THE Gift

I love to give the perfect gift. One that can make the recipient light up in surprise, as if they themselves didn't know it was their favorite gift either! See the above picture of Madre.

It takes thought, searching and sometimes stumbling upon that perfect gift. For kids, it's a whole lot harder. What is it that will be that One gift?? I can see Toy companies sitting in big offices around tables mulling over this same question.

This year, The Torment won for Best Gift Giver Response from Recipient.



The recipient is always mom. One, because she is the most deserving of all gifts and two, Padre gets his gifts throughout the year by himself so he is sure to get what he wants.

So Christmas Eve Night, Madre opened a seemingly humble gift from the Torment



and his wife, who is able to look beyond his ways and deserves a medal, too. Inside: a DVD. The expression on her face was like she had just won a million dollars. Well, as if someone else had won a million dollars, cause I honestly think she doesn't care.



The Gift?



Michael Jackson's This Is It video. ????? Are you kidding me? ( I washed the front window, but she got mad at me for 'over doing it'.) That was all it took to get her "thrilled"; MJ's video. Who knew?

As you can see, The Torment is tickled



he could find The Gift, without much money.
That is just the point, not much money is needed to find that one thing that lights up the face of the recipient.

So here is the list of gifts that would make an Oprah Favorite Things List:

Squirmy Worms. Fuzzy, Caterpillar worms attached to an invisible string. Hours of fooling folks for the recipient.

J also loved the Bionicle Snow machine I got him. It is tough enough to go over Real Snow. And I could almost put it together without his help. Legos. Is there any way to make them less chintzy? So they can bring them into the tub or outdoors over the snow and really play with them. Sure it's fun to put them together, but I feel like gluing them when I am done. With strong glue. For reinforcement.

C. O. Bigelow's Apothecary lotion in Lemon-Lime Souffle.




Divine. Putting on the pudding lotion is like eating this:




Some scents can be seriously over powering, the souffle is not. Of course it is not being made anymore. They only have Lemon or the delicious Lemon Pomegranate at Bath and Body. But at Bigelow Apothecaries online store I am sure you can search for it. Their company established 168 years ago and sits in a posh spot of New York, has Chemists working at products that will "amuse" us. (see their site) I have to admit I love their old school, druggist packaging.

Coach's Poppy Perfume.



Wow. But we are talking about reasonable gifts. And I didn't get that one, but I did go through the perfume department every time I went shopping and sprayed it on me. While looking for a pic of it, found it is a "summer" fragrance. So I am off a season. But I say it will make it look like you took off to balmy islands to make the rest of us jealous.

That cute pen and Thank You notes with a vintage typewriter upon it. Bull's Eye, Care.

Chips. Not the potato kind that is Padre's life blood. The Italian made little circle throat lozenge, Chips.


The kind with licorice- can't even find the ones that are just for sore throats online! Call the Sweets Cottage if you so desire. Or visit, it looks cute.

This gift was an anonymous gift. It was easy to track who gave it to me when I opened it, because the lady who gave one to me in church, is the only one I know who orders them online.

I get sore throats quit a bit and she handed me some of these life saving throat lozenges while I tried to croak out a hymn, and I asked where she got them. Little circles of menthol relieved-ness.

So when I opened a huge plastic tub full of Chips, from the anonymous giver...
Sister Higgins, nice try, but I got you! Thank you so much. I know you don't read this but I am so grateful for them. Oprah would dig them. She probably can pick them up when she visits the country.

The best gift, that comes free, is when you feel content and grateful for what you have and you don't NEED anything. When that feeling of peace



comes over you during the holidays it can be as surprising as receiving, 'This Is It' like Madre above. And hopefully, you felt the true meaning of this season and can manage to carry a taste of it through the new year!