Christmas 06: What did you give?

I am fucking tired of reading about what people got. People are incredibly self-centered and materialistic as it is, and the illusion that anyone wants to know what YOU got for Christmas is painful to my soul. So tell me what you gave.

I volunteered to work so that a mother of 4 could stay home with her kids.

'Tis what I do every Christmas and Thanksgiving - volunteer for work so someone else with a family gets time off

Him-indoors received an iPod Shuffle, some winter gloves to replace his threadbare ones...oh! and some stink water by JP Gaultier, "Le Male."

Was hoping to send my best friend and his family in the US some non-banging Christmas Crackers - to comply with the prohibition of explosives by most national aviation authorities - but the shop that sells them ran out long before the US-bound posting deadline occurred. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

Was given the book tokens and Amazon.co.uk vouchers requested - not very jolly or Christmassy, I was told, but that's what I asked for - to reduce the crippling cost of university textbooks...and a red polo top from M&S.

Happy New Year!

What an ill tempered panda you have become in your old age.

He probably needs to be shipped off to some zoo or something to meet lady-pandas, if you know what I mean.

I gave my heart to a woman I love....and because that wasn't enough I had to give her jewlry.

Self-centered? You wont even screw to save your species.

I got some perfume and a new bag.

There's a world of difference between 'not giving' and 'not able to get'

But, to humour Ling-Wong, I'll say that I gave a Kenwood Smoothie Maker, some CDs, a memory card and some sundry items for private use.

I think our furry friend has the right Idea. Noone REALLY cares what everyone else got, and besides that giving is the "reason for the season". I gave my brother and his family a some-what crappy ornimate that said "Babie's first Christmas" (he had a daughter in early april) and his wife a peppermint candle. I gave my dad a reath with tiny beer bottles in it. It was a good year for them from me!

I'm hurt....I really do care about what you all got, and so do all the retailers and their staff who work sooooooooooooooooo hard, with very little thanks or pay to make it a magical Christmassy time. And what about Santa and all of his elves, who have been beavering away at the North Pole for a year ! Don't you think that they care about what you got? Never you mind old Mr Grumpy panda boots, just you pour your heart out on this thread and tell us about your presents. Tell us about the Captain Kangaroo outfit or the Lone Ranger silver star badge or the Johnny Seven One Man Army gun that you got....I'm genuinely interested!!

....I got aftershave ( nothing too feminine..its got a ship on the bottle, so if its ok for rough tough sailors called Jacques with tattoos on their arms, its ok for me) and I got socks ( with Homer Simpson's face on it, so if you see someone in town with those socks on, it will likely be me, so say hello) handkerchiefs, sweets, the Viz annual, the Private Eye annual, a George W Bush 2007 calendar, CD's and a set of headphones (sennheiser).

No-one actually cares what people gave either though, and the "reason for the season" is the birth of baby Jesus.

Does Walmart know about this?