Here’s my list:
Royal Skousen’s BoM: The Earliest Text
Elna Baker’s The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance (which I just this moment finished reading)
Neko Case’s most recent cd
Mike Ditka, In Life, First You Kick Ass
A collection of Peanuts holiday dvd’s.
The Princess Bride (which I’ve never seen; perhaps now I won’t have to turn in my Mormon card)
Tony Jaa in The Protector
John Woo’s Hard Boiled
Stocking contained a can of cashews and a bunch of Ikea stuff (Muesli, rat tails and swedish fish)
From my brother I got a Harry and David tower of treats. I love those things.
After Christmas dinner at the in-laws we exchanged some more gifts. I got a beautiful Christmas sweater, a Dilbert book, and a gift certificate to Borders.
OK, I went first, now it’s your turn. Whadja get?
By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog 
Excellent movies, Kev, and an excelled CD as well. Some great things. Merry Christmas!
Nothing — not a cookie, not so much as the toy from a Cracker Jack box. Adults don’t always have someone to play Santa for them.
A frame for my JD diploma from my husband
A make-it-yourself snowglobe from my 15 year old son
Two shirts from my 11 year old daughter
A fine-art poster from my husband
Scalia & Garner’s Making Your Case from my husband
A pan for macaroni and cheese from my 21 year old son (so he wouldn’t feel bad about taking his pan back to Rexburg after I had used it so much while he was gone on his mission)
A box of chocolates from a friend
All my skeins of yarn lying around the house made into big balls of yarn–a gift of service from a friend
My kids bought me Beatles Rock Band for the Wii. Even my wife, who normally doesn’t like video games, likes it. It’s been a fun family activity so far.
Kevin Barney, you’ve never seen “The Princess Bride”? Inconceivable!
A make-it-youself snow globe sounds awesome! I’ve never heard of such a thing.
My brother yelled “Ebay!” as soon as we were done
Hey I thought Princess Bride was part of the missionary discussions – when did that change? I agree with Kevin f – inconceivable!
I do not mean to pry, but you don’t by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?
Does anyone know Deseret Book’s return policy. I’m praying that they will do store credit for items without a receipt. So I can trade those “inspirational” Glenn Beck and Utah rugby dvds for some candy.
Cookies
Two happy children
$25
(really that’s all)
My present was my husband and I applying for our passports. :)
Also, lots of sweet coworkers gave me bags and bags of chocolate. Yum.
signed Agent Bishop by Mike McPherson. I never even told my wife I was interested in reading it, she just happened to see the guy signing books in Costco and it looked like something I’d like. She was right.
Ooh, and one of those coworkers is German, who gave me German chocolate, including this milk and white chocolate hollow egg with a TOY inside.
So I also got a little puppy figurine that is also a secret squirt gun. :D
Sounds like a good haul, Kevin!
I got Jaroslav Pelikan’s five-volume The Christian Tradition series, Rodney Stark’s God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, Larry Hurtado’s At the Origins of Christian Worship: The Context and Character of Earliest Christian Devotion, Avery Dulles’ A History of Apologetics… and The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams for good measure. Also got one CD (Need by Todd Agnew), a new digital camera, and one video game (Assassin’s Creed II for XBox 360) to which I’ve become quite swiftly very, very addicted.
-The Hell-Fire Clubs: Sex, Satanism, and Secret Societies by Evelyn Lord
-Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England by Amanda Vickery
-B&N Gift Card
-Boos Cutting Board
-New chef’s knife
-New Blender
-Harry & David Tower of Treats
-framed sketch by Zachary Proctor
-lots of other goodies
Bob Dylan Lyrics 1962-2001 (x2)
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny
Bon Ivor – Blood Bank (CD)
F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Crack Up and Tender is the Night
Nietzsche – Human, All too Human
Australia’s Best Poems of 2009
Ironically someone bought me the same book they gave me three years ago, but this time in paperback. (The Ode Less Travelled).
It was a good Christmas
-A couples night at a cooking school (done it before, always very good).
-A remote controlled attack helicopter, matching my daughter’s but on a different frequency so they can fight each other.
-Three wicked-sharp sushi knives with blades that feel like they could double as a John Deere plow. I can just wave these things at a sirloin steak and it will dice itself.
-A Wii, with Super Mario Brothers and Williams Pinball Hall of Fame.
-A couple of days with the house to myself. I finished transcribing the journal from my grandparents mission to Spirit River, Alberta Canada.
I got three very happy children, thanks to the kindness of others. It was an amazing gift, and one that will never get old or sold at a garage sale.
Okay, I dare you to top this. My son in law gave me a karaoke deer head. That’s right, a wall mount deer head whose mouth (and antlers and ears) moves to whatever you sing, or say, into the microphone. Oh there will be fun at my house next Halloween!
And in response to the not asked question “What did ya give for Christmas”, I gave my business partner a home remodel project. I have laid 1500 square feet of wood flooring so far this weekend. I have 500 more to go. Then moldings. I am sore but I live for home improvement projects
All the Princess Bride quips make me laugh. I gave my son a t-shirt imprinted with what looks like a “Hello Tag”–under where it says “Hello. My name is” it reads “Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
We’re trying to decide if it is safe to wear to school.
Books & CDs. DH was good to me.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
The King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook
Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way by Lorna Sass
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows
Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs & Carols – album by Anonymous 4
Ellipse – album by Imogen Heap
Kevin, if you decide you hate The Princess Bride after watching it, you will become only the second person I’ve ever known who does, after myself.
A better question that should be asked, especially at Christmas time, is not “whadja get” but rather “whadja give?”
Cheers!
No. 13, they advertise Assassin’s Creed constantly on UFC broadcasts for Spike; it looks like a cool game.
Feel free to tell us what you gave others as well. For me that’s a less interesting proposition, as I only buy for my wife, and she gives me a list of what to get her, and I’m under strict orders not to give her anything else. I gave her three books she wanted; two were art books and one was the Canerbury Tales. She buys for everyone else, because she doesn’t trust my taste (for good reason).
I hate The Princess Bride.
Our children pooled their resources this year and got us a gift certificate to Kiva. They put in the money, but we get to decide to whom we should give the Kiva loan. We have really great kids (the absolutely best gift of all).
If I were to start listing what I gave, it would take up the whole blog, as I am the main gift buyer for a family of 32+. Actually, I love picking the perfect gift for each person, so I’m not complaining.
Real Mormons prefer the (abridged) Princess Bride book and only tolerate the movie.
Natalie K., was it a KinderEgg? You can get those in Canada, too. My husband brings them home when he goes there on business. They have some pretty cool toys sometimes.
I got a copy of the Wolverton Bible. It has beautiful illustrations that make it much funner to look at than the KJV.
Oh good, Kevin. Now that you have The Princess Bride, you’ll be able to pass your temple recommend interview without lying.
I got:
– Dexter Season 3
– A bottle of my favorite perfume
– The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
– Something from Victoria’s Secret
– A box of truffles from my girlfriend in seminary
– Assorted gift cards: Visa, Border’s, Target, GameStop
– Saints Row 2 for X-Box 360 (my daughter broke my old copy and I’m so sad when I’m not able to run around and jack cars as Sarah Palin to blow off steam)
I spent some of the gift cards on a really nice, new bedspread & sheet set.
At a white elephant gift party, I received a foamy beer mug ornament. I thought it was so sweet that someone thought to give me an ornament of one of the Protestant sacraments and I hung it proudly on our tree. My three year-old kept grabbing it off the tree and saying, “ICE CREAM!” (I guess the foam part made it look like ice cream.) I said, “Yes dear, ice cream, that’s exactly what it is…”
Yay, Tracy! Maybe we should start a Facebook group with like 3 members!!!
From my ex-wife and her husband, a slide rule (hey, they both knew me back in high school when I actually used one) and a 3-D photo of the original Enterprise from ST:TOS.
From my 24-yo daughter, a “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” 2010 calender (hey, I introduced her to Dr. Horrible).
From my sweet wife, a couple of electronic gadgets to help transfer videos and film negatives to SD media cards.
From my oldest sister, a “WTF — What the frak?” BSG t-shirt and (on back-order) a “Frak” mug.
From my mom, a bound copy of her compiled documents, photos, and genealogical materials for our Hamilton-Curtis line. ..bruce..
milk and white chocolate hollow egg with a TOY inside.
Kindereier!
I live for home improvement projects
I would be happy to volunteer to keep you very, very busy. ;)
From my son I received a henna kit for me, my new daughter-in-law, and daughters to adorn ourselves. From my husband, a knight in shining armor figurine. And from my daughters, including new daughter-in-law a musical performance. It was a really, really great day.
Philosophy and Johnny Cash.
Philosophy and the Office.
Philosophy and X-Men.
Philosophy and Harry Potter.
Philosophy and Metallica.
Philosophy and Pink Floyd.
Do justly and love mercy by Lowell Bennion.
The Idea of a Political Liberalism: Essays on Rawls by Victoria Wolf and Clark Davion.
When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought by Terryl Givens.
Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Rousseau and the Social Contract by Christopher Bertram.
A trip back to Cincinnati to see friends once again, which my children will treasure always. I never cease to be amazed at the generosity of friends, especially those who have known us less than six months.
Tracy, I still love you, despite this one HUGE sign of your fallen state.
Kevin, the book makes the movie look like a boring documentary. Even without the humor, it is a literary masterpiece – and I actually am being dead serious when I say that. Brilliant doesn’t begin to describe the book.
My visiting teacher gave me a wrapped package that turned out to be a single bag of microwave popcorn. Someone (I don’t know who, the tag was unsigned) left on my doorstep a 6.3-oz. bag of Whiska’s Temptations, Hearty Beef Flavour, presumably for my cat although it was addressed to me.
Just one more reason for you who have listed these amazing hauls to be grateful you have families.
Christmas is still to come. My son returns home from his mission in Hawaii Thursday and we are waiting for him. Presents are all still under the tree. He’ll be my best present.
Aaron, Tracy–
The Princess Bride hates you.
Mace! Best Christmas present ever.
Also, books!
The Princess Bride (this seems to be a theme!)
The Road
The Great Gatsby
Till We Have Faces
two DVDs: The Jungle Book and Sneakers. two art portfolios.
some cold, hard cash.
For my wife, I purchased a bunch of stuff we can take on picnics to Central Park (or wherever) when summer arrives – an activity she particularly enjoys (I do too!). A mega mat picnic blanket. A cheese board with a little slide-out drawer that contains cheese knives. A collapsible picnic basket. Some special plates/dishes for nachos and salsa and other delectables. In regards to this theme, I’m not sure Christmas is truly over. I’m still doing research. Thank goodness for the internet – some of these things CANNOT be found in stores in the winter-time.
#33 – I am in. I live in Salt Lake but travel for projects — especially warm climates!
Technically I got:
A bike trainer (ride your bike inside)
$25 to Amazon
Mormon Scientist from the in-laws
A belt (from brother in law on gift exchange)
What I really got via everyone else:
Rockband and Guitar Hero through Black Friday Deals
The American Idol Game for Xbox
A lot of my wife’s family over who are all singers (even a former Young Ambassador in the mix)
So that adds up to 12 plus hours of 70’s hits Karaoke Hell on Christmas day!!
I got my Dad Agent Bishop and he loved it. He is a retired Agent Ward Clerk – just wouldn’t be as catchy of a title if he had wrote it.
I don’t believe I could ever keep up with running a site like it! Awesome piece of work and I absolutely hope you keep on.