What did you get for Christmas?

I got a cat calendar, some English breakfast tea and a Downton Abbey mug from a friend. From my parents, I got a new leather coat, a nice Nike hoodie and a new pair of tennis shoes, which I badly needed. I haven't done Christmas with my friends yet.

EDIT: Been thinking about getting myself a Fitbit One (I give myself presents, it's pathetic)...might have to do that in the next month.

 

My first grandchild. The rest was just things.

 

Clothes. Bluetooth headset for my phone. A framed print from the stadium of my fave football team. Gift cards and cash that I turned into cold weather workout gear and a new pair of running shoes.

And then there are the intangibles: I got to see Mrs. Novelist's reaction when she opened her biggest gift -- theatre tickets. I got two-plus weeks with both my kids at home. I got a week with zero work.

As someone mentioned, much more than I deserved.

 

I do DDP Yoga. Back problems for me, too. I found that the first two levels are fine. The easiest level is like having a good stretching session mixed with a bit of physical therapy and light cardio. The second level added a bit. After that, my back just isn't in good enough shape for the tough, high-level fat-burning exercises.

So, being a cheap bastard, I burned the discs to my computer and scanned the poster that shows the stretches. I kept the MP3 files. Then I took everything and put it on eBay and got 90 percent of what I bought it for (because some people are just stupid, I guess). I still have what I need to exercise.

But I'm glad I've got it. And really, once you learn the routines you don't need the video. The MP3 files take you through the exact same routine, and you'll know the order of stretches after a week or so. Good luck.

 

Beats by Dre phones.
Treat from my beautiful wife.
So powerful.
I cranked Back in Black the other day and it about blew me out of my chair.

 

I am so intrigued by those. I have headphones on constantly, so I wouldn't mind splurging on an expensive pair, but it gets hard to justify $200-$300 for headphones.

 

Well, I am a bit of an audio purist.
I spend a lot of time traveling distances.
I find them well worth the expense.
They are engineered to present the music as the artist intended.
And they color the sound in favor of aggressive styles of music, as is my preference.

 

Sugar Bowl tickets

 

My wife and I agreed to scale back this year in favor of a couple of upgrades around the house after Christmas.

We're going to spring - ahem - for a new mattress in January.

I got some decent stocking stuffers, including the Captain America DVD and a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver.

 

A 0-degree sleeping bag.
A hunting/camping knife with a firestarter built into the pommel.
A Stormy Kromer cap.
Two new cycling jerseys.
A really nice shawl-collar sweater.
Cash

 

a few T-shirts
a pint
a gift card which was turned into the new Johnny Cash bio and a Planet of the Apes behind the scenes DVD
The biggest gift was my mom, dad and MIL got to come for a week and see our baby boy take some of his first steps. That was pretty sweet.
Other than that...a few odds and ends for my wife and I (stuff from Pampered Chef, a bookshelf and a new TV that we bought)

Still waiting for my favorite gift: six pack and a blow job.