An lo it came to pass that on this year's Christmas day, yay not the past Christmas or past Christmases or the next forthcoming one, that dino done did giveth and receiveth all kinds of assorted stuff; verily stuff to still eat for yet uneaten, stuff to wear and stuff to do stuff with.

I received mostly practical gift, which is as I prefer it. A joke, my kids got me Ferris Beullers Day Off on DVD because I once said it was an American comedy classic (can't stand it because I've seen it too many times - its still very funny though). I also received the last two Bernard Cornwell (Saxon Chronicles) novels - EXCELLENT read if you like historical fiction.

I gave - things to do - tickets to a play and tickets to tomorrows Coyote vs NY Rangers hockey game. :)

Christmas eve, I came home from work (for a 4 hour sleep, only to return to work on Christmas day) and found our TV had no picture...that's what I got. What I gave is 100.00 dollars to the TV repairman to fix it.
This is the likes of my Christmas's since 2009.

Hope they get better and I hope yours was a whole lot better.

I got a really cool gaming computer! I love to play World of Warcraft with my sister in the evenings. She is a liberal and I am not so at least we can have some fun together instead of arguing politics. She lives in Nevada and I live in Oregon. It is fun. I gave my hubby a table saw. Now he can make anything his little heart desires! And I bought a few hundred dollars of books, toys and art sets for my 17 grandkids.

I gave my wife a jacket and gloves insulated with AeroGel (the lightest solid material presently known with a very low thermal conductivity). It is an awesome material.
http://www.aerogel.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel
The company, Oros, was kickstaarted to produce winter apparel from this material.
https://www.orosapparel.com/
Check out the video of the guy being strayed by liquid nitrogen in the site.

I got an iPad pro, but even better, a an Enterprise Door Comm Panel:
https://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e9b...
This is going to be just awesome at work!

Anyone still wondering if I am an engineer?

Christmas is the only time my immediate family gets together anymore. My wife spends two weeks buying ingredients and cooking an Italian feast. We had 17 people this year. We have had as many as 22. We have a tradition of "toasts" where I recognize main accomplishments of each member for the year. When I first started this I was disguising a big shoutout for one person's progress over an addiction. Everyone is very competitive and even the little guys can't wait to hear what Grandpa is going to say about them. The meal is six courses and entails the consumption of good wine so it is considered the "main gift" to the adults. I had some special photos printed on canvas and framed for my wife and I for our family room which came out so nice and blend in with some of our paintings. We hand out some gift cards because it is impossible to buy for this bunch but mostly we enjoy a really good time together.

I got a text from a coworker wishing me a Merry CHRISTmas.

My wife and I bought ST:NG Seasons 4 and 7 for the house. She bought me The A-Team Season 1. I bought her a gizmo to put cassette tapes on iPod. I bought my daughter a Benchmade Mini Greptillian knife. She was so impressed that she bought Swiss Army Knives for her girlfriends.

(The Mini was mine at first. I bought it because it had a pink handle. But after a few days, the novelty wore off and I went back to the tactical store and bought myself a boy's knife.)

we do not exchange Christmas gifts. we arrange for a trip on those years my daughter can be with us. this year, we went to Loreto, Baja Sur for a week. We stay in simple places. This year, a B&B with a communal kitchen. There is always sport-hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, skiing, depends. Lots of rousing conversation and good food and drink. this year was a challenge, as two of the participants are vegan. interesting new recipes emerged :)