let’s talk Xmas prezzies

Time to brag about our Christmas loot before New Year’s gets here! :happynewyear

So what did Santa Claus bring you this year?  Something good or nothing but coal in your stocking because you were :naught ?

Santa didn’t bring me anything flashy this year, but I’m more than happy with the few fun things I did get. :reindeergift

For instance, I got the cutest Christmas kitty wall clock.  At first I thought it was going to meow a different holiday song each hour on the hour, but instead it just chimes the tunes.  I’m moderately disappointed about that, to be honest, but I suppose actual singing cats would have A.)  scared the real Kittehs & B.)  gotten annoying after a while.

That being said, the makers of this clock were kind of smart.  You can turn it into just a clock, no hourly tunes involved, simply by taking out the extra set of batteries.  And it only chimes during the day or if the lights are on, shutting itself off in the dark.  Nifty, huh? :winkcookie

I also got a kitty cat draft dodger for my office.  Been needing one of those.  And it’s nice & sturdy, so it keeps out the cold air without falling over all the time.

One mildly amusing thing about it:  A couple of The Kittehs are not fans.  When they get close to it, wanting out on the enclosed porch through my office door, they give the big cat on the left the hairy eyeball & even sometimes skitter back a step as though they think he’s real.  Ha-ha!  (P.S.  If it really scared them, I’d get rid of it, but they’re just giving it a wide berth until they get used to it being there. :rasssp )

Possibly one of my favorite gifts, though, is my new Bah! Hum-mug.  Get it?  Bah! Hum-mug.

First, I love it because it’s a pun.  And it cracks me up every. single. time. I look at it.  But I also love it because there are years when I’m a total Scrooge about Christmas.  I wasn’t this year, but it happens, & now when it does, I’ll have the perfect mug to support my Grinchy mood.

I must admit that I also did a little Christmas shopping for myself at Thanksgiving.  Taking advantage of all those Black Friday/Cyber Monday/whatever sales, I found myself several DVDs at really good prices.  Supernatural (Season 8), Leverage (Seasons 3 & 5), The New Adventures of Old Christine (Season 1), Raising Hope (Season 1), When in Rome, & Battleship.  It sounds like a lot, but I got all of them for either $10 or $5 each; I told you, really good prices.  They’ve also been on my Wish List for a while, so I was simply catching up while the sales were in my favor.

And as usual (when I’m not in a Grinchy mood), I made sure the holidays weren’t just about me… :singingtree

As you know, to Madame Mommy Dearest I gave a shiny new empire red Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  The one she’s been wanting for ages.  Her reaction wasn’t quite what I expected that first day, but she has since tried it out, made a hugely successful batch of homemade bread, & decided she absolutely loves it.  So…delayed appreciation on that one.

But I also got her a flex edge beater, since it was the one attachment that hadn’t come with the mixer itself, as well as a couple of books, a couple of magnets, some peppermint coffee, & dark chocolate-covered pretzels.

Before Christmas, I also did mega pet food shopping & donated hundreds of dollars worth to both the local SPCA & the Hundred Cat Foundation for their Feral Cat Food drive.  I worry so much about homeless animals at this time of year.  Well, all year, of course, but around holiday time, donations & concern for them really dwindles.  Rather than spend money on high-priced gifts for myself or for others that we may or may not need, I try to always think of the animals & make sure I donate to them first.

Along those lines, this year I also sponsored my sweet little Sulcata tortoise Josie via Centre Wildlife Care.  Remember the “turtle” I discovered in my front yard last summer?  That’s Josie!  I had to turn her over to wildlife rehabilitators who knew how to care for her better than I could, but I still love her & think about her all the time.  And I keep in touch with them about how she’s doing.  So this year, when they started their “Sponsor a Critter for the Holidays” fundraiser, I couldn’t wait to sponsor my sweet little Sulcata. :smooches   (This pic isn’t Josie, by the way, but I’ve got pictures of her on my other computer.  Remind me & I’ll try to post them soon.)

And for the furry little loves of my lives (a.k.a. The Kittehs) I got a new cat tree climber.  It only has two levels, but I couldn’t resist because the posts are sisel (their favorite!) & it also has one of those U-shaped bristle brushes that they can rub their faces against.

I also gave them two scratchers they aren’t nearly as delighted with as I expected.  One is a Scratch Lounge; it’s got cardboard sides & they can sleep  in it without falling off like with the flat ones, & everything.

The other is a fold-away scratch tunnel.  I thought they’d love this, since one of The Kittehs loves to hide inside tight spaces & they all love to scratch on an incline.

But so far, I’ve gotten mostly feline disinterest in both.  Le sigh.  Hopefully, though, they’ll turn out to be a Gift Grenades—the kind you toss out & are only truly appreciated after time.  That’s certainly happened with this sort of thing in the past. :candycane

But the coup de grace & the present they loved right off the bat, is this Posh Shape & Scratch scratcher.

Are my kiddos spoiled or what? :rudolph   But they’ll get plenty of enjoyment from it, & they’re totally worth it.

(FYI, did you know cats need to scratch to shed the outer layers of their claws?  Having scratchers like these all over the place is how you save your furniture & whatnot…& they really do love them!  Most of the time. :winkcookie )

So that’s a long-winded recap of Christmas in The Dungeon—how about yours?

What did you get?  What did you do?  Who did you spend your holiday with?

We want to hear about all the fun you had, whether you were Nice or Naughty this year! :chimneyman

Comments

15 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Mary Kirkland says:

    Sounds like you did quite well. The clock and mug are cute! Love that you bought your kitteys something. I bought my rats new houses, new fleece bedding and a little santa hat that I had them wear so I could take pictures. lol

    I got a $50 visa gift card, bath set with perfume and lotion and a candle.

    I had fun buying baby clothes for my 11 month old grandson since it’s been 23 years since I’ve had to buy any baby clothes.

    On December 30, 2013 at 3:07 am

    • Heidi says:

      Thanks, Mary! I do love unexpected cuteness. :reindeergift

      So what fragrance is your new gift set? I love that stuff! Some fragrances are great & some are pretty bad, tho; I’m picky. :rudolph

      I hear you on shopping for baby clothes, btw. They’re so darn cute! I get upset they didn’t have such cute stuff when I was a kid, tho…same goes with toys. Dang it! :dancingtree

      On December 30, 2013 at 11:54 am

  2. Donna A says:

    I got book $ Yay! I think my family figures if I’m reading I’m not bugging them. Fine by me. My son and his wife got me a fabulous necklace and pictures of the grands. Daughter is bringing gift next week as I had to go out of town for my brothers wife’s funeral. The kitties got new scratch pads but I think a new tower is in their future.

    On December 30, 2013 at 7:20 am

    • Heidi says:

      Book money—yay! Can always use that. :winkcookie

      Ooh, a new cat tree. I hear ya…every time I’m near them, I have to stop & study to see if they’re better than the ones I’ve already got. So far, I’ve been lucky that the ones I have are nice & sturdy & some of the new ones aren’t quite as well made. But you can’t stop me from shopping for The Kittehs—you can’t, you can’t, you can’t! :dancingtree

      On December 30, 2013 at 11:56 am

  3. Katheen O says:

    I received the Garth Brooks DVD/CD Collection, a GC, a goodie bag filled with chocolates and skin care products.. I know a weird combo.. And a Tea Light Holder that is a winter scene.. Nice gifts..

    On December 30, 2013 at 11:45 am

    • Heidi says:

      Very nice, Kathleen! I really like Garth Brooks, but haven’t heard any of the his new songs. Would I like them?

      Mmm, chocolate… :candycane

      On December 30, 2013 at 11:58 am

      • Katheen O says:

        This a compilation of his hits and songs he did by other people from his Tour in Las Vegas. It was a boxed set sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. It is really great..

        On December 30, 2013 at 12:02 pm

  4. Rachel J Stevens says:

    Glad you had a nice Christmas!

    My favourite prezzie came from my Mom last year. We have an ahem, cough, cough, difficult relationship, much of it stemming from me being Wiccan. I asked for a broom like hers- a really nice straw one- I got it. Complete with a tag that said To:Witchy From:Bitchy. I taped over it so it’s permanently there. 😀

    On December 30, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    • Heidi says:

      Ha ha ha! That’s fabulous. A peace offering of sorts. Question, tho: If she has a problem with you being Wiccan, why’s she got a broom? :winkcookie

      Kinda sounds like MMD & me, actually. Once when I was a teen, we were having a screaming match & she called me a bitch. To which I retorted, “I learned from the best!” :rasssp

      On December 30, 2013 at 1:15 pm

  5. Heidi says:

    Oh, pooh! I forgot to mention one more lovely Xmas gift I received—for the first (& last, apparently) time all year, The Kittehs actually let me sleep thru the night Christmas Eve. :lightman

    I was so shocked that when I realized no one had woken me all night long, I sat straight up in bed, certain something was wrong. I was petrified, actually, that Elder Kitty might have died during the night. :whaaat But when I checked, everybody was just fine; they really had simply gifted me with a single night of uninterrupted snoozing. :merrychristmasbabe

    On December 30, 2013 at 1:13 pm

  6. Cindy Rushford says:

    :clink Christmas was very quiet here . Ken and I spent the day tog. both of us not feeling well. I heard from one of my sons by phone and one by text long story . I did get an unexpected gift which made my Christmas special. Becke Martin Davis sent me a Godiva Teddy bear with a bar of Godiva Choc. It was the unexpected kindness that made it so special . I was very touched by her kindness.
    My son who texted me sent me a DvD of a GH event that was taped on my birthday this last year. GH is my all time favorite soap so it was nice .
    That was my Christmas this year may next year be healthy. 🙂 :dancingsanta Wishing you all a very very Happy and Healthy , Prosperous New year. God’s Blessings.

    Hugs cindy

    On December 30, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    • Heidi says:

      Sorry you didn’t feel well for Xmas, Cindy, but quiet holidays are nice, too. In fact, they’re my fave. :winkcookie And it sounds like you got some nice surprises that made the day special. :reindeerlights

      On December 30, 2013 at 9:17 pm

  7. Dee says:

    Glad everyone had a great Christmas!

    Well, my holidays started early as one of my bosses gave gifts at Hanukkah (I work for a non profit which is funding by the UJA Federation) and I got a bottle of wine. With our HR team, we do Secret Santa (my HR boss is very laid back) and I got Grumpy Cat items (mug, calendar and book) plus a Barnes and Noble gift card. I also got a Bath and Body Works gift card and a Starbucks gift card from other coworkers. I also got DVDs – one was a Hallmark movie I absolutely adored, and also Season 1 of Revolution. I also got moscato wine, a cat calendar, shoes, boots, a sweater, a tote bag, Amazon gift card, wallet, and a pedicure set.

    On December 30, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    • Heidi says:

      Oh, Grumpy Cat! Mistress Heidi & The Kittehs love him. :chimneyman

      Sounds like you got lots of nice stuff & had a great holiday—congrats! :chimneyman

      On December 30, 2013 at 9:16 pm

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