It's Shameful, I Tell You!

But it's true, no matter how shameful it is. Gifts are my love language. I love to give them. Love to receive them. Love to make them. Love to eat them. Ummmm ... yes. Eat them. The homemade kind, that is!

And today, while running the risk of sounding totally selfish, self-centered, greedy, and stuck-up, I would like to share with you some of my favorite Christmas gifts I received this year. I have been quite blessed to have a generous, loving family that loves to give as much as I do... and this year, they really blessed my socks off! Seriously! I didn't think it was possible, but I was pretty much rendered speechless by the time 12:01 am, December 26, 2007 came around, and folks ... that's a hard thing to do!

So without further ado... here are a few of my favorite things... in no particular order of favoritism!

As you all know, I totally support homemade gifts of ALL kinds. Creativity is the spark of life, and in my humble opinion, nothing says "I LOVE YOU" more than a homemade gift. Especially when the funds are low. The fact that you took the time to make something with your very own hands, no matter how small, speaks volumes. This year, my oldest niece (she's in her 20's, and a new college grad) wanted to give us all gifts with her own money from her very first grown-up job. I was touched beyond measure that she took the time and set aside the budget to do so, but the icing on the cake was when she got all Martha-Stewart-like on us! Girlfriend spent an entire day baking, dipping, wrapping, and packing a beautiful collection of delicious home-made brownies, chocolate dipped pretzels (a favorite of my boys), peppermint bark (my fav), and decorated sugar cookies. She worked so hard that she didn't even want to smell the baked goods, let alone taste them, bless her heart! She wrapped them in tissue paper and lovingly packed them in the most adorable boxes I've seen! I won't be getting rid of them anytime soon! (Check out the creative use of a wine bottle gift box -- she stuffed them with chocolate dipped pretzel rods!) Thanks, M! You did good, girl! Love ya!

Moving on to the materialistic [ehem!] things that I lurv... my sister-in-law ordered me the Lisa Leonard necklace I wanted! It's not here yet, but I can't wait until it is!!! My husband got me a coveted copy of Giada De Laurentiis' Pasta Cookbook ... oh, the recipes are to.die.for... and EASY! I love, love, love it! My parents got me a clothing steamer thingie ... a new gadget to play with -- loads of fun there! My sister got me a gazillion Vera Bradley bags. I got so many things, I can't even remember everything I got (oh, yes ... I got some more Clinique Happy -- man-oh-man do I love that stuff!)

And last, but certainly not least, my in-laws gave us our very own, (drum roll please) lime-green, 2-speed Oreck vacuum cleaner that sucks the life out of any and all dirt on my carpet and bare floors! (that's what you guessed, isn't it?) It's beatificus ... it's stupendous ... it only weighs 9 pounds ... and best of all, it comes with an adorable two year old that loves to use it. Ummmm, no ... it didn't come with the two year old, but it might as well have!

Did I mention that I HEART my Oreck?

Who ever said that you shouldn't buy a woman a household product for Christmas? Who? Huh? Who? I defy you to show your face on my doorstep. If you do, just bring a supply of Oreck bags with you, m'kay?