So I know that Christmas was like, nine thousand years ago, but humor me. Sometimes I procrastinate. Check out the lovely gifts Santa left in my stocking (it would be the Mary Poppins of stockings, I know...):
My favorite decoy gift:
The Swiffer vacuum and sweeper thing. I say decoy gift, because that's what it was, something to throw me off the trail. For weeks Caleb has been lamenting to me that the gift he got for me was terrible, that he'd talked to his brother who'd "shown him the light" and made him realize it wasn't a good gift. Also, he said, it's non-refundable. So I was stuck with this really bad gift. I believed him for a while, he can be a pretty good actor when he wants to be, but after a bit I got a little suspicious. He's done it before, totally lie about things to throw me off the trail, and I suspected it this time. But then he made me open this gift first. And my heart sank a little. He'd broken the cardinal rule of life, never give a woman a vacuum.
But secretly? I am in love with it. I use it every single day, it's a godsend for my wood floors. It's fabulous. I highly recommend it. Thanks Cabe!
My favorite unexpected gift:
It's a Christmas cookie / treat tray from my mother in law. It's done by the same person who made this cake stand she gave me last year. I love it, whimsical and fun. She always seems to find the little fun gifts that I wouldn't think to buy myself but always need. Perfect for all the goodies that pile up during the holidays (pile up and then somehow manage to find their sneaky little way to my waistline...). Thanks Cindi!
My favorite homemade gift:
This gorgeous purse from my good friend Bridgette. She and my other other good friend Abby and I made purses for ourselves last year in Oregon and I've used mine to death. She'd noticed this and decided to make me a new one for Christmas, and I love it. Nice and stiff (the one I made looks like a deflated balloon when nothing is in it) and she chose the perfect color combination. Not that I'd expect any less from Bridgette, she has The Eye that I covet so much. Thanks Bridge!
My favorite expected-but-always-appreciated gift:
My uncle owns this shop, The Gem Smith, in my hometown of Bountiful, Utah. In Colonial Square, if anyone needs to find the perfect gift, go see Blaine. And my sister. And cousins. And stuff. Anyway, because my uncle owns it, we tend to get something from his shop for each birthday, Valentines Day (my dad usually gets us something...how sweet is that?) etc. etc. It's a little expected, but I always love it. These are some gorgeous black pearl earrings, something nice and fancy to dress up my wardrobe. Love it. Thanks Dad!
My favorite known gift:
The Kone. Ohmigosh, it's another vacuum, I know, but holy crap I was so excited to get it. It's lovely, compact, and it does a fabulous job. I put it in my bathroom so that while I'm brushing my teeth I can suck up all of Caleb's leg hairs. If you don't know Caleb, just believe me when I say that if I didn't know any better I'd think we really did evolve from apes. He's got some serious leg hairs. I once watched a mosquito fight it's way through them, only to give up half way. It hung, panting I'm sure, until Caleb brushed it off. Anyway. I love it. Thanks Mom!
My favorite White Elephant gift:
An informative educational read for children! Yippee! My favorite part is where they talk about which kinds of foods change the smell. How carnivorous animals tend to smell worse than their vegetarian counterparts. There's also another book, Everybody Poos. Also a classic.
My favorite nostalgic gift:
A calendar my other good friend Kjersti made for me. I have a love / hate relationship with this gift, only because it showcases my friends and I when we were younger and people, we were freakin' weird. And not only were we weird, but we liked to document our weirdness, so that in later years we could be blackmailed with it. I spent forever looking at it, laughing until tears rolled down my face. We were weird, but we were weird together and that's all that matters. I have fabulous friends. Kjersti, I love it. Seriously. Thank you!
My favorite big gift:
This was from Caleb, the Ipod Nike thingy. Nike Plus. Whatever. Basically that little chip thing goes in my NEW NIKE SHOES that came with the set (or the shoes I bought with the included gift card), and tracks my runs, calories, the things I eat, every bad word I say, and every little spontaneous purchase I make at Target. Really, I think he's just trying to keep tabs on me.
I'm really excited about this, not just because I get new shoes (apparently wearing the same ones you've had since like...junior high isn't the best for your form) or an Ipod (I've never had one before! Yeah for me!) but it's something new to get me jazzed about running again. I haven't been on a run since before the holidays to give my knee a rest, but I think it's time. I'm ready.