<p>Ours: a stuffed bear, about 18" high and a big as a medium-sized dog, designed as a foot-stool.</p>
<p>Someone else: a 52-year-old CFO, a member of AA, who, along with her sponsoree who has been sober for a year, got matching tattoos on their shoulders (Gaelic knot).</p>
<p>Mine: a package of tennis balls. I don’t play tennis; I use these in the dryer when I’m washing pillows and comforters.</p>
<p>My husband: a giant Darth Vader pez dispenser (with music!)</p>
<p>My brother: a mouse pad from Taiwan styled after a female anime character, with the appropriate attributes overemphasized and turned into a gel pad to prevent carpal tunnel. XD</p>
<p>I made my sister an ornament by hot-gluing our deceased grandmother’s broken pearl necklaces onto a styrofoam ball and attached a dangling pearl earring at the bottom. Turned out real good and my sister cried buckets when she read the poem I included in the box.</p>
<p>My family:
“The Bathroom Reader Joke Book” from my 89 year old grandmother (in a box along with a bunch of nice food items).</p>
<p>Viola da gamba lessons</p>
<p>I DO play tennis, so would be interested to know what a package of tennis balls has to do with the dryer and the washing of pillows and comforters.</p>
<p>I got two books from my best friend that I REALLY wasn’t expecting, and an IOU for the third book when it comes out (i got the first two of three from the collected plays of edward albee… i can’t wait for the third book)… I guess a book isn’t really an unusual present, but it was very suprising to me because I only mentioned the author like once… and it was like six months ago or so, and my friend wrote it down and got me the books. They’re very nice - hard back, about 700 pages each. (And if you haven’t read the plays by edward albee i highly suggest doing so)</p>
<p>As far as other weird/unusual presents… we got my best friends brother a ukelele… i gave my mom a box of bananas… it was just an all around very good holiday… everyone loved their gifts and had a lot of fun.</p>
<p>a porno video from my grandmother</p>
<p>jk</p>
<p>ellemenope: They fluff, and also prevent static.</p>
<p>A pack of baseball cards from 1980 and a Spiderman-themed paper plate with a bite taken out of it.</p>
<p>me: cooling racks (for making cookies, which I do a lot)</p>
<p>Me: 30th year commemorative deluxe edition CD of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. I’ve listened to the whole thing twice in 3 days. DS just shakes his head. And of course my Mom sent socks, which is a running joke. That’s what she’s given me for as long as I can remember. At least she’s moved up from white tube socks to calf-high gold toes over the years. </p>
<p>My DS: Not necessarily unusual, but there oughta be a law against influential relatives giving college-branded attire to kids who are knee-deep in the college selection process 
! My brother in law, who son thinks is just one of the coolest people ever, is an assistant professor so of course “Uncle J” gave him a nice sweatshirt from the school. The school, which is pretty much a strong safety, is going to be his number one choice next year, I just know it. At least it’s a good school.</p>
<p>me: my 13 year old son gave me a flourescent orange silk tie. Either that or the 20 pack of bungee cords (?)</p>
<p>17 year old D: power jigsaw, cordless drill and finishing sander</p>
<p>13 year old S: deodorant, razor & shaving cream</p>
<p>I was at a Christmas party where gifts were exchanged; (I’d brought a gift box with a Love Actually soundtrack [songs are difficult to download… and hard to find, especially Bill Nighy’s Christmas is All Around], chocolate truffles, and Georgetown lanyards.)… there was this huge, nondescript brown box about 2 feet long and a foot wide… I guessed it was a frame… boy, was I wrong. Inside was a nondescript white envelope with one $5 bill and five $1 bills. Think that takes the cake for the most unexpectedly wrapped Christmas gift.</p>
<p>I came out with Bath and Body Works body lotion… needless to say, that was regifted to someone else.</p>
<p>The year our oldest was a HS senior, he had major surgery 3 days before Christmas. (A laproscopic fundalplication, for you medical types out there. Purposely put it off till break, so he wouldn’t mess up that all-important senior year.) </p>
<p>We had decided he needed a car (and, more importantly, WE needed him to have a car.) We actually bought the car in October (a used Escort), and stored it at a neighbor’s, Pete. When S needed to use the car for some reason, my H would say he’d ride in to work with “Pete” and took the Escort. So we wouldn’t have to lie, we named the car, “Pete.”</p>
<p>It was a much bigger present than we usually gave. On Christmas, it was the only present S got, so we wrapped several boxes inside each other. The outermost layer was Christmas paper. The next layer was birthday paper. The next was graduation paper. The tiny innermost box said “get well soon,” and held the car keys. The garage had the car, (which we moved in the middle of the night) with a big bow on it.</p>
<p>He was still on pain meds, so he couldn’t drive. He sat all day in the car, listening to the stereo. He told people he got a stereo for Christmas, in a really nice case. </p>
<p>He quit taking pain meds that day, though.</p>
<p>And the car, to this day, is still named, “Pete.”</p>
<p>We hosted out-of-town family for Christmas dinner and celebration today. I can always count on my brother to give unusual gifts. This year, he presented my husband with a package of Oreo cookies. No, I’m not kidding.</p>
<p>Tookie, I really like the gift you gave your sister. That was so nice.</p>
<p>Binx;
Great story! Shows that health takes first precedence over everything.
You’ve made some great traditions with your S.
Good luck on the college search.</p>
<p>Mine could be the most unusual. I gave my brother my bone marrow 2 days before Christmas. I donated for 2 days. Does that count for extra credit? :)</p>
<p>You win, Cruella! Yes, you get extra credit, too. But you have to change your name. Cruella doesn’t fit.</p>
<p>Hope your brother is okay now.</p>