Typically, when we think of Christmas as kids we are daydreaming about tons of toys. I remember using them a few times, then tossing most of them to the side and never touching them again. Each year there seemed to be two or three gifts that just stuck out as the clear winners - the ones I kept going back to again and again.
As an adult, I don't quite want the same insane levels of stuff and I'm finding the gifts I go back to are the useful ones. Fluffy zebra socks are my jam. The planner/organizer I got this year is working wonders for my productivity (even if I have to set alarms in my phone to remind myself to check it.) 2 Christmases ago, I got my partner a dog - and we're committed to that big ole cuddle-buffalo for as long as he's alive.
One Reddit user asked:
What gift from Christmas are you still actually loving and using?
Turns out the things people tend to love most are as different as people themselves are - but there's definitely a pattern emerging. Food. People freakin' LOVE gifts that help them get their grub on. Here are some of the more popular responses. Some have been edited for clarity and/or language... 'cause it's really, really cold in Norway.
Home
My wife and I are separating and sharing custody of our daughter. The kiddo bought me a cheesy sign for Christmas that says 'Home is wherever I'm with you'. I put it up in the new place before anything else right by the front door and when I leave for work I see it, I feel better about how sh*tty everything is.
- bupdup
Sister Sister
I'm difficult to shop for because I always buy myself exactly what I want all year round. One year, my sister bought me a magnetic dish (for small screws and such) and a set of ramps for my car. That dish has saved me from losing so many screws. The walls in my room have a steel fold on the corners, so the dish hangs perfectly on them. It's literally never out of reach. I thought about getting the ramps myself, but I always preferred using jack stands when I did my oil changes. Now, I just drive my car up and get to work. Game changer.
My other sister always buys me neck ties. Every NYE party, I'm always looking extra fresh.
I love my sisters.
Kaldt Som Faen
Imgur
My mother knit a pair of mittens for me which has a pattern that spells "Cold as f**k", but not in English. Norway is cold as f**k. I use them almost every day and I keep getting a lot of compliments when I do.
The Best Blanket
My little brother passed 2 years ago, and my mom took his old shirts and made a blanket out of it. It's a very simple gift, but my favorite gift I've ever received.
Wings Are Life
My wife got me an air fryer. It makes chicken wings really well. I use it just about every week.
Cat
My mom commissioned these personalized cat figurines. They are painted to match the 3 cats that we have. One of them even has a missing paw just like my cat Nemo. They're really something that I think I'll treasure forever and was a perfect gift.
Instant Fans
My Instant Pot. I am using he hell out of that thing. I am constantly looking for new pressure cooker recipes to try.
The Instant Pot slaps hard as f*ck.
I didn't know the chicken I was making my entire life resembled my grandpa's leather shoe filled with sand until eating the moist dankness of Instant Pot chicken.
I got myself the instant pot and the instant pot recipe book. It is my favorite thing! I tried the honey sriracha chicken. (i used bone in instead of boneless) but me and my fiance love it so much I now make it once a week. It is absolutely delightful!
- jkally
Fifteen Years Ago
My late grandmother gave me a Timberland tuque (beanie) for Christmas when I was in grade 11, 15 years ago. Sitting here and wearing it as I type this.
Hey Hubby
Giphy
My marriage 🤗 we got married in the back yard on Christmas night. I still love him and he's very useful.
Nana Knows Best
My Nana has a history of giving practical gifts that I kind of side-eyed at the time but learned to love and use every day.
Once as a teenager I made an offhanded comment one day about my bedroom being cold. So for Christmas she got me a space heater. I had to do the "forced-gratefulness" smile when I opened it. I was a teenager, I was hoping for music or electronics or other such things. But when I plugged it in that first night and it warmed up the whole damn room, the first thing I did the next day was call Nana to tell her and thank her. I still have and use that space heater almost twenty years later, and I periodically make sure she knows that.
Similar stories for the collapsible laundry bag and the memory foam mattress topper. Kind of side-eyed at the time, but my lord they have been godsends over the years.
This year she gave me a vibrating lumbar support pillow, and I gave her the most enthusiastic thank-you I could thank of and immediately slipped it behind my back while the rest of the family opened presents. I know better now than I did when I was younger, I'll be getting good use out of her present for years to come.