More than the gifts I received this Christmas, I like the ones I gave other people. It's not the fact that some of the gifts were valuable, but just that I was able to touch someone else's life a little bit. Maybe they'll think about me in 2010, because I will certainly be thinking fondly about them. Here is what I gave some of the people I love:
For the Master i serve (and i am fortunate to do so)
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(redacted... He hasn't opened it up yet)
For my brother
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A kilt. Trust me, my brother BJ is a hot straight bear who looks like Jim Belushi. I'll try to get photos of my brother wearing it
For my sister-in-law
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Tons of cake pans: including a brownie pan that's entirely edge pieces!
For my ex
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Score! A book he didn't own! "Jewels: A Secret History" by Victoria Finlay". And a box set of Shelley Duvall's "Faerie Tale Theater" on DVD. I wish I had the opportunity to watch all the episodes with him
For my dad
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A Blu-Ray player with his favorite movie... "Dirty Dancing" (seriously)
For my mom
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I burned a bunch of NPR "This American Life" stories... but first I removed the sad ones, or anything dealing with death. Her sister (my aunt) has been in the hospital for two months now, and I don't think my mom could handle an additional fictional drama
For my 5-year old niece
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Every DVD I could find from Hayao Miyazaki: Spirited Away, Nausicaä, Porco Rosso, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, and all the others. However, "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Ponyo" were to expensive to get
For my aunt who is sick in the hospital
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A box of stuff from DC, including tons of anti-Obama stickers (hey, she's Republican)
For my rich uncle
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I made a kaleidoscope constructed from bits of schwag and goodies from the family company
For me
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A.J. Jacobs "The Guinea Pig Diaries"
A home DNA testing kit
A DIY molecular gastronomy lab
The Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca"
The Flaming Lips "Embryonic"
A beautiful glass vase
Stuff for my new house: sheets, towels, pans, and other things (my mother worries about me)
