mother-in-law’s car to get home!

    Reply
  10. Joe @ Retire By 40 December 28, 2012 at 12:16 PM

    1. my only gift was a new pepper mill.
    3. I gave our kid a Bilibo. pretty cool. gt

    Reply
  11. Financial Black Sheep December 28, 2012 at 12:18 PM

    1) The BEST gift was the gift of more school and my awesome new camera. :) My hubby got me an awesome camera I would never buy because it is a total a want not a need. He is also letting me screw up our budget and take on some extra classes over the winter. When I mean screw up, I am mean totally, like not paying off our debt and focusing on school instead. It’s going to be an adventure!
    2) Worst-Not having any family around any more.
    3) Best Gift given- I mailed a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to a very special person that can no longer get them anywhere around her. None of the states surrounding her have them, so I have no idea where she could even try and get them.
    4) Nope, I hate re-gifting, just donate it.
    5) Spending time watching goofy Holiday movies with my husband and eating Christmas cookies. Also, taking pictures of houses with their lights all lit up as it just started to snow. (First Christmas Eve and Day we had snow in a long time!)

    Reply
  12. Amy Lou December 28, 2012 at 12:35 PM

    Last year at our work Christmas exchange, one of my co-workers gave another one of our co-workers a regifted cookbook. There was an inscription on the inside cover written to the regifter’s girlfriend! The receiver of the gift (my good friend) and I had a good laugh about it, but we didn’t let on that we knew it was regifted. A year later, we’re still laughing about it… She’s nicer than I am. I would have regifted to him this year, crossed out the note to his girlfriend, written my own note, and laughed when I watched him open it. I’m mean like that. ;-)

    Reply
  13. Jacob @ iheartbudgets December 28, 2012 at 12:49 PM

    1.What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year?
    Drill Bit set from my wife. Now I can build STUFF! Plus, I’m an A/V guy, so i want to run wires around my house and drop in ceiling speakers for distributed audio in each room, and the drill bit set has a hole saw that I can use to do that.

    2.What was the worst gift?
    I got two of the same pairs of gloves. Though I do lose gloves often soo…..

    3.What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas?
    Got my wife the pair of boots she’s been wanting. Also, I’m taking my brother showshoeing in a few weeks, so that’s pretty sweet.

    4.Did you re-gift any of your old gifts?
    Only for white elephant exchanges.

    5.Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday?
    Watching my 1-year-old son rip open gifts and hanging out with family all day. I could care less about the gifts, family is seriously the best part about the holidays. Oh, and food. Lots of food.

    Reply
  14. Brian December 28, 2012 at 1:28 PM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? I guess it was the iPad my inlaws got my wife and I. Her dad lives in Dubai/Abu Dhabi so this was the easiest way for him to see our little guy the most often couple that with the fact we were the only ones in the family without a device with Facetime on it

    What was the worst gift? I don’t think I got a bad gift, so I guess some Hershey’s kisses?

    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? I gave my wife a lovely little necklace with her birthstone, our son’s birthstone and his initial on it. She loved it.

    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? Nope.

    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? Watching my song stare out the window in amazement at the “blizzard” we had here. You could tell he was amazed by the snow and it was blowing his mind!

    J$, just wait til next year when he starts to “get” Christmas a little bit more, that should be even more entertaining!

    Reply
  15. Jessica O. December 28, 2012 at 3:03 PM

    Our Christmas was pretty low key. In fact, we didn’t even put up a tree. The kiddos were with their mom this year and husband and I decided to stay home and not travel. We’ve traveled every Christmas since we’ve been married. Neither of us have family here — they’re all three states away. It was nice to stay home and do nothing. I cooked a nice dinner and we stayed in peejays for a couple of days. We did miss the kids though :(

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? I treated myself to a Nexus 7 this year. I really wanted an e-reader.

    What was the worst gift? A manicure set. (I bite my nails!)

    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? Bought my stepdad a t-shirt that says “POWERED BY BROCCOLI” and has a picture of a piece of broccoli on it. He’s obsessed with broccoli. He thinks it’ll make him immortal or give him superpowers or something. His obsession is quite strange.

    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? Nope – I don’t keep anything laying around that I don’t use. Any “bad gifts” from last year are long gone by now.

    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? Staying home and enjoying the time off, for once.

    Reply
  16. SavvyFinancialLatina December 28, 2012 at 10:28 PM

    1. My best gift was my perfume!!! I hadn’t had my perfume in two months because I was waiting for Christmas.
    2.My sister in law got me an umbrella. I already have an umbrella, and I only use it once a year. Especially since I go from parking garage at my apt to parking garage at my office.
    3. I gave my mom a CD she wanted. It was one of her small gifts, but she really wanted that CD, and it was sold out everywhere, and I found it!
    4. I resifted my camera to my brother. He wanted a camera and I never use it since I have a smartphone. It’s a really nice camera. And i rarely use it!
    5. My favorite part was my mom’s food.

    Reply
  17. Kelly S December 28, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    1. Best gift received: 2 serving pieces of my silver pattern
    2. Worst gift received: Sadly, everything from my husband: a model of a pony (YES. I keep asking for a pony for Christmas), a model of a Fiat 500c (huh?), and some costume jewelry I will never wear. It is like my Christmas wish list didn’t exist.
    3. Best gift given: I made terrariums for my sisters-in-law. They were fun for me to assemble and well received by the ladies!
    4. Regift: Not that I know of.
    5. Favorite Part: The Great Leg Injury of 2012 followed shortly by the Christmas Miracle. Let me explain. My 5 1/2 year old niece, in the middle of a game we were playing with her, got what she claimed was a severe leg pain. We were sitting down and have no idea what caused this ailment. She ran off abruptly crying to her mother. For the next 20 minutes, she limped around the house holding a small ice pack to her leg whimpering the whole time, telling any one of the 20 adults in the house that she was dying of a most painful leg injury. No, she didn’t want to sit down. Yes, it hurt whether she touched it or not. No, she was not really hurt in any way. Yes, she is a bit of a drama queen. Then, quite suddenly, she was healed! A Christmas miracle occured, and she wanted to play Just Dance Disney and have Uncle Michael (my husband) chase and tickle her. Hilarious child!

    Reply
  18. Holly@ClubThrifty December 29, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    Best Gift: The Bullet Mini Blender- I have made fruit smoothies for the kids every night since Christmas!!! Healthy and delicious =)
    Worst Gift: Another shirt from my mother-in-law that won’t physically fit on my body. I am petite but I am NOT a junior’s small.
    Best Gift I Gave: I gave my husband tickets to see brodway star, Lea Salonga in concert. Yes, we are theatre dorks!
    Re-gift: I will regift a lot that I got. I also returned a few things to Wal-mart and have entire bag of stuff to return to Kohls.
    My Favorite Part: That it’s over! We took down our tree and decorations at 3 p.m. on Christmas!

    Reply
  19. J. Money December 29, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    Some of y’all threw me for a loop here! Haha… I knew I asked these questions for a reason ;)

    @Lance @ Money Life and More – Great book! One of my faves, actually.
    @Trinnie – Haha, why DO people give out those weird smelly stick things?? While they seem to be good gift ideas, I have yet to ever meet anyone who *uses* them :) Someone must be though if they’re still around! And also – PRETTY JEWELRY!!
    @Jay MacLean – Cool! Way to go, sis!
    @Slackerjo – Very interesting your family. And all the donating you work on doing every year, I like that. A lot :)
    @Joanna @ Our Freaking Budget – Haha… yes, us guys are MUCH better shoppers when we know exactly what we’re looking for ;)
    @HighOrderGuiltComplex – 24 Hours! Now that’s a record, haha… well done my friend.
    @Emmy – Oh jeez, my wife keeps hinting that I need to take her to see that but musicals are just way too singy for me! Esp. when it’s a story I don’t know much about :( But I can totally see how people love it that are into that kinda stuff, so I’m super glad you were able to go and enjoy it this year :) Movies are one of the best ways to entertain yourself and get trasnported into a whole new world, I love em.
    @Chris – A remote control flying shark? You don’t hear THAT everyday! Haha… wow.
    @Edward Antrobus – I don’t get why people crochet bookmarks either? My grandma used to give me them (which I have indeed tried using), but you’re right – they’re always too thick to work appropriately :( It is pretty cool that people can make them though – it takes talent.
    @Joe @ Retire By 40 – Cool! Just Googled to see what the heck a “Bilibo” was and they look fun!
    @Financial Black Sheep – Woahhhh, you can mail doughnuts??? That is so cool!!!!
    @Amy Lou – Ahahhahahhaha… now THAT is funny… so caught!
    @Jacob @ iheartbudgets – Nice! If only you could come over *here* and do some stereo stuff for me ;) I’d pay you in food!!
    @Brian – I can’t wait for that :) He had fun picking up ripped-up paper and what not, but that was the extent of his happiness, haha… It was weird opening up presents for someone *else* too! That was a first…
    @Jessica O. – Hahhaa that is AWESOME!! I don’t even like broccoli much but I’d TOTALLY rock that shirt. Way to go :)
    @SavvyFinancialLatina – Good find! What CD was it?
    @Kelly S – Hah! Kids are weird sometimes… And hilarious your husband gave you a model of a car! Maybe it’s a hint at the real thing about to appear in your driveway? ;) A car AND a pony!
    @Holly@ClubThrifty – Booooooo!!! The Christmas tree doesn’t come down until April, don’t you know anything! ;)

    Reply
  20. Ha'penny Bits December 29, 2012 at 6:49 PM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? Honestly? Time off work to spend with my family.
    What was the worst gift? I did get a few actual gifts and they were all amazing! I’m very blessed.
    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? New shoes to replace ones with holes in!
    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? No… but I did finally put one of last year’s unwanted gifts on eBay for a tidy profit.
    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? Lots of sleep, relaxation and good dinners before the madness starts again next week.

    Reply
  21. debtgirl December 30, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    Well, I’ll only answer one, and it was the gift I recieved ofcourse. A coupon book from my daughter for tickles, scratches and not attituide for a week! HA!

    Reply
  22. KK @ Student Debt Survivor December 30, 2012 at 10:46 AM

    What was the best gift you got for Christmas this year? – sounds weird, but a wind up radio-during the hurricane we had no power and no idea what was going on in the outside world.
    What was the worst gift? – A sweater from my dad, sorry dad
    What was the best gift you GAVE someone this Christmas? – Flew the grandparents to our house so we could spend time together. We also took them to a Broadway show which they loved.
    Did you re-gift any of your old gifts? – No, if I don’t like I don’t want to pass it on to someone else.
    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? – Spending time with my grandparents and mom.

    Reply
  23. Cassi December 30, 2012 at 3:52 PM

    Best gift? Ohhh, I am torn between all the Harry Potter movies, and a hat with the “1-Up” mushroom from Mario on it. My friends and family know I am a huge nerd apparently.
    Worst Gift? Makeup. I haven’t been wearing a lot of makeup, and when I do it is very natural. This was purple and teal and honestly, I will never wear it.
    Best gift you GAVE? I gave one friend 2 gifts. A dog tag with inside jokes and a Starbucks gift set. I thought the dog tags were the best, but she really likes the Starbucks. (She does wear the dog tags everywhere though so….)
    Re-gift? I thought about it, but no.
    Outside of presents, what was your favorite part of the holiday? My family makes pretzel salad every year. Other than presents, that was honestly the best part… It is so good.

    Reply
  24. Jane Savers December 30, 2012 at 9:30 PM

    My children are older than yours and both are post secondary students. January tuition is due next week so I don’t want any money wasted on Christmas gifts for me.

    My youngest used credit card points to gift me grocery store gift card. My oldest was given a liquor store gift card at work but managed to trade it for a restaurant gift card for me. No money was spent but I still have great presents.

    I talk to them about money a lot but I didn’t think they ever listen (I know they never read my blog) but they were very enthused about how they got my gifts and new that would be a good part of Christmas for me.

    Reply
  25. Rod J Rogers December 30, 2012 at 10:11 PM

    Best gift – A new BIG flat screen monitor

    Worst gift- I didn’t get any bad gifts this year, my family knows me to well.

    Best gift I gave- New digital camera for my wife.

    Re-gift- nope. At least not as far as I know….

    Favorite part of the holiday- Spending time with my family and friend. Going to Les Miserables with some friends – Life Is Good!

    Reply
  26. Jacob @ iheartbudgets December 31, 2012 at 2:11 AM

    Hey, as long as “here” is within 50 miles of Seattle, done deal! ;)

    Reply
  27. J. Money December 31, 2012 at 8:17 PM

    @Ha’penny Bits – Way to go! You re-gifted a gift to a stranger and got back cash :)
    @debtgirl – HAH! Awesome! I’d like to see her pull of the “no attitude” one though, that’s hard :)
    @KK @ Student Debt Survivor – Cool about the radio – great idea! I didn’t even know they made those anymore?
    @Cassi – Pretzel salad? Haha… can’t say I’ve ever heard of that one! :)
    @Jane Savers – Yeah! They’re clever, I like it! They’ll come around about the money soon – once they’re lives are more dependant on it ;)
    @Rod J Rogers – COOL! I’m staring at a big flat screen monitor too – they’re awesome! (Though I sometimes wonder if they’re burning my retinas…)
    @Jacob @ iheartbudgets – How about within 5,000? :)

    Reply

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