Day 20 – Let’s Video Chat!
You’ve been seeing so much of us these past few weeks and heard us talk an awful lot … so we thought we’d flip the script for once.
For today’s Giveaway we are doing something we haven’t done before: We want to video chat with you!
So if you want to have a ~30min chat with us sometime, you can leave a comment below, answering today’s question … 🙂
Day 20 – A Video Chat with Us (2 Winners)
We’ll probably set up the call through Skype or Zoom but we’ll talk about the details with whoever will win.
How to enter:
Comment: What is your favourite and least favourite Christmas present you’ve ever received?
Prize:
Video Chat with us (Sometime next month, ~ 30 mins, 2 Winners)
Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting two of you!
Mona & Lisa
Let’s see if I can do this before I have to leave to see the children’s Christmas Pageant. I have a 6-volume ANTIQUE set of Dickens’ complete works reposing at my left, a gift from my mother, a lifelong educator and mother of 6. They are about 10 inches tall and as you will surmise, the fine print makes them somewhat of an eyestrain. They are illustrated, each having green covers with gold embossed faces of characters from the novels on the cover. As for a least favorite gift, I would say it was a box of pine scents, which I would love, but had to leave alone because Dana is severely allergic to certain odors. Coffee is one of those. I should drink more tea like you two! We both love all your vids. Merry Christmas!
My favourite Christmas present was the first guitar, a Höfner, which I got from my elder brother on Christmas 1963.
Favourite Xmas present was a four lane scalextric model racing car set. Enough so that there were no arguments over who could play.
Least favourite was a model tractor whihc was identical to one given to me for my birthday two days previous.
Sadly I cannot make the Thursday Live stream as my wife has other plans to go out for the evening as that day is my birthday.
My favorite was an electric train set I received when I was nine or ten years old. There was only enough track to make a simple figure-8, but I remember spending hours building barricades just to watch the train crash through them.
My least favorite gifts were always clothes. I can remember thinking how horrible it must be for adults to receive nothing but clothes for Christmas.
Hi there, neighbor Joe and a Merry Christmas to you.
I had to say something after reading this. Yes, I’d say that’s a good Christmas present. Gosh, the more I think about it, an electric train set is the best-ever thing for a Christmas present, although I never got one.
I cut grass or raked leaves to save up money to buy my own set, piece-by-piece.
The imagination runs wild figuring out the design for the layout and novelties like tunnels, trestles, etc. I wound up building my own table on a 4’x8′ and settled on N-gauge to try to get the most out of it given the available working space. I really wanted z gauge but couldn’t get the track to work as well as I’d like. The detail was incredible in either of those gauges, so for practicality reasons, I wound up being an N-gauge guy.
I ran across this article the other day.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/man-hides-countrys-largest-model-train-railway-girlfriend
Hello Michael and Merry Christmas to you as well! It looks like your love of electric trains developed into quite a hobby and a great outlet for your imagination. That was certainly an impressive setup in the article you linked.
I no longer own my old train set, but I remember it was a Lionel O-gauge (circa 1964). I do remember acquiring additional cars, track and accessories, but I never made a permanent or even semi-permanent track arrangement because my family moved around quite a bit when I was young. I’m retired now and have briefly considered it as a hobby, but I would definitely be starting from scratch.
The favorite was $20 that my parents gave me to help me start my first business back when I was in High School. That seed money got me started in my first mail-order business that continues today to be my main source of income after 50 years. The least favorite was any kind of clothing. I like picking my own clothes out and I can’t say that my Mother’s choices in fashion and mine were similar. On the other hand, since most of my clothes were hand me downs from my older brothers I guess I should have been more thankful for a gift that consisted of new clothing. Just one of those things when you come from a large family with limited resources. We were cash poor then but rich with love that continues to make life now easier to get through. My family has always been there for me.
Favorite – probably an airplane toy I got when I was 5. It had a model of a DC-6 on a pedestal. The props turned and the lights worked, and the whole thing was connected to a cockpit with a wheel that banked,, pivoted, and raised and lowered the nose of the plane. You could pretend you where really flying if you were 5.
Least favorite, a couple years ago my wife decided we needed new pots and pans for the kitchen so that was my Christmas present.
My favorite christmas gift (i bought myself as a kid in high school delivering newspapers) was a aria pro cat bass n i boutght a little radio shack amplifier with it .
My worst gifts was a collection of sweatshirts n pants that was way to small.
My favorite Christmas present had to be an air rifle when I was about 11 years old. My least favorite present was something that was re-gifted back to me from the year before. I guess they really didn’t like it!!!
I’d forgotten about those.
We weren’t supposed to have them but back in the day I had this CO2 powered auto-reload pistol that I must have shot half a million BBs through before it disappeared. I had to keep it hidden in tree with plastic wrap to prevent it from rusting. It was oogles of fun to fill up containers with water and see hydrostatic shock right after a new cartridge, and it was a fast as you could shoot because of auto reload. A pack of cartridges was $1.50 back then and a giant box of 10,000 BBs were about $4.
You got a real show for pennies.
They were a lot of fun for a young boy enjoy, and a few girls, but there was something magic about trying to hone your marksmanship for very very little money. Special days in my life for sure.
My best Christmas present I got as a boy. My dad had built an amplifier in a speaker cabinet and along with this “speaker amplifier”, I got a cheap plastic turntable and a few singles.
The gifts I was least happy with – over the years as a boy – were, when I got knitted clothes.
Hello, neighbor Claes. This story brings back the memories. My dad built a Heath set amplifier decades ago with my older brother because it was his Christmas present that year. It had vacuum tubes and gave off a neat Orange glow at night in the living room. For the speakers, they decided to build the speakers in giant used laundry soap boxes to have something until they built nice wooden cabinets. I was impressed. It actually sounded great, had plenty of volume, and it’s just a really happy memory.
We made stuff like that out of nothing, and lived like kings from being clever. You could see a lot hiding in the shapes of things. The imagination was what kept it going. The main thing was we were happy. The turntable took a while to build as I recall, it too was kind of cheaply made, but it worked. The turntable had springs in it and 3 speeds (45,33&1/3,78RPM). I wonder if they still make those sets.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Best – Hot Wheels set. It was the total deal, with loops, ramp jumps, finish line flag traps, lap counters, juice station, and battery-powered house with opposite spinning wheels that would fling the cars out the other side.
Worst – Clackers. These were colored acrylic about 1.5″ to 2″ balls connected with about 7″ string and a metal loop. You try to find the right spot for the metal ring to get it going, but I never could get it going enough to double-clack. It annoyed me to no end. The novelty item was everywhere one year and disappeared by the next year.
My favorite Christmas gift was a new job! I was so happy!!! My worst was a coloring book from my brother when I was 5 or so.
Hi ladies, it had to be a 64 Fender Strat that I got for xmas when I was 14. The worst was an oversized accordion that was too big for me, so my first instrument was a turn off and I laid it down. That was when I was 6 and my older brother was 12, and yes, he got one to. My mom was bound and determined to get us to play music and of course she loved Lawrence Welk. When I was 11, I picked up the guitar and I could do that. Thank God for my mother believing in Music and the Art’s.
Hi Mona and Lisa! Thank you for drawing my name today! A very nice present indeed. And yes, I have won before, but it was the Shopping List from the “I Bought Myself A Politician” video. I really have never been so lucky in my life, thank you again. My favorite Christmas present was from my parents when I was 15, A Gibson Melody Maker electric guitar, which started me on a life-long adventure. Least favorite-cannot remember anything, as I am very appreciative of the giving. Looking forward to the New Year’s video message.
Lucky! That is so awesome.
Hi Mona and Lisa! When I was a kid, any toy was always a favorite, and any clothing item was always least favorite! Nowadays my favorite Christmas gift is just having a nice visit with family.
Hi Mona, Hi Lisa, Hi everyone… The gift that made the most impression on me was my first bicycle… I can remember the smell of something new it had, the smell of rubber from the tires, the plastic on the packaging was magical .. the “liberty” came as an accessory to that beautiful blue bicycle. The worst gift was a plastic rocket that was supposed to be launched by water pressure, using a small hand pump., but it didn’t work, the water leaked everywhere and the rocket was thrown just ridiculous three feet high .. Stay groovy everyone.
My favorite was a bike that I shared with my older brother. the gift I didn’t like was a scarf
My best gift was done with a labor of love. My mother made photo albums for all seven of us. She found old pictures of our great great grandparents and all generations up to us kids. She also included several life stories. I also had a boyfriend give me a car. My worst gift was my brother’s offer to buy me dinner. He brought a buy one get one free coupon and “forgot” his wallet.
I think the best gift I ever got was my rocking horse and cowboy hat. I tamed the Wild West all by myself! ????
The worst gift was the dreaded “time out table” that basically held you captive until someone rescued you!
They are perhaps one and the same. My (Neill’s) late brother once gave me a pen and pencil set that were broken… but he assured me they carried a lifetime warranty and if I would send them back to the company, they would repair or replace them for me. It took a few months and was easier said than done, but I did return them to the company and did get new ones. It was a classic move by my brother. I miss him, but he was undeniably weird. Maybe we can talk about siblings…
Now that was an exciting few minutes watching the two of you interact about Christmas presents…you obviously were having fun and to me the highlight was right at the end when Mona put her arms around Lisa and said “I love you”….that moment will stay with me forever…I loved it❤️????
The best present I received was my 1st guitar at 13 given to me by my oldest brother’s wife. She actually gave me a lifetime hobby and love of music. The worst was actually a prank. I wanted a new BB gun and was certain the box under the tree was it. Somehow my brothers managed to get the new BB gun out and put in my old one. I was very disappointed until they confessed to the trick.
My best ever present was Scalextric, especially when you consider that it was in the late 1960s. I have sometimes given and received joke presents, but even then, I cannot think of a worst.
The trouble with any present that was my least favorite is that it was also forgettable, so I can’t think of what it might have been. My favorite present was the ukulele I received last year.
What an awesome idea for a prize! A live MLT video chat! Only drawback I can see is that hugs just don’t travel thru Skype or Zoom, but definitely the next best thing to an in-person meeting!
My favorite, or at least most memorable Christmas gift was my first Lego set when I was a youngster. I’d wanted one badly for a couple years, but funds were tight back then, so I had to wait a bit, but it was worth the wait!
Least favorite is trickier. I guess a pair of work jeans that didn’t fit well. I asked for a specific brand and cut of work jeans (not expensive, but I knew which ones were comfortable). My gift-giver bought a more expensive pair which were supposedly my size, but the cut was too binding and the pockets were tiny. Worse yet, they lost the receipt, so I gave the jeans to charity and bought myself the right brand.
Way cool jackets, Ladies, and I didn’t notice the “Advent mug” until I realized Mona was carrying the candle!
My worst present was a Scalextric set. Was so looking forward to it but it never worked properly, and instead of zooming round at speed the cars sort of ambled along like a pensioners coach trip to the Lake District
My favourite and the one that always comes to mind when thinking about childhood christmases is my Meccano set. I used to spend hours constructing all kinds of weird and wonderful things
I don’t think I have had a really bad Christmas present. One favorite present as a kid was a drawing kit with many colorful pencils.
When I lived in northern Nebraska one winter at Christmas, we had many big snowstorms, so the school extended our Christmas vacation. That was a very big intangible present for me !
Ich war etwa 5 Jahre alt. Von meinem Vater bekam ich zu Weihnachten ein Schuco Model 5505 Cadillac de Ville Convertible. Heute, mit 61 Jahren, habe ich das Modell immer noch. Die Aufhängung des rechten Vorderrades ist zwar kaputt, sodass das Auto nicht mehr fahren kann. Aber die Erinnerung an meine verstorbenen Vater ist immer noch lebendig.
Ein 1972-er Cadillac de Ville wurde dann übrigens auch unser Hochzeitsauto.
My favorite Christmas present was my first guitar. I wasn’t very good, but I wanted one so badly. The worst present was a guitar my parents got me 5 years later. It had horrible, unplayable action and I couldn’t even tune it… but I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, so I acted thrilled. I think I only played it twice.
I think I’ve managed to forget any bad presents I’ve gotten — maybe I’ve just never had any really bad ones.
My favorite present was a koa Romero concert ukulele which was given to me by, well, myself.
My best Christmas present was several years ago I bought my niece two tickets to go see Audra McDonald. She was supposed to take her boyfriend, but she asked me to go instead. Audra was great, and so is my niece.
My least favorite present was in 1984 on Christmas Eve, my father suffered a ruptured appendix. So I took him and my mom the emergency room. Mom and I didn’t get home til about 1:00 a.m. First Christmas Eve without my dad. Not cool.
Mona your 12 year old self was so cute. And the emotion you show is priceless. I didn’t get what Lisa’s least favorite present was because you guys were laughing so much. And it’s catching so I was laughing too. I like the way you closed the episode with a hug and a sisterly “I love you.” That to is priceless.
Almost forgot, I like the hocus pocus with the candle and mug. Stay groovy. Peace be.
Yes their inventive silliness is just so engaging. Thankfully I have a similar relationship with my brothers as they have with each other, although we don’t hug each other.
Lisa mentioned it was a plectrum (guitar pick) Mona made for Lisa. Yeah today’s video was so heartwarming. What truly beautiful interaction between Mona and Lisa all the time.
You all wouldn’t want to see my old face. Lol
My favorite present comes with a story. When I was in the second grade all the boys thru baseballs against the school wall at rese. I asked my single Mom if I could get a MIT and ball so I could. She knew nothing about sports. She was a police/fire dispat her in the day and still danced Burlesque at night. So, she got me a plastic MIT with a bad ball. I would constantly retread it so I could use it. After she married my Step Father and he played catch with me with that awful MIT. My first Christmas with him I got a beautiful leather MIT.
The worst is each year my wife wants to give me stuff it’s something silly or cheap for the truck. It just sits in my truck. Lol
My least favourite present was a pool table that I didn’t really want and took up so much space in my first tiny little house, it was so impractical.
My favourite present I think as a kid would of been a new bike of which I thought was new. My Dad spayed a bike frame he found at the local tip/ dump a metallic blue colour, added transfers, and some new parts it looked new to me, I only found out years later what he had done, I loved it, and had such fun riding it.
These presents go back to the 70s when I was a kid.
My least favourite was a plastic photo cube, just what a kid wants 🙁
My favourite was a compilation album called Ripper 77. It got me started on my musical journey, and was the first record that I owned for myself. I was a happy 9 year old 🙂
The best gift I got when I was younger was a 2-part combination that happened over 2 years. One year I got Star Wars action figures, and the next year I got a lot (for a kid in the 70’s) of Lego blocks. Not actual sets, just random blocks. I used them to make all sorts of space ships for the Star Wars action figures. I even had some hiding spots for smuggling like they did on the Millennium Falcon, and I would hide some of the action figures in those.
Like many others I’ve seen on this list, socks and underwear were never fun as a kid.
Getting to watch a live video of you two every day has been one of the very best gifts I can ever remember. The thought of winning a video chat with you two would literally be a dream-come-true!
My least favorite Christmas gifts were those years growing up when times were hard for my folks and socks, underwear or pajamas were the best they could do. But the love they gave more than made up for any disappointment I had for not getting a particular toy. The most favorite gift I got was when I was 18 and they gave me tickets to go see Andres Segovia in concert at the San Francisco Masonic Auditorium. It was a life changing experience in the sense it demonstrated what was actually possible through commitment and practice. A very valuable lesson indeed.
My favorite was a Ice fishing rod and reel. My least favorite, was a ugly sweater.
My best present was probably my Stingray bicycle I got when I was 10. My worst present was a toilet. Yes, a toilet. I was planning to remodel the bathroom and my mom thought she would buy me a toilet to help me out. It wasn’t the right color or a very nice one either. Don’t ever buy someone a toilet for a present. Ever.
To be crude, it was a truly shit present!
Hmmm… I guess one of my favourites was my ukulele!
I remember being disappointed about a gift that I received as kid although it was actually something great. I must have been eleven or so and I had been playing the accordion for a while and had been looking forward to getting my own adult-size instrument. And there was this huge package under the Christmas tree. When I opened it, it was a keyboard! I was disappointed at first, but I did enjoy playing it a lot. And I got my accordion not so much later for one of my birthdays. Thinking about this now makes me sorry for my feelings back then because my parents had probably put a lot of thought and love into that present. And it reminds me how privileged I am.
My favourite present when I was a child was when myself and my brother got a train set between us from my parents, we didn’t usually have much money for big presents, but my father got a Christmas bonus that year, so we really appreciated it, really exciting year for us. Definitely the worst present was a home knit jumper from my grandmother, which was made from this very rough wool, which made my skin itch and red raw ????
I’ll watch this video any time I get a disappointing present! It will leave me happy and laughing!
Best present as a kid was a guitar when I was 5. I still remember the day and being over the moon about it, even though I’m not sure it could be properly tuned, but it was MY guitar.
As for the worst, what comes to mind was my 18th birthday. The year prior, my grandmother gave my brother for his 18th birthday $400 (US Dollars), which was a huge amount of money in Argentina back then. My expectorations were high, and for the life of me, I could not hide the disappointment when I found $20 in the envelope, covering my birthday and Christmas present. I soon found out all the cousins were getting $10 for Christmas, which made it much worse.
However, it was a great lesson that has served me very well my whole life: you’ll have a miserable life if you feel entitled and expect other people to do things for you. I’m glad I got that lesson early on.
It’s a joy to count my blessings. MLT is on that list.
Ladies,
i would love to enjoy a video chat but this isn’t my best topic.
No stress. I will get luckier next time. The live stream will be good enough.
Cheers.
I don’t remember how old I was, but I got a Tonka firetruck package. It had a ladder truck with working ladder, a pumper truck with a hydrant that hooked to a garden hose so it really worked and an ambulance. Played with that so much. Over the years I wish I had kept it. Worst like a recuring theme socks.
I was lucky that my parents saved all of my Tonka Trucks! I am even more fortunate that they only let me play inside with them, so they’re in really good shape! I used Styrofoam peanuts for dirt.
When I was in second grade, we actually got to tour the Tonka Truck factory (it was still in MinneTONKA, Minnesota at the time).
It was pretty exciting finding a bicycle next to the tree. IF it was next to the tree. Maybe I got it for some other occasion or no occasion. but I liked it and rode it a lot. It was my ticket to everywhere in town.
My favorite present was a 10 speed bicycle when I was 14. Worst present had to be socks and underwear.
My favorite gift, apart from the gifts I received as a child, were the tickets to see the Broadway show, Shenandoah, from my new girlfriend, Judy, in 1976, who is now my wife of more than 41 years. No gift was truly bad but enduring Christmas after my 17 year old cousin, Laurie, died in 1987 made getting through and enduring the holidays a trial that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
My best present was from my grandma & Grandad when I was 7. It was my very first radio. (See pic). I still have it today and it still works.
My worst was when there was lots of hits about my very own drum kit. It turned out to be one of those desk top ones. Can you imagine my disappointment?.
My favorite present was a battery operated Santa playing the drums.
My worst was every year as a kid, my grandma would get me socks and underwear ???? no excitement knew exactly what was coming.
The best present I ever got (well, technically it was for all of us kids) was a toy pinball machine, which looked somewhat like the one in the photo below. I played that thing almost every day for a couple of years until the spring on the plunger finally snapped.
The worst was a football helmet. At age nine I had zero interest in football, and Santa should have known that. I ended up just carrying it around pressed against my hip and pretending that I was walking to a game with my invisible little sister who was dressed for the occasion.
https://bid.bidderone.com/images/lot/3175/3175716_0.jpg?1430860445
Hi David. Yes, as a child I would have liked to have a pinball like that. If I had the space to put it up, I would buy a real pinball machine today. From Williams or Gottlieb. A friend of mine wanted to put one of those in his basement. I think I have to do a bit of convincing there.
I tried to make a pinball machine once out of cardboard, and used gravity as I pushed marbles down a ramp. I dreamt of having a game machine. This was in the 70s. Man if I knew what kind of computer games would be coming down the pipe. Can you imagine the standard mundane games that come standard on smart phones these days would have been like back then.
You and I are kindred spirits, Jung. I once tried to make a pinball machine out of PAPER, with a paper wad as a marble! Although incredibly flimsy, it kind of worked except for the flippers. I ended up having to flick the paper wad with my fingers, which basically ruined the whole sense of playing pinball.
David you have cracked me up again!: “invisible little sister who was dressed for the occasion.” LOL!
Hola a todos los miembros del club MLT. No queda mucho tiempo hasta su presentación en línea. El año pasado demostraron que son tan naturales, adorables y divertidos en vivo como en sus publicaciones en video. ¡No te lo pierdas!
How do they manage to always look so smart?
My favourite present was always my Christmas stocking. My mother, every year, managed to find all sorts of fun, intriguing, educational and silly little gifts for her three sons. We all had some of the things but each of us had several things especially for us. I’m sure that she started collecting them each January and spent the year finding all the bits n’ pieces. Boys are, possibly, very easy to find things for as we are a simple bunch and like simple things but it did show how well she knew us as well.
My least favourite present was in a Secret Santa when I worked for Barclays in Reading (UK). It was a couple of railway books which were very basic and well below my interest level. Whilst it showed the giver’s knowledge of my hobbies sadly it also showed how little they knew about the topic.
Todos estamos muy emocionados.
Hi Philip. Sometimes it’s those small thoughtful gifts that are the best for sure.
I learned the hard way that often times it’s best to avoid gifting someone something related to their hobby as they probably have everything they need, unless you too are very knowledgeable about the hobby and know exactly what they would like or need. It’s like that with my brother and sister in law. They are very avid golfers and trying to get them something related to golfing that they would like would be very hard as they have everything they want or need. If I was a golfer just as passionate and savvy as they are, I could figure out what might complement what they already have and not get them something that would just collect dust, like some golf balls I got them once.
Hello Jung. If you want to give me golf balls they will be gratefully received. Mine tend to end up getting very wet or disappearing into the trees never to be seen again!
The stockings contained all sorts of surprises, much of it purely for the fun. We often knew our main present as it would be something that we had asked for so the stockings were always really special.
Hi Jung and Phillip. I have to agree with you Phillip about the golf balls. I could never have too many. I remember many years ago golfing at a resort in Tucson, AZ . I lost so may balls going off coarse into the desert I had to sneak onto the driving range and grab several so I could finish playing.
Thankfully the courses that I play on there are so many golfers with the same issues as me that I often find as many balls (if not more) than I lose. The friend that I go round with tends to hook the ball left whilst I slice to the right, not conducive to to a friendly round, waving to each other from the rough on either side of the fairway (if we are lucky).
Stephen, Philip. I think I know what you mean, I tend to come away without any golf balls, and if I do, they certainly weren’t ones I started with! LOL. I feel better my golf balls probably got used up.
Jung, try giving them white chocolate golf balls from a specialty chocolate shop. It worked on me once.
David, now those are my kind of golf balls. I may just try that the next time I gift them something, I am sure they will get a kick out of it.
Nothing wrong with chocolate golf balls. I did try using one off the tee a while ago. Not a success!
So their performance wasn’t quite up to par? (Yes, it took me four days to think of that.)
But you got a hole in one!
My favorite Christmas present was my first guitar, a completely unexpected gif from my parents when I was 14. It was a pretty inexpensive classical guitar that they got my redeeming S&H Green Stamps (do any other U.S. MLT Club members remember those?) Didn’t matter that it was cheap, I loved that guitar. I taught myself all the basic chords on it. I wish I still had it, but I learned the hard way that replacing nylon strings with steel can’t be done on a nylon string guitar — the neck bent so badly it was like trying to play a steel-cable suspension bridge!
Least favorite was a ratty old used 45 single that nobody had heard of that I drew from a Christmas grab bag in school. I just about went home in tears. We all knew who put it there, and years later I ended up feeling bad for him because he probably didn’t have the money to buy a gift.
Although I can’t relate to this personally, socks is such a common theme here on the “least favorite” side that I had to share this song from an album I discovered last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swukov55ZuY
Paul, thanks so much for this! I have saved it to add to my Christmas play list. Very cool.
You’re welcome, Stephen, glad you like it!
Hi Paul,
I remember S&H Green Stamps. We had one of those stores. I think it was in the same plaza where Sears(and Santa) was in our town in upstate New York.
My parents collected them and traded them in for merchandise.
I am trying to remember where we got the stamps. Was it the Grocery Store and/or the gas station? I think it was before the mall was built, so that would be before 1973. Wow, should we feel old or just aged?
JP
Hi Johnnypee,
“Aged” sounds better — with age comes wisdom, right? 🙂 Anyway, I grew up and still live in southern Connecticut. I can’t remember whether we had an S&H Green Stamp store nearby or if my parents just used the mail order catalog, but to answer your question, I do remember that the stamps were given out at grocery stores, gas stations and department stores, in quantities determined by how much money you spent. I believe S&H sold the stamps to the retailers, who in turn used them as incentives for their customers. I never knew the make of that guitar I had, I always just called it my “S&H Green Stamp Special.”
Paul
I got a ventriloquist dummy when I was 9 (clearly a sign of strange things to come). That likely was my fav. My least fav was itchy pants from Sears (you couldn’t wear those things out if you took sandpaper to the knees).
As a 8 year kid my fav was my first Beatle album which was Revolver. My least fav was socks.
You’re not the only one with sock issues, Keith:
Retro Pop Cult: Image (tumblr.com)
David Lol yeah my parents would give them to me every Christmas after about 20 years of it i finally had to tell them to stop buying them because I had enough to last me for the next 20 yrs. Have a wonderful Christmas. Keith
Oh my gosh I won again! If you happen to pull my name again, please pull another in my place so others can win too! But this is still awesome! I really didn’t have any Christmas presents I can recall not liking. My parents didn’t have a lot of money but they always came thru. I remember a favorite was a little reel to reel tape recorder. I loved that recorder!
Being from a family with 5 boys, gifts were a bit of a luxury as having food on the table was a gift. However, I did receive a small telescope which I was able to see some craters on the moon. Needless to say,…receiving underwear was a bummer 🙂
My favorite Christmas Present I received was a toy tractor that had functioning parts. I must of played with the tractor for two years.
My favorite present was my first record player. I was about 8 years old I think, it was square with a plastic lid that stood about 6 inches tall and it had 2 speakers. I used that record player till I was about 18, I loved it. It was the gift that kept on giving.
My least favorite gift was a pair of pajamas from my aunt, it gets worse, I was 12 years old and they were Casper the Friendly Ghost pajamas. Help! I’m not sure what happened to them needless to say they were never worn. I was a boy, 12 years old, I was gracious and kind and I think her for thinking of me. But really?
Okay, Mona, Lisa, I have to say you two are the cutest and sweetest girls I believe I have ever seen. I love your sense of humor and those laughs, they warm a Heart so.
Hats off to Rudi and Michaela they sure did something right, you are very special.
Best: my first real guitar amp. It was a Peavey with distortion no less-my first thoughts were wondering just how loud can it be? HooHa!
Worst: clothes that were not my style
I like that your first instinct upon discovering the drums was to hug your parents and thank them. I am sure they were anxious to have you unwrap them to see your reaction. Definitely a win-win moment.
My favourite Christmas present was one I received when I was 7 years old. It was a magic kit! I spent hours learning and practising a huge variety of magic tricks before presenting them to my family and friends. My least favourite gift was a winter jacket that was identical to my mom’s jacket. Needless to say, it was not at all cool (I was 14 at the time) to match with my mom. And the coat wasn’t exactly in style either. I wore it, however, and tried hard not to show my embarrassment because my parents didn’t have a lot of money and a new coat was a costly gift for them to give. Now I can look back and appreciate the thought that prompted the gift but at the time, I felt mortified.
OMG you two are so fun! Just to be a fly on the wall in your house would be incredible. I agree with Claude…this is the best prize ever. I won’t say you’re my enemy Claude…but rival for sure. Although they are giving away two, so there’s room for both of us. Made me think, though, with Zoom, why couldn’t we do a short Zoom with the whole MLT club together with you guys? We could all get to meet one another “in person.” Could be an annual thing.
I was asked this same question as an “ice-breaker” in another Zoom meeting I was on this week, and had a hard time with it. I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday much less Christmas gifts from ages past. One that qualifies, though, is the year my Dad (my parents were divorced and we rarely saw him) decided to take us on a skiing trip for a weekend. We had never been skiing before. But he apparently told everyone else his plans because we got ski gloves, ski hats, ski-everything so by the time we got to the “big reveal” it wasn’t much of a mystery. But we had a blast and I loved skiing for many years until I got too fragile.
I have no idea what the worst give might have been, but as I kid I wasn’t a huge fan of clothing and underwear either.
My favourite christmas present was the Beatles white Album 50th anniversary edition vinyl box set
My least favourite christmas present would be socks and a christmas jumper
My favorite Christmas was a new Schwinn 12 speed bike when I was 13. My parents did not have a lot of money so that made it so much more special. My least favorite present was a “trumpet”. Even though I had ask for one, it was very difficult to really try & learn and to enjoy the sound coming out the other end. I remember trying to wake up my parents that morning by playing taps. They we’re not amused!!!
I have to laugh when I think about it but the worst present I ever received was when my wife got me a small electric refrigerator for HER minivan which I never drove. Sadly, my dear wife died from breast cancer so my best present is whenever my son and daughter can be with me on Christmas.
Hello Ladies,
You absolutely melted mine and Mark’s hearts today! You all are the very best.
We are so thrilled that you like our designs, and that you enjoy wearing them so. I know Michaela and Papa Rudi enjoy theirs also. Michaela has written me.
Mark had sent me pictures of the Hoodirs and I said “More Color.” Did he ever come thru.
On to today’s challenge.
My least favorite was when I got a wallet from my favorite team, except it was another teams wallet ????.
My favorite was last year. When Maria was little, she had a little toy car and she and I would send messages back and forth on it.
It eventually broke. Well she got me another one last year and said, ” this is for always playing with me when I was little, and for the countless notes you sent. I have never forgotten it.” ????????????????.
Thank you again. Best always.
Rick.
I woke up this morning with a song going around in my head. It took a few seconds as I could not think what it was but then I realized it was Songbird! I love songs which take over your mind a few days after first hearing them. I am humming it while watching the birds in my garden (robin, blackbirds, blue tits, sparrows and the others I am not so fond off: crows, magpies, pigeons and seagulls!).
My best present was probably an electric model railway set which I received as a boy from my parents. Although most of the original trains are long gone I still have a layout in the attic which I add to every so often (one of my Christmas traditions is to clean all the dust away!). Great for impressing younger relatives who love to play with it when visiting.
My worst is harder to decide. Like many it will probably be a jumper or a book from someone that does not really know me and so it doesn’t match my tastes (not their fault of course). Or the mundane like a pack of socks! I usually eat anything chocolate that comes my way (hopefully without large nuts in it!) so can’t go wrong there.
Songbird has been running through my head too! I even wake up in the morning with it already mid-way through in my head. How does that work?!
My best Christmas gift was my first son being born in December. My least favorite was the first Christmas after my wife and I got married. There was this big box under the tree for weeks with my name on it, and Christmas morning I opened it to find,,, car mats! It was actually a very thoughtful gift, but over the last 36 years together my wife understands that I want a toy!
My best Christmas gift might be all of us going to the countryside with my family for Xmas.
My worst one is a scarf and a pair gloves from my girlfriend. The gift was alright, but because she never brings hers with her, she always end up using mine. In other words, she basically gave me a pair of gloves to carry around for her all the time.
For the record, I want today’s prize. Anyone else would leave a comment are my rivals and therefore my enemies ????
Congratulations to today’s winners!! Great video today Mona and Lisa, so fun to watch and had me laughing…LOL…My best gift was like you Mona my first drum set from my mom and Dad back in 1971. It was so cool and showed all my friends. So the worst? Oh my hate to be mean , hope my grand mom is not watching me from the heavens…LOL…But she got me this awful sweater with Santa on the front and I hated it ….Oh my goodness I was laughed at in school when she made me wear it to school…So it is a mystery what ever happened to that sweater…LOL….
Bill and Maddie Isenberg
My best Christmas “gifts” were always being able to watch my kids open up presents when they were young. Your “All I Want Christmas To Be” video brings back those fond memories.
The worst Christmas gifts were always from the white elephant gift exchange parties we used to have. Some of the ugliest, most useless gifts showed up there, always in fun of course.
My best Christmas present was a go-kart (or kettcar). I drove it around the flat all Christmas long. My two least favourite presents? Socks from my aunt for my birthday and a used toy car from my cousin (wow, the first used car in my life).
Jurgen, a go-cart when I was little would have been my dream Christmas present too. I made a wooden go cart once, used the wheel/axle from my sisters old baby carriage and rode it down the big hill in front of our house. Had loads of fun. I always wanted a motorized go cart like this one.
The Day 19 video had some real golden nuggets of wisdom, thanks for highlighting those. Therapeutic indeed. Can’t believe it’s Day 20 already, gonna miss these morning joyful videos from you both very much at the end of the year, you’ve spoiled us so much this Advent, thank you!!! We have your wonderful “Songbird” which will be a gift that keeps on giving. Congrats to the winners today, and wow a video chat with you, that will be the most special and meaningful prize ever. Will be a couple of extremely lucky winners tomorrow.
My favourite Christmas gift would have to be my most sentimental which is a nice rain/dress coat for work my mom got me, probably one of the last gifts I got from her. It’s beige and long down to my knees and goes great for when I wear a suit underneath it, keeping every thing dry, and it also has a liner to keep me warm. I still have it and will be something I would never let go. I wore it to many important work functions and customer meetings proudly. Nowadays I have a big lump in my throat when I wear it, but it’s a little worn so leave it in my closet as a keepsake. I just put it on occasionally to bring back fond memories or feel close to my mom again. Here is a picture of me wearing it with my sales colleagues on a crazy night out from 2006.
On the other end of the scale I remember getting this wind up rechargeable flashlight from my sister that holds a charge for maybe a couple minutes at most and it’s not bright at all to be practical. It’s one of the very early hand crank rechargeable flashlights. It looks impressive, but is next to useless, as you have to wind the crank to charge it, and it has no external power ports to charge from.
Jung, I also have a few items of clothing in my closet that remind me of loved ones. When I feel like it, I can touch them and remember these people fondly. That gives consolation.
Hi Jurgen. They become treasures for sure clothes that are worthless to others but the world to you. I came across one of my mom’s old purses a few years ago, and found an old fountain pen, I remember I bought her years earlier when she asked me to get her one. The nib was in bad shape but found a replacement on ebay from someone who had the same pen in Indonesia, so got that, and now it is functional and one of my favourite pens. It’s nice to have something from the ones you loved to remember them by.
My favourite and worst present I received were both from my wife. She wrapped up a plug with some socks, I did not moan too much at time, as she got me other things as well however later I was to find that the plug was for a new TV that she had bought me.
She later asked me what I thought about the plug, which I said deep down it would not be worth repeating.
Congrats to today’s winners from draw ????
Um…. I’ve rather liked all my Xmas gifts except one year, the family got a box of seashell shaped box of chocolates from an aunt, nobody really likeed them… I didn’t like them in particular, hazelnut or some kind of nut filling they were made from… I almost unknowingly died from pistachio reaction some years ago, got tested to confirm my nut allergies, thus why I did not enjoy those seashell shaped chocolates…. perhaps a gift card or clothing I wasn’t keen on , but didn’t say anything , just smiled and said Thankyou …
As for fave Xmas gifts, many over the years but getting a new CD player for stereo at the time with Patsy Cline CD Box set ( actually a Bday/Xmas Gift Combo as my Bday in January ) was one, concert ticket for a concert , was another, and another time were an assortment of a few Purple items count… as I say, there’s been many
awesome gifts ????????????
A long time ago, when I was 16, my parents put a key in the bottom of my Christmas stocking – turns out it went to a red 1965 ford mustang! I wish I still had that car.
I can’t say I ever disliked any present someone gave to me.
The worst was as a 10 year old being given talcum powder!
The best was a Subbuteo set.
Aw can’t beat sibling love ♥️
My best present was a trip to Italy, staying just outside Sorrento, visiting Naples, Pompei, Rome and the wonderful Amalfi Coast!!
Not sure I’ve had a worst present as every present comes from the heart (just some with a little more thought than others ????)
My least favorite as a child had to be clothes, just threw them aside & went to the next gift. I think my most favorite was a baseball pitching machine that I received when I was about 8 years old. It threw plastic baseballs, my friends and I wore that thing out. The funniest thing about that present was I didn’t get it until after New Years day because my parents forgot about it and only found it when they were putting away the Christmas decorations.
As a child I think my favorite gift was getting the Atari 2600 game system. I know I am aging myself. My least favorite as a child was any sort of clothes I might receive
The Atari 2600 changed my life! Remember that “Combat” cartridge that came with it? There was one really poorly designed variation of the game with one giant pink plane versus three small green planes. As the pink plane I couldn’t win even when the green planes were operated by a heavy weight placed on the firing button.
When I was 9 or 10yrs old one Christmas the only thing I wanted that year was a Steve Austin doll with his bionic eye and a bionic chip in his right arm. I wanted it so very badly and my parents got it for me, I was so excited.
The worst gift I ever got was from my sister( I think). She gave me the most God awful ugly sweater with a dear on the front. I never, ever wore it and somehow it just up and disappeared…Hehehe ????????
Aw man I loved my Steve Austin doll, used to beat up my Action Man with him ????
I had that Steve Austin doll (pardon me… “action figure”) too!