The Best Gift You Have Received

What is the best present you have received?

I am a practical guy, and I enjoy practical gifts, meaning I enjoy getting gifts I will use.  I'm not big on decorations or fancy things.  I don't mind gift cards because I can use them to things that my family will use.  I like movies or books that I will see or read again and again.  Tools or camping gear is always welcome.

Now, I know my wife doesn't think like me.  She is a very practical lady, but she doesn't want gifts that, while making a job easier, try to assist her in doing a job she really dislikes to begin with.  For instance, she appreciates the high quality mixer that a got her several years ago because she somewhat enjoys cooking, uses the mixer almost everyday, and it helps make that job easier.  She currently wants a sewing machine, not because she enjoys sewing, but because she needs one.  So she already told me I can't get her a sewing machine for Christmas, because no matter how good it is, she isn't going to be thrilled at the chance to use it.  Message received; if she tells me she doesn't want something for Christmas, I can clue in and not get it for her.

Thanksgiving Heading Into Christmas

My family celebrated Thanksgiving in a city that took several hours of driving to arrive in.  Once there our kids and their cousins had a blast making a lot of noise, some messes, and eating a lot of food, some healthy and some not.

A bit of a tradition in our families is to go around the table and ask everyone what they are thankful for.  The kids outnumbered the adults about 3:1 and they expressed thanks for some very interesting things.  I though I would share some of them with you.

The kids expressed thanks for:

$1,218 For Christmas

As we approach Christmas time, most of us spend a lot of time thinking about what we are going to give our loved ones.  We want to get the best for them so we can see them smiling and happy.  As a result, the average household Christmas spending in 2009 will total about $1,218.   This includes the turkey, decorations and so on, but the biggest cost will be the gifts.

That is quite a bit of money, and unfortunately many people end up wasting quite a bit of it because of their eagerness to get the gifts they want to buy.  Here are a few tips  that