tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post847416535594746657..comments2009-12-17T00:07:35.167-05:00Julie Gillieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16043208077641628180noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-31042115958803633372009-12-17T00:07:35.167-05:002009-12-17T00:07:35.167-05:00Hi Julie, There have been so many through the years, but I think the one that touched my heart the most and was the biggest surpirse and tear jerker was about twelve years ago, I had lost the diamond out of the setting of my wedding ring and had a CZ put in to replace it. It looked fine and no one knew, but my husband and I. Money was tight with kids in college, but one Christmas he gave me a new diamond to replace the stone. I completely was not expecting it, but it touched me more than anything he could have done for me. I have a great and loving husband who is a wonderful blessing to me.<br />Thank you Julie, for letting me remember this special moment in time.<br />DebraDebra @ Common Groundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830455848744270459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-67399939191048790262009-12-16T23:45:58.569-05:002009-12-16T23:45:58.569-05:00Best Christmas gift hands down was the Christmas after my parents divorced, we woke up to mom AND dad. I remember the fish aquarium and play kitchen too, but the best part was having daddy at home one more time.<br /><br />Thanks, Julie!! We love you and your blog too :)lisasmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02806263533922265424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-1144561944089176622009-12-15T18:01:50.136-05:002009-12-15T18:01:50.136-05:00How fun, your so sweet and fun.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00429566952828199984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-80108777862332473542009-12-15T14:12:41.261-05:002009-12-15T14:12:41.261-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Eagles Wingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311585361184693338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-43175087707443925072009-12-15T09:33:53.642-05:002009-12-15T09:33:53.642-05:00That&#39;s a wonderful giveaway, Julie. Thanks for thinking of your blog fans at Christmas and always. :)Carla Gadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01793809172905144101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-78727591429162044572009-12-14T22:09:06.529-05:002009-12-14T22:09:06.529-05:00my husband and i were just talking about this. my favorite gift was when i was inthe 4th grade and i got a bird for christmas. i was a lonely child and she brought me so muvh joy :)andreawilliamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14950813180900339033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-15188932314337582532009-12-14T15:58:45.191-05:002009-12-14T15:58:45.191-05:00Boy, Julie, that&#39;s a hard one. I&#39;ve got more than one that holds special meaning so I&#39;ll go with my all-time favorite from my childhood -- my Chatty Cathy doll :) Thanks for a fun giveaway!Cheryl Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15700429665500763372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-57162803376696525622009-12-14T13:50:24.178-05:002009-12-14T13:50:24.178-05:00Wow! What a fun giveaway! Thanks, Julie!Jody Hedlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12424307540530719614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-69886508141682109322009-12-14T13:08:14.925-05:002009-12-14T13:08:14.925-05:00I have been wanting to read this book for a while. Thank you for giving us the chance to win it. The greatest gift I have ever received is when our family spends Christmas together in Colorado.Hopefulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06663882998648895257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-86246086756292525492009-12-14T12:29:05.270-05:002009-12-14T12:29:05.270-05:00The greatest gift in our lives arrives annually on Christmas Eve. when each of our children reflect on their favorite memory, and answered prayer from the past year. Each child then writes their answers down and stores them in an envelope that is reviewed each year!Let'sMakeADifferencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07585339517945690267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-77322860211187803142009-12-14T11:50:07.073-05:002009-12-14T11:50:07.073-05:00It&#39;s not very spiritual, but my favorite Christmas gift was given by my parents when I was in college. They gave me two tickets (so that I could bring a friend) to the college football national championship game. As a football fan, I loved it! My best friend and I had an incredible time. My favorite Christmas experience is another story, but I think that was my favorite giftRockyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18029525861284208736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-39758205822073619562009-12-14T11:48:41.514-05:002009-12-14T11:48:41.514-05:00Hi Julie - <br /><br />I would say my favorite Christmas gift was a guitar at the age of about four! It was a lot of fun!<br /><br />Blessings to you and yours this Christmas, and thanks for the great contest!<br /><br />Thanks - Andrea <br /><br />andrealschultz[at]gmail[dot]com<br /><br />http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/ - please come check out the 12 Pearls of Christmas; be entered to win a three strand pearl necklace!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03686560244139536883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-44740546036021350962009-12-14T11:47:24.752-05:002009-12-14T11:47:24.752-05:00Wow, what a beautiful site! Favorite Christmas gift is one given and received. Dating my husband-to-be on our first Christmas, he just had everything. But I learned he was into scripture memory and devoted many years to it. I decided to memorize Luke Chapter 2. In reciting it to him on Christmas Night, it turned out to be a great gift for both of us! We have now been married for 13 years and have 4 children, youngest recently from China. Thanks for letting us celebrate this memory!Duncan Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03231789673235378861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-45032778599612244872009-12-14T09:25:19.288-05:002009-12-14T09:25:19.288-05:00Oh, my all-time-favorite Christmas gift is a no-brainer! Five years ago my husband surprised me on Christmas morning with a lime-green Volkswagen Beetle. It was just like the commercials. I loved the car then and I love it still. But I especially love all the thought and care my husband put into pulling off such a big surprise. It was an extravagant gesture of love.<br /><br />I love homemade treats, so PICK ME! <br /><br />Blessings.KelliGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00261710060954867880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-24613211091937576972009-12-14T08:03:30.528-05:002009-12-14T08:03:30.528-05:00Ahhh...one of my very favorites was when I was 2. It was so impacting to me. I remember momma telling me to stay out of her and dad&#39;s bedroom closet because that&#39;s where they had to store the presents. Well, being a curious sort, I went and peeked anyway. THERE IT WAS...a light brown BOUNCY HORSIE! I climbed up on top of that Bouncy Horse that made all sorts of &quot;clippity clop and neighing sounds&quot; as you rode. I was whooping it up when momma stuck her head inside the door. AHHHHHH...boy was I in trouble...for we had little money and this was THE gift for the year.<br />Daddy came home from work, and still dressed up in his warm coveralls, hauled that horsie out the door. They were going to give it to another little girl who was good this year. MY HEART was BROKEN! I cried and cried and cried, HUGE tears. However, on Christmas morning, there was a NEW Bouncie Horsie under the tree. I was elated! Little did I know, they stored the horsie in the garage till Christmas morning. It wasn&#39;t until many years later that I learned it was the same bouncie horsie! sigh...my Christmas was complete! Laura ChaseLaura Chasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05301779693605278214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-73548752161133834272009-12-14T07:02:26.067-05:002009-12-14T07:02:26.067-05:00Julie, thanks so much for giving away Scared on your blog for Christmas. Sure appreciate you! Merry Christmas to you and your family.Tom Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11038953508726502187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-77945272379876247932009-12-13T22:30:02.393-05:002009-12-13T22:30:02.393-05:00A very nice give-away! The book sounds wonderful (I read your very compelling review) and the snacks sound delish! <br /><br />Favorite Christmas gift? I honestly can&#39;t remember because there have been many favorites, I&#39;m sure. One I remember though, from my boys was a food storage set that I love and use to this day. My guys know I like kitchen stuff.<br /><br />Thanks for the opportunity enter this drawing!<br /><br />Hugs,<br />LisaLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819089896296871441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-76464626916690361412009-12-13T21:29:48.874-05:002009-12-13T21:29:48.874-05:00Hi Julie,<br /><br />A give-away at this time of year is always a beautiful thing.<br /><br />My precious memory of the best Christmas gift received is as follows:<br /><br />I come from a family of five children with me being the youngest. My mom and dad (no longer living) were hard working parents. My dad was a construction worker in the union and traveled wherever they sent him for a job, when he came home he was oh so tired as he operated a huge drill bigger than his being that blasted out huge rocks to form a way for roads to be built. My mom stayed home with us until we entered school and then became a factory worker and worked shift work. So very hard working. As children we learned never to take anything in life for granted and loved our parents very much. They had such beautiful hearts and when we went to church on Sundays our complete family of seven filled a whole row in our church. My parents were very faith-filled people and loved the Lord so much.<br /><br />One year my parents didn&#39;t have the money to buy each of us gifts. Back then they had a green stamp book that when it was filled you could use it to purchase something with. My mother purchased a record player and they gave it to all give of us for our Christmas gift. It was the best gift ever and meant to much. We knew how hard they worked and I have to say all of us used this special gift a lot. It was a true gift from their heart and it certainly filled ours. For me, that was the best Christmas gift ever.<br /><br />I know my story is a bit long, but it brings back such fond memories of many Christmas times with my complete family together.<br /><br />I&#39;m glad I stopped in to say hello. Merry Christmas to you and may God abundantly bless you and your family this Christmas and the new year to come.<br /><br />Love &amp; blessings,<br />AlleluiabelleAlleluiabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15737663459139575676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-11217885762469904802009-12-13T21:26:43.483-05:002009-12-13T21:26:43.483-05:00I love reading all the deep and thoughtful comments above, but mine is shallow, yet oh so special. My husband and I had shared a vehicle for the first 8 years of marriage and one Christmas he surprised me with the car of my dreams(at the time) which was a charcoal gray Tahoe which was perfect for toting around my two precious youngins. I still drive that Tahoe today, and now 9 years later... I sure could use a trade in:) Would love to win the book and treats too! Merry Christmas and can&#39;t wait to read the book (even if I have to buy it myself).Susiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01257386941472818722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-17788592779811715582009-12-13T19:24:33.275-05:002009-12-13T19:24:33.275-05:00Julie, what a lovely give away. I sat here thinking about all the things I have received over the years. Some of them are very special, some of them home made and very dear, some of them comical and so on. <br />I kept thinking which would be the best and all of a sudden it dawned on me, the best gift I ever got was one this weekend. It was a gift I gave, not received.<br />I had painted a picture of my sister-in-law and her husband on the beach in their last trip together. Three months later my SIL died from cancer. I gave him the painting this weekend and both of us were overcome with emotion. By far, the giving eclipsed any gift I ever received.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05682139599731771619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-20300082699106207892009-12-13T18:35:50.796-05:002009-12-13T18:35:50.796-05:00Julie~<br /><br />What a tough question....I think the greatest gift is the peace that can reign in my heart this time of year if I choose to receive it. It is so easy for me to get caught up in so many other things this time of year but when I just sit back and enjoy the simple things and give everything else over to God I get that precious gift of peace! Have a blessed Christmas. Thanks for always sharing your heart on the blog. It is such an encouragement to me!<br /><br />DeniseDenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10795059925346024173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3286085860738815724.post-9767666262348530992009-12-13T18:28:33.444-05:002009-12-13T18:28:33.444-05:00Ah, Julie a give-a-way, so cool, but your question is hard. I have several, especially the hand-made ones from my kids. But the one I want to share is: when in Mexico for Christmas, (my folks were missionaries) I collected toothpaste and brushes and socks and brought them down from college in the states. The young men and women at the Bible school in Mexico were amazed and their faces shone with joy, while mine was red with shame thinking of my own Christmas gifts. These young students gave my soul the best Christmas gift, unbridled joy.<br /><br />Whew, that was a loooong one, sorry...Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012982939454873340noreply@blogger.com