Gifts of Christmas Past

I have found a really, really perfect gift for my husband and I am so excited about it...but I can't blog about it because he will see it! (But I really want to tell you all what it is) So much though and effort and time (not to mention money) goes into getting gifts for people, and I know some people would think it isn't worth it. I am not one of those people though, I love to get gifts and I love to GIVE gifts!! I mean I realllly like to give people things. In fact, if I ever did that love language book thing I am sure I would find out one of my love languages is gifts. For me, it is so much fun to try to find something that I think someone really needs/will love/will be totally surprised by. I am always in search of the "perfect gift." As I have been doing a lot of online shopping the past couple of days I have been thinking about what ways I have surprised people in Christmas' past and ways that I have been surprised as well. Here are some of my favorite/most memorable Christmas gifts.

CHRISTMAS 2001

- From my Uncle Greg: A trip to Hawaii!!!! 

   This is probably still the best Christmas present ever. I got to take my first trip to Hawaii when I was 13 with my Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Greg, and Dan. I still remember that Christmas when my grandparents opened their cards first that said he was taking them to Hawaii, and I said "Why aren't you guys screaming!?! If I got a trip to Hawaii I would be freaking out and sooo excited I couldn't stand it!" Then Mom, Dad, and I opened our cards...screaming ensued :)

Christmas 2004

-A beautiful gold and diamond tennis bracelet from my boyfriend...a Mr. Zach Rabenstein whom at that point I had been dating for 1 1/2 years :)

 
Christmas 2007

-From Uncle Greg: a bag of sand.

  Oh, and it came with a card saying that he and Dan were taking care of Zach and I's hotel in Hawaii for our honeymoon :) For the whole 9 days!

Christmas 2008

-From Uncle Greg: A white water rafting trip

   

We used this when we went out to Colorado in the summer of '09 for our first vacation as a married couple. Uncle Greg lives in Denver and he and Dan were able to go with us, so the four of us went white water rafting on what also happened to be Zach and I's one year anniversary!!

Christmas 2009
-From Mom and Dad: A Kitchen Aid Mixer

  I didn't realize at the time just HOW MUCH I would come to love this. It is so hard for me to believe it has not been quite one year since I have had it, because I have used it SOOO many times since then- at least once a week! My kitchen aid mixer is my most valued kitchen appliance, and it is my baking best friend.

Excited to see what memories this Christmas will bring! What was one of YOUR favorite Christmas gifts??

P.S. Santa, if you are reading this, I REALLY need somewhere organized to keep my jewelry...

JORDAN