tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post2734311566886764142..comments2009-12-05T17:25:20.695-05:00Laura K. Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08444534759113332744laura.kramarsky@womenofmystery.netBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-37559991759314550772009-12-05T01:37:17.591-05:002009-12-05T01:37:17.591-05:00And we&#39;re closed for entries!Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-8271542035686053582009-12-04T18:46:55.404-05:002009-12-04T18:46:55.404-05:00LoverOfBooks- I once got a baking set powered by a light bulb with a stack of mixes taller than I was. Heaven!<br /><br />guru- awesomeness is always in style. Bust out that poncho!<br /><br />Oh Joanne- extra, extra, extra mohair and sequins. Consequence of Regifting?<br /><br />You&#39;re all in! But I won&#39;t enter Elaine until she plays us a little ditty on her accordion. Oh, that&#39;s right... <br />: P Hope they&#39;ve forgiven you for not becoming a polka queen or sad stroller of French bistros.Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-14806486726842521862009-12-04T18:33:30.263-05:002009-12-04T18:33:30.263-05:00Great stories, everyone! And good luck to you all!<br /><br />I&#39;m afraid that the gift that sprang to my mind here was one I received when I was in high school. I was a normal Long Island teenager with normal musical tastes for my age--that is, all forms of rock. I also played the piano and guitar. So what did my aunt and uncle give me for Christmas? An accordion! So I could play polkas for all my friends. Worse, my aunt holds it against me to this day that I didn&#39;t jump for joy over that gift. There are a lot of -est adjectives I use when I think of that accordion. :)Elaine Will Sparberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678727606822464947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-88937109949080867912009-12-04T17:07:28.583-05:002009-12-04T17:07:28.583-05:00How about Stupidest...I wear Xl very onservative cpoths. received a mohair and sequinned top in royal blue size ready....3XL - from my sister-in-law. <br /><br />Joanne<br /><br />HB5573 at aol dot comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-65363757625348273202009-12-04T13:57:07.159-05:002009-12-04T13:57:07.159-05:00My grandmother gave me the homeyest (is that a word?) gift ever. She crochet ponchos for my sister and I when we were in grade school. I still have that poncho and the one she gave me when I was in high school. <br />I am waiting for them to come back in style so I can start wearing the one from my high school days!<br />Thanks for the giveaway!guruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15359328718513177488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-37162827559803806312009-12-04T11:33:14.111-05:002009-12-04T11:33:14.111-05:00The most unforgettable gift I ever received was when I was 10 and my dad bought me a 101 baking set. My mom swore it was from my Uncle Marvin cause there was a running gag to get the nieces and nephews gifts that were loud and noisy or had a lot of pieces. I believe it took him 30 minutes or so to convince her that he got it for me. lol<br /><br />Thanks!<br />Kris<br /><br />ladymluv (at) yahoo (dot) comLover of Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983601043223228372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-78689544989071315312009-12-04T11:28:49.178-05:002009-12-04T11:28:49.178-05:00Shirley- YUM! I haven&#39;t eaten lunch yet.<br /><br />Deedles- I&#39;ve had some eleventh hour saves like that, too, and it&#39;s a divine gift.<br /><br />Elysabeth- That is the super-duper sweetest.<br /><br />Mason- You&#39;re in, because you&#39;re avatar&#39;s the torty-est, if I got the cat-egory right. You have some fantastic giveaways on your blog, too! Go visit, everyone!<br /><br />IN, IN, IN and IN.Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-31704480003949042492009-12-04T10:06:59.961-05:002009-12-04T10:06:59.961-05:00I don&#39;t really have a story to share, but I&#39;d love to be entered in the contest. Thanks for posting this. Toys for Tots is a great cause.<br /><br />http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.comMason Canyonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935307400882363560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-10080086128657794232009-12-04T09:53:05.425-05:002009-12-04T09:53:05.425-05:00The sweetest gift I received was from my daughter a few years ago. She bought a 3-drawer plastic storage box and put all kinds of stickers around it. Heart stickers, my name, flowers, you name it - probably spent a fortune on stickers alone to decorate it; inside the drawers were bags of Hershey Kisses and some other sweets - so the sweetest gift I received - lol, literally - (it&#39;s not a big box, probably designed to hold a stack of papers equivalent to a ream in each drawer - but it is still sweet). <br /><br />Elysabeth Eldering<br />Author of the JGDS 50-state mystery trivia series<br />eeldering @ gmail.com<br /><br />(I find this from the Sisters in Crime forum digest - which is where I follow) - E :)elysabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07052446855668120700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-9608399778230110882009-12-04T01:30:29.512-05:002009-12-04T01:30:29.512-05:00The most unforgettable gift I ever received was bags of groceries. One Christmas I was very very low on money and was literally praying for food. My prayers were answered that year.<br />djeanq(at)gmail(dot)comDeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732505389536746507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-91863471195239104472009-12-03T21:59:54.160-05:002009-12-03T21:59:54.160-05:00One of my favorite gifts was a Chinese wok. I celebrated by making an entire Chinese dinner from scratch, from eggdrop soup to homemade fortune cookies. Chinese is still my favorite meal. <br /><br />boots9k at wowway dot comshirleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06310778176889652167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-22681141028978373452009-12-03T21:55:02.599-05:002009-12-03T21:55:02.599-05:00Carol-Lynn-<br />Forgot to mention, please leave us an e-mail, so we can let you know if you win, and best of luck!Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-35606964697197836112009-12-03T21:49:10.572-05:002009-12-03T21:49:10.572-05:00Mercedes- That&#39;s just AWFUL, and awfully funny : )<br /><br />Carol-Lynn- I guess I shouldn&#39;t be surprised so many readers have great memories of book gifts.<br /><br />Helen- You&#39;re in, and going for the trifecta!<br /><br />Penny T- Jingle, Jingle and Good Luck!Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-17985003620223729402009-12-03T21:43:17.744-05:002009-12-03T21:43:17.744-05:00What a great way to get into the &quot;holiday mood&quot;. I&#39;d sure like to win a copy.<br />pennyt@hotmail.compennythttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02954661134848897320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-90417643837279240442009-12-03T21:38:36.467-05:002009-12-03T21:38:36.467-05:00This book was a great idea &amp; will be an interesting read. The Toys for Tots is a very worthy cause.<br /><br />Helen Kiker<br />hdkiker@comcast.netHelen Kikernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-73305613745595063882009-12-03T21:15:21.036-05:002009-12-03T21:15:21.036-05:00Thanks for the chance to win your book!<br />I can&#39;t remember any horrid Xmas gifts. I always got the same things: a pair of pajamas, a doll and a book.<br />The latter two shaped my whole life. I&#39;ve a photo of me about 12 years old with a Patti Playpal ripoff and a Dana Girls Mystery.Carol-Lynn in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-55743045139469417222009-12-03T20:54:38.545-05:002009-12-03T20:54:38.545-05:00The scariest gift that I ever received was a handmade Native American warrior doll from my grandmother, complete with loincloth and tomahawk. I carried it everywhere and even sat it beside me at the table because I didn&#39;t want to make it angry. I finally confessed to my father that I cried myself to sleep every night because I was afraid it was going to murder me. I never saw it again.<br /><br />-Mercedesabrokenlaptophttp://abrokenlaptop.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-36280991868527608762009-12-03T20:30:11.373-05:002009-12-03T20:30:11.373-05:00Jody- thanks for the 411!<br /><br />Mary- what a sweet, sharable gift.<br /><br />Anita- you&#39;ll have to schedule a candlelit bubble bath a week to get through the surplus!<br /><br />Shelby- As many times as our mothers and grade-school teachers told us, we still can underestimate that personal touch until someone reminds us.<br /><br />You&#39;re all in!Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-43071134988500797462009-12-03T15:41:37.147-05:002009-12-03T15:41:37.147-05:00One of the nicest gifts I have received was a hand drawn Christmas themed stationary set. It was from the mother of a acquaintance ... it was a complete surprise and delight.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for the giveaway, even if I am not the winner.ShelbyLeighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13202177809939168621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-149695383746587292009-12-03T10:30:55.652-05:002009-12-03T10:30:55.652-05:00Clare,<br />Thanks so much for your promotion of The Gift of Murder.<br />In my former life as a teacher, the sheer volume of Christmas gifts was much appreciated but overwhelming. We still have cartons of gift candles in the pantry--enough to supply our whole street in the event of a blackout.Anita Pagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-46918095312108521212009-12-03T09:50:12.245-05:002009-12-03T09:50:12.245-05:00The &quot;bestest&quot; gifts from any Christmas were always new books. As an only child, games weren&#39;t much fun if there was no one to play with, but a book was always great. As an adult, my mom always gave me gift cards for the local book store so I could pick out any number of new paperbacks. Of course I always let her read them later so we both enjoyed the gifts. <br /><br />lmbailey@wamego.netMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024057431361072258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-82649229457935014282009-12-03T09:45:43.153-05:002009-12-03T09:45:43.153-05:00Sorry about not leaving my email address. It&#39;s jecbib@cox.netJody Crockernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-47264935813853205032009-12-03T09:34:20.192-05:002009-12-03T09:34:20.192-05:00For every story like cstironkat&#39;s of a giver that just doesn&#39;t get us at all, there&#39;s a sweet story like Jody&#39;s!<br /><br />You&#39;re both entered, but Jody, please make sure we have an e-mail contact for you somewhere, otherwise we&#39;ll draw again!Clare2ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105229820107294986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-460239459321755522009-12-03T09:30:59.175-05:002009-12-03T09:30:59.175-05:00The best surprise Christmas present I ever got was a brand new sparkly dress when I was a junior in H.S. My mother spent her nights making this dress and kept it a secret. She was a working mother when they were not the norm. Making this dress in secret was hard to do because she &amp; I shared a bedroom. I never suspected a thing. I was delighted and VERY surprised.Jody Crockernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7818123252981343255.post-30333266762827427482009-12-03T01:44:25.955-05:002009-12-03T01:44:25.955-05:00I&#39;m not a girly girl, I&#39;m a tomboy and one year I got a lacy pink shirt from my mom and a pink robe and slippers from my aunt. <br /><br />I don&#39;t wear pink-EVERcstironkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14856181085325482055noreply@blogger.com