Old Christmas Threads (gifts, well wishes, etc)

[cabrasopa]

SO I got NO books but on Christmas night my SIL gave 2 books to read that she finished.

NO BOOKS!! i wonder how many people on this forum received no books for christmas, i can't rember the last birthday,father's day, easter, christmas that i didn't get a book as a present.

 

[SFG75]

NO BOOKS!! i wonder how many people on this forum received no books for christmas, i can't rember the last birthday,father's day, easter, christmas that i didn't get a book as a present.

I hear ya, if I get anything else, it might as well be a lump of coal from uncle Ebeneezer. I get a ton of books on those days as well-except for easter...hmmmmmm, I'll have to ask in such a way that a book for easter tradition is started.

 

[G4G]

I got clothes, food and a hangover for Boxing Day, as well as my TBF SS present. Oh yes - I also got a book of stories by Jack London - brilliant!!

My housemate got a radio-controlled Dalek - I've been playing with that all day: EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! I wonder how many parents now regret getting one for their kids - what a racket. By the way, my housemate is 36...

 

[cabrasopa]

I hear ya, if I get anything else, it might as well be a lump of coal from uncle Ebeneezer. I get a ton of books on those days as well-except for easter...hmmmmmm, I'll have to ask in such a way that a book for easter tradition is started.

I'm always asked do i want an easter egg or a book, NO CONTEST.

 

[G4G]

Sprouts. Brussells sprouts. I love them. I can eat a whole plateful no problem. Nothing else matters. However, I seem to be alone in this. I don't know anyone else who really, really likes them.

 

[mom2kngr]

Well I asked for books but it seems no one else thought they were important enough to get. My hubby did buy me a new oak bookcase which I was more than thrilled about. Hubby also told me that since I got none of the books I wanted that I may purchase some.

 

[StillILearn]

My daughter-in-law gave me a Nano iPod. That's the great good news.

The bad news is:

In my enthusiasm and zeal, and thinking that I maybe could immediately download the latest Barbara Vine on my new toy, I asked my yougest g'kid to come downstairs and help me. She connected me to iTunes where the only interesting unabridged book we could find (it was getting late and I had had a couple of cocktails by then ) was The French Lieutenant's Woman. She got things set up and going for me, and then they went home. Well, after they had gone, I realized that it might take hours for this huge book (17 + hours!) to download so I closed everything down, thinking that I could resume downloading in the morning. Today I have a charge receipt for $75.00 and no book on my iPod, and now my DIL and g'kids have gone on vacation!

Where do you all go to download books onto your iPods, and am I now going to be forced to (gasp) read the directions?

 

[blueboatdriver]

I do. I'm not so sure about a whole plateful though

 

[Halo]

Yep, I like sprouts too! But you've got to wait until there's been a frost on the crops, apparently, because they taste better after that. There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to sprouts - people either like them or they don't. It's never a case of "Oh, they're alright, I suppose".

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I got 3 books this Christmas - Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (which is being exchanged because I read the library copy about two days before Christmas ) and Jessica by Bryce Courtney. I got book vouchers also, so I think I'm going to get The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon and I'll get Small Island by Andrea Levy with the exchange.

 

[cajunmama]

Hubby gave me a new coffee machine which is really nice. I was supposed to get a new purse, a hand-held electrinoc chess game and a book from the children, but hubby didn't think to come home on Christmas Eve until way past the kids' bedtime, so nobody wrapped them. I will buy my own Christmas gifts (talk about torture, knowing what you have in the closet but being unable to touch it! ), but I refuse to wrap my own Christmas gifts. I'm using the things I bought myself for Christmas and hubby has asked where they came from and I told him. I think he knows I wasn't too happy with him Christmas Eve night.

On the bright side, mother-in-law gave us money, which she does every year, but this time, it was about 4 times the usual amount, which means I get some money to play with and pay off a credit card bill .

 

[blueboatdriver]

An Appropriate poem; for me anyway:


Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except me and my spouse

The stockings were empty, no presents were wrapped
We were way behind schedule and our resources tapped

The children were nestled all snug in the beds,
While the horrors of assembling danced in our heads

Dad armed with a screwdriver, ready and poised
To build a red trike for one of our boys.

When off in the hall there arose a strange noise
We dove over boxes to hide all the toys

The thud, it turned out, was our dumb puppy Paul
Who was chasing the cat and ran into the wall

Back to his task, Dad cursed at his mess
I suspect he was lost, but he’d never confess

He wrestled with parts and fumbled with tools
Emailed the manufacturer and called them all fools

After hours of struggle, the bike finally took shape,
With a few cuts and bruises and the aid of duct tape

He stood back and gaped at the bike he just built
It weaved and it wobbled and rolled with a tilt

His frustration grew; his voice shook as he spoke
“The directions are Greek, it’s all a sick joke”

At this point he snapped, his thinking unclear
He’ll do something stupid; this was my big fear.

He grabbed each toy’s instructions, oh why won’t he learn,
Tossed them into the fire, chanting “burn baby burn”

“Burn Disney, burn Huffy, to blazes with you
Burn Fisher Price, Playskool and Hasbro, too”

As smoke filled the room, this was his first clue
That in a moment of haste, he had neglected the flue

To the top of the mantle, to the top of the wall
A black cloud developed and ash settled on all

Soot landed on stockings and covered the tree
And gave a look of charcoal to all we could see

The firemen came, dressed in yellow, like sun
Seems the neighbors saw smoke and dialed 9-1-1

Out came the axe, out came the hoses
Out came a Dalmatian who trampled my roses.

“There’s no trouble here,” I swore up and down
Realizing this faux pas would soon be ‘round town

“My husband’s a good man,” I tried to explain
“The instructions weren’t clear. It drove him insane”

The fire chief nodded and gathered his crew
Hopped onto their truck and away they all flew

But I heard them converse as they drove out of sight
“Her husband’s the third jerk who’s done that tonight!”

 

[StillILearn]

I was listening to NPR today and heard about a lady who wanted a coat or an unbrella for Christmas. Her husband got her a deep fat fryer so he could have french fried potatoes for breakfast on Christmas morning.


Do they ever learn?

 

[StillILearn]

I got ... Lolita-Vladimir Nabokov which i have wanted to read for some time

Hey, ruby! Good choice. I'm sure we'll still be talking about this book on the BOTM thread by the time you are finished reading it.

 

[mehastings]

Where do you all go to download books onto your iPods, and am I now going to be forced to (gasp) read the directions?

You probably should read the directions althought I doubt they are going to say a lot about audio books. In the past I've put audio books on my MP3 player that I got from the library. All you need to do is order the book on CD from the library. Use your computer to transfer them to the hard drive and then put chapters on your MP3 player as you need them. I'm sure there is some kind of legal issue with this, but I always delete them as soon as I'm done with them. I see it as better than keeping the CDs for months and months while forgetting to listen to/return them.

I haven't gotten many Christmas gifts yet as celebrations with family are later this week. My hopes for getting books are rather low. I think people stay away from buying me books as I usually just buy whatever books I want when I can get them used. I did, however, get $20 worth of Ebay certificates which I used to buy The Children's Hour storybook collection.

 

[Sergo]

Sprouts. Brussells sprouts. I love them. I can eat a whole plateful no problem. Nothing else matters. However, I seem to be alone in this. I don't know anyone else who really, really likes them.

I adore them too. My wife kooks them for me several times a month. Too bad - she cannot bear them herself.

 

[abecedarian]

I told my family check out my amazon wish list to see what style of house slippers I wanted..I didn't get house shoes, but my darling hubby bought me four books that were on my list! He even had amazon gift wrap them so I wouldn't open them by mistake. Here's what he gave me:
1491 by Charles C. Mann
Lies Across America by James Loewen
Secret Swan-Shana Abe
13 Ways to Look At the Novel-Jane Smiley

Dh started reading 1491 Sunday evening after we got back from his mom's. I started Lies Across America after a long game of Trivial Pursuit Book Lover's Ed. with my oldest dd, who gave it to me.

 

[cabrasopa]

Now I've got my christmas presents, there's the sales to buy more books.

 

[Wolhay]

Jesus' birthday is Christmas Day, December 25th.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have new year's eve at that day then since the year count is supposed to be after his birthday?

 

[StillILearn]

All you need to do is order the book on CD from the library. Use your computer to transfer them to the hard drive and then put chapters on your MP3 player as you need them. I'm sure there is some kind of legal issue with this, but I always delete them as soon as I'm done with them. I see it as better than keeping the CDs for months and months while forgetting to listen to/return them.

I can't see who this could hurt.

Have you ever downloaded off the internet? From amazon.com for instance? Or somebody like that? I don't know if I want to wait for the library to have this one available...

Barbara Vine is better than any box of chocolates.