Before we dive into Let’s Look, first make sure you’ve checked out my book review post from Monday. It went up late and you might have missed it. I shared the books I read in November/December, my Top Reads of the year, and some special awards as well.
Time for Let’s Look with Shay! Let’s do a little recap of the fun we’ve had ALL YEAR LONG before we dive into today…
January-We covered our Low Level Goals. These are the goals that will make us feel productive but aren’t anything too difficult. I’m happy to report one item has already been crossed off my list!
February-We shared how we Work on our Marriage.
March-We discussed how we Reset for the Week.
April-We looked at Maintaining Friendships.
May-My Wellness Routine and I shared what that looks like on a weekly basis.
I skipped June & July. 🙁
August-We chatted about Juggling Family Schedules.
September-We discussed Managing Teens.
October-We shared about things we’d said, “NO”, to recently.
November-I shared the ways I show gratitude.
The last Let’s Look topic of THE YEAR is Best/Worst Gifts we’ve ever received. This should be fun! I must start this post off by saying that I’ve received some AMAZING gifts over my life so far. Now that I’m a mom I know my mom did lots of things to make holidays but especially Christmas so magical for us. She accomplished it for sure!! And I’m sure she always purchased most of everything I REALLY wanted for Christmas. Thank you, Mom!
When I flipped back through my memories for the best gifts EVER, two come to mind. The first one was…
Queen’s Greatest Hits Cassette Tape! haha! I REALLY wanted this tape and remember writing it down on my Christmas list. Then my mom did that tricky thing moms do where she gave this idea to my grandparents. In my house, we always opened presents from Santa and our parents Christmas Day morning. Then we went to my grandparents’ house to hang with aunts, uncles, and cousins for the day and open presents with them. I remember being disappointed after opening gifts at home that I hadn’t gotten that Queen cassette tape, but much to my surprise, I opened it from my grandparents later that day!
Ask me why I wanted that tape so badly?? I think it was so I could listen to We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions and Another One Bites the Dust. I distinctly remember playing Fat Bottom Girls for the first time. haha! Needless to say, THANK YOU to my grandparents for the gift!
On to another BEST GIFTS….you guys remember Nike wind suits back in the day? Well, for some reason I thought my “colors” were orange and blue. I’m certain the color analysis people would disagree but twelve-year-old Erika was certain that combo looked SO good on me. 😉 I got a pullover similar to the one above that I thought I looked SO good in. And my parents also got me…
Not this one exactly because it looks a bit more up to date then 1996 but I had a matching orange/blue Nike wind suit that I LOVED! I remember getting matching socks AND Nike shoes to complete the outfit. Just imagine how good I looked! hahaha!
Now, let’s chat about the WORST gift….
This sweet husband of mine is SO GOOD at SO MANY THINGS but I’m gonna be honest and tell you gift giving isn’t one of those things. It’s not his love language so he just doesn’t understand why it’s such a big deal to other people.
Tab and I got married and three days later was my birthday. We had gotten married, driven to Dallas where we moved my stuff into Tab’s apartment, and had one week to get settled in before we set out on our honeymoon. Just a few days into this new married life and here I am celebrating my twenty-second birthday with my new husband. He worked all day while I unpacked in the apartment. I remember him coming home from work with none other than…
a bouquet of flowers he snagged from the grocery store. Very nice and I thought they were lovely!
Fast forward a few months later to Valentine’s Day, guess what my husband came home with?
a bouquet of flowers he popped into the grocery store to snag right before he got home. 🙂
Fast forward a few more months to our FIRST Anniversary….any guesses on what he bought me?
Yep.
If you guessed another bouquet from the grocery store, you were RIGHT! hahahaha!
REALLY, I’m calling it the worst gift ever because he was buying those out of convenience and not because he was thinking about me. Let me just tell you we had a chat about it and I haven’t received a single bouquet since then. haha! In our twenty years of marriage, he’s become so much better because he gets that if I know he took the time to think about me and what I’d like, then the ACTUAL gift isn’t really that important. But wouldn’t it be interesting to know how many years Tab would have gotten me those bouquets?! haha!
What about YOU!?! What’s the best gift you’ve ever received and the worst?!
Guys, it’s been a FUN year! Thanks so much for joining me!
XO
Best gift, a dollhouse my dad made me when i was 5, worst gift-anything regifted!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
AWWWWWW!!!! LOVE this!!
Erika, I hear you on your color choices, blue and orange. In the 90’s I remember as a teen the colors were because of Florida Gators (at least here in Florida). Were you a Gator fan? Also, your story about the flowers was funny. He walked through those doors carrying those flowers a third time too many. Great story! Have a great day!
No, not a Gator fan here! haha! I just thought those colors were in my color wheel or something?! ha! And aren’t we a bit curious to know….would he have continued with the flower tradition for the next 20 years if I’d never said anything?! haha!
You have given me SO MANY great gifts over the years, but I still vividly remember you gifting me my first pair of Lululemon leggings and you were like “they feel like butter” and THEY DO! I still have that original pair (and that was years ago!) and wore them to yoga just on Monday!
TOO FUNNY!!
Hahaha on the flowers. It’s interesting – I think some girls (like me) LOVE them and wish we received them more often and others, like you and my sister, could care less – but even though she says “stop doing it” her husband continues to- ha! Maybe HE wants them around the house? They are delivered….so a little more upscale?
I’m more remember the best gifts I have given rather than those I have received because I just love to give gifts 🙂
This post gave me an idea for 2026 “Let’s Look” – what about “Let’s look at a letter I would write today to 20 year old me”?
That’s SUCH a good post idea! THANK YOU!!
If that doesn’t sum up most men! To him, hes probably thinking, I did so good I went and got flowers, but to women its the thought not the actual flowers. This has got to confuse them haha but makes total sense to me!
BAHAHAHAHA!! You’re SO right! It probably does confuse them!