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People Reveal The Most Memorable Christmas Gift They've Ever Received

"It meant so much to me..."

People Reveal The Most Memorable Christmas Gift They've Ever Received
https://www.pexels.com/photo/3-red-covered-present-box-190931/

At the time of writing, the holidays are in full swing. Many traditions celebrated around this time involve the act of giving a gift. Stressful for some, it's rather easy to forget that gifting something to someone is a giving a piece of your heart. It should reveal a connection between "gifter" and "giftee." However, as long as any thought and love is injected into the act then any gift can be the best gift ever.


Reddit user, u/njohns43, requested for people to go back into Christmases past when they asked:

What's been the most memorable Christmas gift you've ever received?

H/T: Reddit

Giving In Spite Of The Awful

One year I got an orange from my aunt. She was bawling as she gave it to us. She usually had gifts bought by August, wrapped and everything. However that year, she just couldn't afford it. Definitely the most memorable, teaching me a great lesson. RIP Aunt Durena.

Slimjuggalo2002

Just Two Bros Out Buying A Dress

A dress.

It wasn't particularly expensive or super fancy, but I was out shopping with two guy friends and kinda paused by a window and said I thought it was really pretty. They then teamed up to conspire with my roommate to get my dress size, went out and bought it, and gave it to me for Christmas.

It still fits :)

UsedToBeOnFire

People Who Come Together, Stay Together

I had been laid off right before Thanksgiving and was still looking for a job through the holidays. We were scraping by but in no way were we going to be able to do anything for the holidays.

One day, while I was at home, I hear the doorbell ring. Figured it was the mailman. Take my time getting to the door. Open it and there was a massive pile of presents on the porch. Based on the gifts it was definitely several of our friends who put it together but they did it anonymously.

I can never ever repay them for that. I sat down and bawled my eyes out.

moridin82

Pierce The Consumerism

My abusive mother accidentally gave me the best gift I'd ever gotten.

First, my mother is a hoarder and a narcissist. She has declared bankruptcy several time due to debt from buying things for her hoard (shopping addict)

One year she had no money because of a bankruptcy, so she bought a ton of gifts but all were super cheap. And she bragged about the sale prices of each. I was looking at all this garbage and was just sad she couldn't enjoy the holiday without the appearance of a pile of gifts.

Anyway, in her hoard she had found the sheet music for a song my grandmother used to sing to me when I was going to sleep. I lost her when I was 16. To save money on a gift, she threw it in a cheap frame she had and wrapped it up.

When I opened it I teared up. It was the first time she had ever given me something so touching.

Sadly, when I wept she called me too sensitive and it was "just a junk gift" so there is that.

Still. I have it hanging on my wall (in a much better preservation frame) to this day.

Randygilesforpres

A Name To Stand With Time

When I was really young my uncle used to call me his "little cabbage". No idea where it came from, just always did. Well, he waited until the Christmas after I turned 10 and he gave me this tiny box that was wrapped really well. So I opened this thinking it would be a new toy but was instead greeted by, you guessed it, a tiny cabbage. He's even gone to the extent of drawing my face onto it. I was annoyed at the time but now I find it hilarious. Ps, this was 13 years ago now.

BonnieScotty

Neighbors Stepping Up

I used to LOOOOOVE christmas but everyone in my family, and my husbands family, are really anti-Christmas. They grump and moan and say 'Can we not do presents this year?' Some years I decorate a tree (by myself, naturally) and it feels really sad because I'm remembering all the awesome Christmasses I used to have, and I mourn the old me who used to love this time of year.

Well, my husband had just been really bah-humbuggy one year and I had vented to a friend. Our house is in a rural area and so she has a key for emergencies --- I'd been out all day and come home and opened the door to find a fully decorated christmas tree in our entry-way, complete with a pile of wrapped presents under it addressed to me, my husband and even our cat. It was just the best thing ever!

hellouterus

A Gift For The Future

I was in school for graphic design after spending my first 25 years of life not knowing what I wanted to do and having doubts that I could make it. So I opened this gift and it was a set of prismacolor markers. Now these are expensive professional markers, and I never mentioned anything about them. I freaked out saying "mom! Do you know what these are?!" My mom said "you're going to be a designer, you need the right tools!". Her support and unquestioning confidence helped paved the way for my success.

SnackRaptor

"Pajamas" = "Family"

My mother-in-law has a tradition of getting pajama sets for her daughters for Christmas. The Christmas before my husband and I got engaged, she also gave me a pajama set. It meant so much to me because it told me she considered me part of the family already.

My SO also gave me earrings that Christmas. They're lovely and he put a lot of thought into picking them out for me, but the really memorable part is that he got them from a local jeweler that is known for their engagement rings. Earring boxes look a lot like ring boxes, and I panicked a little because we weren't planning on getting engaged for another several months and I thought he was trying to propose.

HoboTheDinosaur

It's Never The "What," But The "Why" Of A Gift

I was in first year of college, poor as hell. I rented a room from a very nice family. At dinner, I told them how I can't afford a padlock till my next paycheck, therefore I can't use the locker at the gym.

Needless to say, for Christmas, they got me a really nice padlock and a gift card for a local grocery store just so I could stock up on food.

I still treat them like my own family 10 years later.

socalcrucial

You Can Give, Even When You Have Nothing

I teach at a severely low income school. Many of my students come from homeless shelters, experience drug addicted family members, incarcerated family members, etc. As it is the holiday season I know that my students won't have much but am trying to do little things here and there.

Today, I was the one brought to tears. One of my students came in with a huge gift box wrapped in beautiful paper. This student's parents don't know how to read, one is incarcerated for drugs, and they struggle with money. The student places the box on my desk and says, "I've been saving my money since August to get you the perfect Christmas gift. Thank you for teaching me."

Inside was a 1850 piece bullet journal kit complete with pens, markers, tapes, journal, etc. I had to excuse myself to go cry. This student has nothing but wanted to make sure I felt loved on Christmas.

KetoTeacher12

Ever been given a gift that's revealed the true holiday spririt? Let us know in the comments!

People With Young Coworkers Divulge The Moment They Thought 'I'm Officially Old'

Reddit user redmambo_no6 asked: 'Redditors with younger coworkers, what was your “I’m officially old” moment?'

Senior citizen using a camera
Tiago Muraro/Unsplash

The realization you're getting older can smack you in the face at any given time, and boy-howdy is it fun!

It can be in the morning when you get up out of bed, and your body makes crackling noises, or when you can't seem to keep up at the gym and you cut short your running time on the treadmill.

That's just the physical.

When you suddenly have the epiphany that you're suddenly the oldest one in a group setting, it's humbling.

Curious to hear from strangers online who are no longer the young whipper-snappers they imagined themselves to eternally be, Redditor redmambo_no6 asked:

"Redditors with younger coworkers, what was your 'I’m officially old' moment?"

These moments of realization never get old. But people do.

Senior Kitty

"My childhood cat lived to 21.5 so teaching (freshman biology lab, so students were ~18) became very weird when I realized my cat was older than my students."

– mollusck_magic

Aging In Reverse

"I'm a preschool teacher. It's been a TRIP to watch parents go from Soooo much older than me, to the same age as me, and now they're younger than me!?!?"

– Smart_Alex

The Shook Pediatrician

"My kids pediatrician was also my husband's pediatrician when he was a kid. He was the first kid she had to come back as a parent and she was SHOOK."

– trixtred

Older Together

"See, that's what really kinda drives it home for me."

"I'm not bothered that I'm 48. But that means my school friends are 48, and that's weird for some reason. Like, I went to school with a guy who was wild and crazy. That guy is 48 now, and has a new grandbaby. Somehow, he's old, and I'm just 'getting up there '."

– ThatWeirdTexan

Relics of the past don't just pertain to humans.

Dialing It In

"Had a co-worker ask me, 'Back before cell phones, did you just have to wait around at your house for a call?' Uh, yeah, pretty much."

– Status-Effort-9380

"Reminds me of having to explain the concept of collect calls to my kids. The whole speed speaking where you were for pick up during the recording so your Mama never accepted the collect call."

– DaraScot

Legendary Aircraft

"Various colleagues were debating whether the Concorde had been real. They couldn’t fathom that supersonic civilian aircraft used to exist and now they don’t anymore."

"The Concorde last flew in 2003, when these colleagues were toddlers."

– geckos_are_weirdos

Foreign References

"We were talking about where we were on 9/11, and my coworker went quiet. He wasn’t even born."

"We also had a band that was famous in the 90s stay at the hotel, and he had no idea who they were, meanwhile I was so star struck as they were my entire childhood!"

– Itsagabby

Gravity is not our friend, and not just because of its effect on our faces.

The Day It Went Downhill

"When i fell down the last couple of steps on a stairway. No one pointed and laughed like I expected, instead they helped me up and asked me if I was okay. That’s when I knew."

– day_of_duke

It's About The Recovery

"F'k. That has to be a bummer."

"You fall. You know you're fine. You feel like an idiot. You get ready to wave to the crowd as they laugh and clap. But then... a hand is placed on your arm and you hear 'that was a big fall, are you ok?' You stay in shock for a moment. Of course, you're fine. Everyone is looking at you. They all have concerned faces. Sh*t. Two weeks later, the soreness finally subsides."

– minimalfighting

Ice Slip, You Slip, We All Slip

"This happened to me as well....walking my dog the day after a huge snowstorm. There were some rowdy teenage boys having a snowball fight across the street (schools were closed that day, of course). I slipped on the ice, my feet flew over my head and I landed solidly on my backside. As I struggled to get up I braced myself for the laughter and catcalls, but all I heard was "Are you OK Ma'am??' 'Do you need help??' I was in my early 50s and had never felt 'old' until that moment."

– Ouisch

Conversations with younger coworkers can be fun.

You can quote lines from your favorite TV shows and talk about the latest CD you bought at Target and brag about your new digital camera that takes better pictures than a smartphone.

And then you can watch the blank expressions on your coworkers' faces because they haven't a clue about what you speak.

Yeah. This has never happened to me...

Old.

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Tattooed mummies were recovered in almost 50 archaeological digs across the Earth with locations in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines and the Andes.

But while advancements in tools and inks have opened up endless possibilities for body art, some designs have garnered a bad reputation.

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When it comes to making a point, the stronger language you use, the better.

Sometimes, this is true of insults too. If you use strong language, the insult may hurt more. This language may include curse words. A lot of times, cursing while insulting someone is a surefire way to make sure the insult lands the way it was intended.

However, this is not always true.

Redditors know it's completely possible to deliver savage insults without using curse words, and are eager to share their favorites.

It all started when Redditor ILikeExistingLol asked:

"What's an absolutely devastating insult without any cuss words?"

Bad Breath

""First of all, brush your teeth...""

– iSniffMyPooper

"I literally just brushed my teeth because of this comment. I was gonna put it off for a little later, but I couldn't after reading that."

– ClumsyGhostObserver

"A coworker who never showers, washes his clothes, or brushes his teeth was trying to intimidate me once and I told him the scariest thing about him was his breath. He hasn’t spoken to me since."

– Floptopus

"“Well, at least you have more teeth than IQ points.”"

– Average_Aloe

"About the same in his case, really."

– Floptopus

Yikes! That Face!

""I never forget a face. But in your case, I'll be glad to make an exception.""

"– Groucho Marx"

– chumloadio

""You have the face for a career in radio.""

– badmother

""...and a voice for print.""

– Byanl

If Only We Never Met

"I miss the feeling of not knowing you."

– Swivel_D

"I think Shakespeare once said something along the lines of "I wish we were better strangers.""

– Non_Music_Prodigy

Crime Against Humanity

"Have you ever considered that perhaps your low self-esteem is just good common sense?"

– pantsoncrooked

"I'd say shots fired but damn that's a nuclear warhead."

– RBpositive

Winston Churchill

"“He’s a humble man with much to be humble about.”"

"-Winston Churchill"

– Triton289

"Another Winston favorite: “Madam, I may be drunk, but you are ugly. Tomorrow, I will be sober.”"

– hdroadking

"Some lady: “If you were my husband, I’d poison your drink.”"

"Churchill: “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”"

"May be slightly different wording."

– No-comment-at-all

"Lady Astor! She was an interesting person."

– Rare_Parsnip905

Wrong!

""I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.""

– shaidyn

""You're entitled to your opinion. It's wrong, but you're entitled to it.""

– a_in_hd

Tough Love

"A teacher called my son success-avoidant 3 years ago and he still thinks about that every day. But it did motivate him to get an A in that class, and all his other classes too!"

– OhSassafrass

"Damn, a harsh truth can be very motivating."

– InverstNoob

What I Like About You

"“Do you know what I like about you?”"

"When they say “what?”, you reply, “See? You can’t think of anything either.”"

– Axeman517

"These are always the most devastating ones, when you set them up to expect a compliment."

– TruCelt

"It's risky though. If they actually give an answer, like some cocky "that i'm hot?" or whatever, then you'll have to think fast."

– Ketcunt

""No, that's definitely not it. I'll keep thinking, I'm sure something will come to me.""

– OnionMiasma

Rumor Has It

""I had to see for myself, but people are absolutely right about you.""

"No cussing, no meanness, but they'll get paranoid about who's talking about them and their reputation."

– NinjatheClick

Intelligence Called Out

"Your grades say marry rich, but your face says study harder."

– rrashad21

"Please donate your brain to science, at least that way someone will actually use it."

– MembraneintheInzane

Oooh!

"You are impossible to underestimate."

"You never fail to meet my expectations."

– Zyhre

Hilarious

"You couldn't guess which way an elevator is going if you had three guesses."

– Edward_the_Dog

"I love this insult because you have a moment of silence afterward as the insultee pieces it together."

– -Envixity

I love that one; it's brilliant. I'm using this as soon as I get an opportunity!