S/O gifts, what is your most memorable gift you have received?

micaela421

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I'll start first...my parents letting me get married here in Colorado rather than in the Philippines:-) 

WonderRed

The figurine of the guardian angel and little boy that INgirlinDenver gave me at her adoption shower for E.  ( I was E's guardian ad litem before they adopted him, for those who didn't know.)  I tear up every time I look at it.

RoxBride

Christmas when I was 15 I had opened all my presents and we were cleaning up, and my Dad said, oh look, here is one more present.

It was small and looked like nothing - I opened it up and it was a little passport holder. In it he wrote a note that said "people who travel to Europe need one of these. PS. you are one of those people".  He sent me to Europe that summer, and it was awesome. My Mom didn't even know.

Then a few years ago my ILs gave us enough money to complete IVF (we'd depleated almost all our funds on IF and crap at that point, and would be a few thousand short of our goal since we were OOP and found out the drugs alone topped 8 grand). So yeah, they gave us Charlotte, in a way.

coloradogirl06

RoxBride:

Christmas when I was 15 I had opened all my presents and we were cleaning up, and my Dad said, oh look, here is one more present.

It was small and looked like nothing - I opened it up and it was a little passport holder. In it he wrote a note that said "people who travel to Europe need one of these. PS. you are one of those people".  He sent me to Europe that summer, and it was awesome. My Mom didn't even know.

Then a few years ago my ILs gave us enough money to complete IVF (we'd depleated almost all our funds on IF and crap at that point, and would be a few thousand short of our goal since we were OOP and found out the drugs alone topped 8 grand). So yeah, they gave us Charlotte, in a way.

That one made me tear up. Your ILs are awesome!

My softmore year in HS, I had ordered a class ring and also wanted a nice fossil watch. I was super excited for the ring, but when I opened up the package, it was the watch, which I loved. My parents gave me the ring for my birthday instead (which is about 2 weeks later). It was memorable, but frustrating too!

My family is notorious for wrapping things strangly, or in boxes that don't jive with what is inside, as well as adding rocks or blocks or weights to something to throw you off. I know I've had more "surprises" but that one is the most memorable.

goldenjes

Rox - After reading about Charlotte, I'm teary-eyed.  How sweet!

Mine is a snow globe my Grandma gave me when I was 17, and in college.  I always admired hers as a child and she said someday when I was grown up I'd get one.  I still have it. 

I have a few others, but that one sticks out right now.

ashleyanny

My grandma on my dad's side made fabulous quilts and she started a tradition when her kids started getting married (40 years ago!) of making the bride a quilt with the wedding ring pattern and giving it to her at her bridal shower. I am the youngest of 14 grandchildren so I went to many bridal showers and watched my cousins/cousin in laws receive their quilts.

I'll never forget the feeling of taking it out of the gift bag, I could hardly see it because my eyes were welling up with tears. Then my grandma shared with me that all of the materials for the quilt were from a trip to Tennessee she went on the previous summer with my parents. My heart has always been in our Southern roots so that made it all the more special.

I haven't used it yet, it's in a sealed plastic bag. She passed away last month and it was so comforting to open that bag and smell her, I could totally feel her with me. 

Pesky

two come to mind, both kind of hand-me-downs really.  One was my great-grandmother's gift -- she talked to me when I probably around 8 and it was right before we were sent overseas.  She asked if I liked dolls and said she would give me hers from when she was a little girl.  She died a year after that and left the doll to me.  The other thing was my grandfather came and suddenly gave me an antique compact with an carved ivory scene on it.  it was really lovely and still had the original maribou powder puff.  He told me (choking up as he did) that it belonged to my dad's mom, who died 9 days after my aunt was born and that he wanted me to have it.  I actually passed it on to my sister a few years ago because she is actually eeriely a look-alike for our biological grandmother and so feels close to her.  I figured she should have it.