The magi, as you know, were wise men - wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.
-O. Henry
Since Christmas is a time for giving, we here at Mountain Musings are giving away a little prize package to one of you readers! It will include a snowman ornament to put on your tree, a cross-stitched hand towel, and a tin full of fudge. :)
To enter, all you need to do is comment on this post! All lurkers, now is the time to show yourselves. :) If you tell us your favorite Christmas gift you have ever given and/or received, you shall be entered twice. You have until Saturday, December 16 at 9:00 PM to comment, and then I shall draw the name of the winner! Sounds easy, doesn't it? 
I shall start things off with telling one of MY favorite gifts. While I have appreciated everything that people have given me, I have to say that my all-time favorite gift would be my dog, Pepper. :) I had wanted a dog for so many years before I finally received her the Christmas of 1998, so I was quite excited to say the least. She is such a sweetie, and I love her a lot.
Now it's YOUR turn! :)
~Sarah
Fun!!
I can think of two Christmas gifts right away that have to be my all-time favorites. One is the handmade doll house my grandfather made for me when I was in third grade. The other was my Dad's Bible--he gave it to me on the year my brother was born--13 years ago.
Posted by: amanda | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 03:43 AM
I received my all-time favorite Christmas gift 22 years ago. It was my engagement ring. :o) My Hubby and I will celebrate 21 years of marriage on January 11th. God has blessed us greatly!
Posted by: Jodi | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 07:38 AM
Fun! Fun! Fun! This gift was received by me as a young girl and a new one given by me to my own daughter...an Easy Bake Oven! I loved that oven and had many hours of pleasure cooking in it as a girl. When my daughter received hers many years ago, she had just as much (if not more) fun as I did. She took it to a different level because each time I was cooking in the kitchen, she would want to cook a small amount of whatever it was in her oven. Wonderful memories!
Posted by: Dorothy | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 07:47 AM
One of my favorite gifts was a ring that Allison gave to me 9 years ago.She bought it at school and was so proud that she had been able to go Christmas shopping on her own with money thst she earned for the occassion.The ring was small and I wore for the longest time on my right pinky finger.
Posted by: Tammy | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 07:51 AM
The one I most remember is when my hubby and I were first married. My parents paid off one of our credit cards as a gift to us.
Posted by: Denial Renae | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 08:35 AM
Oh, so many years of gifts to pick the very best one. The one that makes me smile the most was the one that my Momma gave me when I was about 19. We had seen an ad for a certain perfume and how the woman wearing this perfume had taken a notepad out and wrote a handsome man she saw a note, she got the man in the ad. Momma and I joked about this ad so for Christmas she gave me a bottle of the perfume wrapped up with a notepad and pencil! She wanted me to find a man and give her more grandchildren.
Posted by: Cindi | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 09:58 AM
Oh this is sooo hard but fun! :) There are so many special gifts but one that is so sweet is a Mother's pin I rec'd several years ago from all the kids. It is a gold leaf with 10 little birthstone gems on it , one for each of the kids. I was overwhelmed when I opened it and wear it proudly as a reminder of the 10 gifts God has blessed our marriage with.
Posted by: Chris | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 10:40 AM
Oh, goody! A contest!!
I must say that I have had 2 "favorite" Christmas gifts....................my sisters who were both born in December.
Posted by: Courtney | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 12:44 PM
Hmm...my favorite gift? It would have to be our firstborn, Rachel..born December 12..quite a few years ago..
Posted by: Dawn | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 12:47 PM
How very fun!
My favorite gift that I gave: one year I made aprons for all my sisters, my mom, my MIL, and my SIL. It was a lot of work, but so fun to give!
Favorite received? when I was a teenager, my grandparents gave me a beautiful ring. It was my very first ring, and I enjoyed wearing it (and still wear it from time to time) very much.
Posted by: Tammy S. | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 12:55 PM
OK Deb, I had some time to think about the favorite gift I have given, that was hard too!! BUT... I think I could say the year I gave my parents a scrapbook of all the grandkids and them. My sister and I worked on it several nights ... ALL NIGHT LONG! I was nursing a new baby and remember getting sick due to a lack of sleep. But my parents LOVED the gift and it was a special time as they looked at each of the pages. We all laughed, smiled and cried a little, it was sweet!
Posted by: Chris | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 01:15 PM
There is one Christmas gift that will always stick out in my mind. It isn't my favorite but it is the most unforgettable. I don't remember how old I was, but I received a pair of skates or at least I thought I was getting a pair. When I opened the box, there was only one skate. Oh, the disappointment. To this day, someone in my family mentions that gift every year.
Posted by: Leslie | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 02:06 PM
Favorite gift received: Eliana Pearl, 7 lbs, 15 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. Born December 20, 2005
Ditto for gift given - I think hubby was pretty happy with his baby girl!
Posted by: Elise | Monday, December 11, 2006 at 11:32 PM
I was eight years old and it was the best Christmas I had ever gotten or probably will ever get . .. . an Easy Bake Oven! I loved helping my Mom in the kitchen and when I got my "very own oven" I felt like I was the most "grown up girl" in the world:) I made many cakes that year with my little oven and I think it really was the start of my love of baking!!
Posted by: Susan P. | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 05:39 AM
My favorite gift was when my husband paid for me to take a beginners quilting class at "Cottonwood" (which was in Palmyra but now is in Charlottesville). With 4 children I don't get to quilt very often but it is something I love to do!
Posted by: Joanna D. | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 12:28 PM
Hi, I'm here through Randi's (I Have to Say), and this contest sounds cool!
Cheers, and Merry Christmas!
~Erin
Posted by: Erin | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 01:35 PM
Hi! I found your blog through Courtney's. What a neat idea!!! I would have to say that my favorite gift I gave was when a friend and I worked a long time and finally finished our first blanket with a snowman for my former Pastor's wife. My favorite gift I received was...hmm...this is hard...maybe it's...no…I know; it was the porcelain doll that my great aunt made for me. She is adorable!!
In Him,
Gera @->--------
Posted by: Gera Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:13 PM
Hey! My name is Shanna. I am Gera’s older sister. I’m 19. My favorite gift I received was a Scofield Bible from my Grandma, and my favorite gift I gave was a briefcase full of art stuff for my dad.
In God’s Grace,
Shanna J
Posted by: Shanna Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Oops! That "J" is supposed to be a smiley face. I don't know why it did that!
Shanna :)
Posted by: Shanna Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:15 PM
I love contests!!! My name is Ryana Miller, and I am Gera’s sister, too. I am 9 years old. My favorite gift I gave is a Glade Scented Oils Candle for my Mom, and my favorite gift I received was a cassette called “Scripture Meditations”.
Love,
Ryana <><
Posted by: Ryana Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:16 PM
My name is Sarah. I’m Gera’s 7-year-old sister. My favorite gift that I received is the Bible that my Grandma gave me a year ago. My grandma passed away in September of this year.
My favorite gift that I gave was a worship wedding music cd to my sister.
Love,
Sarah :@) (pig)
Posted by: Sarah Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:17 PM
Hello! I am Gera’s 3-year-old sister, Faith Miller. My favorite gift that I have given was some designer printer paper to one of my sisters. My favorite gift that I have received was BUBBLE GUM!!!!
Thanks!
Faith
Posted by: Faith Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:18 PM
Hello! My name is Vicky Miller. I am Gera's mother. She asked me to enter your contest. What a sweet idea! It's hard for a mother of six to narrow down her favorite gift to one. So I'll choose one my husband gave me one year that benefited my five girls and I. It was a jewelry armoir. It holds everybody's jewelry.... new, old, store-bought, homemade, etc. Now for my favorite gift I’ve given. One year I mixed the dry ingredients for a pancake recipe and tied it up in a pretty homemade fabric bag with a spatula attached. I enclosed a bottle of maple syrup with each. Everyone that received one seemed to really like the idea.
God bless! Hope you get a lot of responses.
Vicky
Posted by: Vicky Miller | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 03:25 PM
Although I think my new house this year will turn out to be my all time favorite adult gift, my favorite childhood gift was a doll that I still have. Her name is Esther (named for my sister) because she looks just like her! I saw the doll in a catalog when I was little and begged and begged for her. But my parents convinced me she cost too much money. I was truly convinced! So when she showed up hidden behind the sofa on Christmas morning, you can imagine my surprise and delight. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I must have been 7 or maybe 8 years old that year. Thanks for the contest. What fun!
Posted by: Rhonda | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 07:16 PM
I received my two favourite gifts on the same Christmas 45 years ago - a pair of crutches made by my father and a baby doll. Why did I want a pair of crutches? Because a little boy in our grade 1 class broke his leg and we thought that crutches were the most funnest things ever! We were always asking to borrow his so that we could race around on them. It was so sweet of my dad to carve me a pair. I still have both of these gifts.
Posted by: Islandsparrow | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 07:18 PM
is funnest a word??
it was in grade 1
*grin*
Posted by: Islandsparrow | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 07:19 PM
What a great way to pull out the lurkers, the lure of fudge!! LOL
My favorite gift I have ever gotten is a beatiful crocheted tablecloth my grandmother made me. The best gift I ever gave was when I told my husband we were going to have another baby. :>)
Posted by: Kris | Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 11:03 PM
Thanks for entering, all old and new commenters! :) It's neat to hear all your stories.
I know there are many more people out there who can comment - I'm thinking of a lot right now! :) So keep the comments coming - you have all the way until Saturday!
Posted by: Sarah | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 11:05 AM
I can't think of a favourite gift I've received, because so many people in my family are good at gifts. My favourite one that I've given was a Christmas stocking that my brother and I made for my mom a few years ago. The rest of us all had stockings (my dad even had his from when he was a kid) but my mom had always used a sock before.
Posted by: Nicole | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 01:52 PM
Well, I don't know that it was my most favorite, but I remember as a child, we were poor as little church mice with daddy in school and paying his college bill at Bob Jones and then paying for three children to attend the University elementary school as well. I was in the second grade and I didn't want to ask for anything because I knew things had been hard. But we were at Kmart where they were advertising the *new* Polaroid camera and showing how fast it developed. While my mother and brother were having their picture taken, I noticed an oval shaped, red tape recorder sitting on the counter. I thought, "WOW! That's neat!!" But I didn't say anything. Apparently, I didn't have to. Daddy saw it in my eyes and come Christmas morning, that was my BIG gift along with several Bible story tapes he had bought at the BJU bookstore. I was so happy.
~Kristi
Posted by: Kristi | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 05:00 PM
Wow! Look at all the comments...I'm one of those lurkers who never comments...but the fudge pulled me in! :) My favorite gift as a child was my Chrissy doll! When you pushed her belly button her hair grew longer! I know some of you will remember her. :)
Posted by: Julie | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 05:59 PM
My favorite gift that was given to me 16 years ago from my brother-in-law and his wife. It was a pair of a heart-shaped golden nugget earrings.
They are my favorite earrings.
Posted by: Chyrll | Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 05:53 PM
One of my favourite gifts was from my grandparents. It was a "Breyer Horse Stable." I really enjoyed playing with it!!
~Grace
Posted by: 3 Sisters | Friday, December 15, 2006 at 02:45 PM
Hey Sarah, I'm finally posting even though I need fudge like a hole in the head. Anyway, as you know I like to pick out presents that fit the person to whom I'm giving it. So, I don't really have a favorite gift given. My favorite gift received is not material. Back when I was in nursing school my classmates and I went Christmas caroling through the hospital. We reached the floor that had mostly elderly people, and one little lady started to cry when we finished. At first we thought our singing was so bad that she might need another surgery for a ruptured eardrum. However; she then proceeded to tell us how beautiful it was, and thanked us profusely. That was 20 years ago, and every time Christmas comes around I think of how wonderful it felt to bring someone a moment of joy in the midst of pain. In reading this last sentence I guess my favorite gift received came from a gift (of sorts) given.
Posted by: Toots | Friday, December 15, 2006 at 11:27 PM
Did I make the deadline??? Whew! I think I did! :)
I'm really bad about remembering gifts...and to try to decide BEST gift ever?? that is way too hard. But I do remember fondly getting my purple bicycle when I was maybe 12 or 13. I think it might have been a total surprise since I don't remember asking for it. But on Christmas morning it was sitting in the living room with its little front light turned on. What a lovely sight in the darkened living room to come in and see that sparkling new bike! Very neat.
Best gift ever given? hmm. maybe it will be this year. I might find the perfect gift for my wonderful niece Sarah who came up with this great post!
Posted by: Aunt Bet | Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 08:54 PM