Best gift you've given

Just put a deposit for Yankee fantasy camp as a gift for my mom. So psyched - she will LOVE it.

It's my parents' 50th anniversary this year, so it's kind of for that but will be given on her birthday, which is in November. She'll be 68. (And is still actively playing in softball tournaments across the country.) The camp is in January. (Also, for anyone who feels that the 50th anniversary should be a gift for both - not in this case. My parents do *nothing* together. When I suggested a cruise as something to do on 50, my mom's immediate reaction was, "Who would go with me?")

Zippy's not close to being MankyJimmy -- she's more of a Braves fan -- but is HUGELY into baseball.

I can't remember being more excited to give someone a gift. It's perfect for her.

What's the best gift-giving experience you've had?

 

I was the surprise gift for my parents' 40th anniversary.

I had started a new job and told them I wouldn't be able to make it, in spite of the fact that everyone was coming. My mom's dad was still alive; my dad's stepfather was coming; my brother's family, etc....

I flew in and was picked up by a friend and driven to my parent's house. They lived at the end of a street and my dad wondered who the strange car was that was visiting. When I got out, he was shocked, and then he said let him get inside before i came in because he wanted to see Mom's reaction.

Definitely the best "gift" I've given... Was the last time parts of the entire family were together.

 

That's AWESOME. And good for you .. it's my parents' 40th anniversary in November. My mom wants to go to the beach; my dad wants a cabin in the mountains. The idea of the two of them locked up someplace without my mom going off to work or my dad going out to do what he does makes me think not both of them would make it home. So good for them for being open about it. I was thinking of separate trips, but my mom would rather go to the cabin with my dad.

I love giving gifts, but I'm not sure I can top that one, KJIM. Well done.

 

When my best friend asked me to be Godfather to his son, I gave his son a complete set of football, baseball, hockey and basketball cards from the year he was born as a gift. I was worried the gift would not go over well since people usually just give cash, but the friend and I were big card collectors back in the day. The gifts moved my friend to tears and everybody was talking about what a great gift it was. I was thrilled with the reaction...

 

I have a very rough relationship with my father. We just basically can't stand each other. We've spoken once in the last five years and we're both probably better off as a result.

As a kid, I was a sports fanatic, but it was always my uncle who took me to games. Occasionally, my dad would tag along, but that was pretty rare, and it stopped after my parents split. Uncle is my mom's brother.

When I was 11 or 12, my dad took me to see Springsteen at Oakland Coliseum. I have no idea why he did it, it came out of nowhere. I'd only been to a couple concerts prior to that, not counting seeing bands at the state fair and stuff like that.

The Springsteen concert was epic and particularly memorable since I saw it with someone who has shown such a low level of interest in me, basically since I was born.

Usually, my dad's reaction to any birthday or Christmas gift is "Oh..." occasionally followed by a thank you... He's responded that way to getting a tie and getting a cruise. "Oh, that's nice..." would be considered "elated" by his standards... In 1999 or so, I had a connection through the paper that allowed me to get 10th row Springsteen tickets. I bought the tickets and gave them to him for Christmas. That gift elicited a "Oh, wow... How did you get these? Thanks..."

My sister joked that was the most excited she'd ever seen him.

 

I gave the gift of marriage to my (now ex-) wife, bitch.

 

Back when I was traveling a lot for work I had enough frequent-flyer miles to send my parents to Europe for their 35th wedding anniversary. I'm not rich and they're certainly not rich, but it was perfect. My mom's friend's husband was in the military and they were stationed in Germany at the time so they had a home base to stay at and a tour guide.

 

A few recent ones.

The owners have told me "You saved the gallery" but in a way they saved me after the whole ending in Trenton.

But they've been there many other times the last 20 years.

One of the featured artists in the gallery is an acrylic painter (nature, whimsey) by the name of Sylvia Grantins who lives 450 miles north of Buffalo, way the fuck up there in Virginiatown, McGarry, Ontario, Canada. We can't keep her pieces on the panels. They other day I sold 4 of 'em.

Well, I wanted to say thank you to J and N for everything they've done for me over the years, and Sylvia's talents were the vehicle by which to do that. Over the course of a few weeks I told her all of the important things about this gallery (and the building, an old marble bank) and J and N, how they met at Bennington College, how they've built a family and a unique business.

Here is the 24x24 piece that shows Fiddlehead at Four Corners ("the old marble bank turned art gallery") surrounded by all-things Bennington. Their dorm at Bennington College (Fels), the Bennington Monument and a marble sculpture that a dear, departed friend (Steph Davidson) made for them, and a fiddlehead. I asked Sylvia to paint the seasons one into the other. She just really nailed it. It is the essence of Bennington, and Vermont.

It brought N to tears, and that is hard to do.



At first they hung it above the Graffiti Vault between banners highlighting the works of Graham Scarborough and Steph Davidson (they died in a car crash almost 10 years ago) ...



... but they've since hung the piece in their bedroom.

Last week was their eldest daughter's 9th birthday. I'd been in and out of her life for the first 8 years. Newspaperman. Work work work. No time for anyone but me. So I'm trying to build something with the oldest of my goddaughters. She's a great girl, full of life, full of spunk. Wish I'd been more of a part of her life but better late than never.

One night last month she walked into the living room and started watching a baseball game with me. She pulled out the 3 or 4 Pokemon trading cards she had. She said she wished she had more so she could trade with her schoolmates.

So I bought her a lavish $25 set from Kmart with all the cool, shiny cards, and then another set of about 50. Her eyes lit up when she ripped off the wrapping paper. That's all I needed to know that she loved the present. Now, I have no idea how to "trade" Pokemon cards or what they even mean, but she and I traded cards for an hour that night and it was one more little thing to strengthen our bond.

 

My presence.

 

Reminds me of a conversation I overheard years ago in a pro locker room waiting for a player to emerge from the training room after the game. It was about 20 people in a big swarm around the locker so it wasn't eavesdropping, and a man and woman from different TV stations were talking. The woman said she heard the man was going to be a father, congratulating him and whatnot. It was around the holidays, and the woman later asked what he had gotten his wife for Christmas. He said without a pause, "Viable semen."

 

Bought my mother a schnauzer puppy ten years ago. Mom loves the dog -- says it's the best gift she's ever been given. Dog's still going strong.

 

For our first Christmas I went to a studio and recorded 'our' song, then gave it to him as a CD. Never been able to top that - although the trip to Boston to see the Leafs and meet Charlie Pierce was pretty close.