Holiday gifts that were a hit
I gave my H a mini ping pong table that you can use indoors. My H hates gifts and he is thrilled with this one.
I also got him the larger Jenga type of game. We took it to the relatives and it was great fun.
S and his fiancé gave me these pants. I wasn’t expecting to like them and I absolutely love them. On me they are loose in the upper leg and hit just above my ankle.
http://www.prana.com/bindu-pant.html?colors=dress blue
Those are cute!
I had several presents that were hits …
For ds2, I saw that his favorite podcast offered some merchandise. It’s a little-known podcast, judging by the relatively few likes on FB, so the gimme cap I got him advertises that he’s “in the know” in this industry. It’s cool, and the day after he flew home I saw a video of him and he was wearing it, so, yeah, that felt like a success.
For three sets of little kids I bought things that they loved, if their parents didn’t, lol. A set of three brothers got the old-school Rock Em, Sock 'Em Robots. Even my 25yo played with them. For two girls with a mischievous dad, I got a game where you get hit in the face with a whipped cream “pie.” Messy and fun! And for a brother and sister, I got this annoying voice-distorter megaphone. OMG, the 2yo from another family loved it, much to my delight. Can you imagine being a barely verbal 2yo and have the ability to make your voice big and booming? They finally had to take it away from him because it was annoying them. But, man, I’d put that kid in a room with that thing and let him entertain himself for hours!
I like the Prana line!
Gifts I gave that were hits:
- Our dog’s paw prints pressed in a mold for a Christmas ornament.
- Patagonia fleece.
Gift I received that was a hit:
Shutterfly calendar that is really beautiful with family photos for each month. Customized “special days” including my kids 1/2 birthdays, national hummus/tabbouli/donut days (some of my favorites), Michelle and Barack Obama’s birthdays (also my favs!) among others. 
I gave my daughter gift certificates to a Pilates studio nearby… she was very happy. Also, for the first time in a long time, I gave her clothes – from Everlane – she is NOT exchanging! That made me very happy.
H and son received gifts they asked for, so while they were very pleased, they weren’t terribly surprised.
We got the glass lid for our instapot!
Got H flannel PJs he’s been wearing nightly. Our kids got us a water rower that we are looking forward to. Got D some clothes she is very fond of and looking forward to wearing. S took H’s backpack so H is happy with the new backpack I just bought him. I like the cuddleduds base layers i bought myself and others.
I had to buy for a teenage girl I’d never met. She seemed to enjoy getting a package of bath bombs.
My husband loves the 32 Degrees base layers his mother bought him at Costco. It’s coming in really handy this week.
We bought my sister and her husband some massage oil with an oil warmer, along with a massage instruction book. DH and I explained that we have enjoyed learning how to give each other massages. BIL emailed us that they really like the gifts!
Baby kid got a pair of snowboarding mitts, Lulu yoga pants, and Merrel hiking boots. All were hits. Big kiddo and SIL will be getting a new stove - when we were installing their new dishwasher, Mr. B accidentally bumped into one knob, and turned on the burner! Eek. The stove is very old and dangerous… the non-negotiable item in the new one will be knobs on the back of the stove. We were glad we said this - the next day the story broke out about a deadly fire that started when a kid was playing with the stove. The rest of the features the kids can pick.
TMI, ML!!! (To those who don’t know, I know ML’s sister and BIL!) =))
My son loves his soda stream and ugg fleece jacket. He’s hardly taken it off. My d - she’s so easy she loves everything. Hubby got me a nice coat that I sure appreciated going to Boston over the weekend and now the puppy is here having to go outside in the freezing cold at all hours.
^We have friends who have a gas stove with knobs on the front and I managed to turn the burner on by bumping the knob, too! What a horrible design.
H was beyond thrilled with the custom Jedi costume I have a friend of mine making for him and the Jedi lightsaber classes I found. The Comic Con is in March and he will be ready! H and D chipped in and got me a painting class and supplies. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do but never quite got around to.
our fat cat lays on her back with her paws in the air and lets it all flop out. We took of picture of her and put her on a pillow from shutterfly. you have to look at it to get it; but its really adorable. The cat even slept on it.
got all the boys frisbee golf sets with “drivers, chippers and putters”
I got H a North Face lightweight fleece jacket - this particular one was hard to find, and he loves it. We got D & FSIL a vacuum cleaner for their new house, and they were thrilled. S was happy with his Converse Chuck Taylor all-weather nubuck high tops, and his GF could not get over the fact that we got her Dragon Brushes (make-up brushes) that she really wanted. It was a great Christmas!
3D phone goggles
I gifted D a nice warm long down winter coat which I think will come quite handy given the very low temperatures we have been experiencing since Christmas.
D and SIL bought me a beautiful sweater from Everlane. I wasn’t familiar with this brand before, but I think I’ll be shopping them now.
My S’s GF got me a subscription to the NYT crossword. I am obsessed! I’ve done most of December in the last few days. 
She and I also bought each other cookbooks that we wanted: for her, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for me, Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. We all gave each other books that were universally well received, being a collection of bookworms.
I gave S and GF and S’s godfather vinegars and oil from this collection. (A local company.) They are truly fabulous, for those looking for food gifts:
https://www.lerouxkitchen.com/
The coconut white balsamic is extraordinary. I gave that to S’s GF. I gave the peach white balsamic and wild rosemary olive oil to S and GF.
If you happen to be in Portland, you can drop by and taste all the flavors.
@Consolation I love Le Roux’s lemon olive oil.