Christmas week is finally here!! For today’s post, since it’s a week filled with gifts and family, I thought it would be fun to talk about presents from Christmas past. I know I’m not alone when I say that receiving Christmas presents is pretty fun. There’s just something special about being thought of by someone that you love! Now that Christmas is officially two days away, I thought it would be fun to share some of my most memorable Christmas presents I’ve received throughout the years!
#1 My First Ever Journal
I got struck with the writing bug pretty early in my life, fourth grade to be exact. While everyone hates taking notes and writing, I’ve always enjoyed putting pen to paper. I will never forget opening up a present from my parents on Christmas day, and it was a gorgeous maroon journal (very foreshadowing to my family’s future love of Mississippi State, maroon and white all day everyday). I remember my Mom telling me it was a journal that I could write in about everyday things, and it’s funny reading that first journal entry back because it was so bad and my handwriting was terrible! But hey, I was in elementary school! Ever since that year, I wrote in that journal for the rest of elementary school and all throughout middle school, high school, and a little bit of college. Sure I wasn’t the best at always writing in it, but I always made sure to write about what was going on throughout the year. This journal lasted me 10 years, and I was so sad when I got to that last page in 2017. If it wasn’t for this Christmas present, I probably wouldn’t be here writing on this blog today!
#2 Nellie, the American Girl Doll
Although I was such a tomboy growing up, I loved playing with dolls, specifically American Girl dolls. It was so much fun getting the American Girl Christmas catalogs and going through them, circling everything I wanted from outfits to accessories. My first doll was Samantha, and if you are familiar with her, you’ll know that her best friend’s name was Nellie. I remember I wanted Nellie so badly one year, and my parents definitely knew it too! So Christmas morning came around, and I immediately surveyed all the presents to look for something that resembled the American Girl box. As soon as I spotted it, I grabbed it and was ready to open it as my first present of the day. It was wrapped in my favorite silver snowflake wrapping paper, and I remember that when I opened it my parents were wondering how on earth I knew that that present was Nellie. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy and excited about getting a Christmas present as I was when receiving Nellie!
Writing about Nellie and all the American Girl dolls brings back so many other Christmas memories. One Christmas, my parents surprised me with a bunk bed handmade by my Dad, and sheets and pillows handmade by my Mom for my AG dolls. I also got this beautiful little wedding dress for my doll that was stunning! Also, every Christmas brings a new set of pajamas, and I remember the night before Christmas when we would open one present, I got an AG matching pajama set for my doll and I! Gosh, those dolls bring back so many memories of being in elementary school! I can’t wait to give these dolls to my future daughter. I hope they bring her as much joy as what they brought me!
#3 IPad Mini
As crazy as it sounds nowadays, I was one of the last people in my class to ever get an iPhone when I was in high school, and I didn’t get one till my senior year. It felt like I was really missing out on all the things people were doing, like Instagram and all the popular apps of the time. I can’t really remember if it was in my sophomore year or junior year, but I really really really wanted an iPad mini. And it wasn’t like one day I just thought I wanted one, I had wanted one for a really long time. I thought it would be the way to connect and not feel like I was completely missing out while everyone else had an iPhone. So one Christmas, I think it was the Christmas of 2013, I opened a present that completely shocked me. It was an iPad mini! This present is one of my most memorable because I really couldn’t believe that it was mine. I couldn’t believe my parents splurged on me like that. I remember being so excited to finally have an Instagram account and download Spotify. And not a day goes by that I don’t use this same iPad. As long as it’s functioning, I’m going to be using it as long as possible!
#4 The Wonder Woman Complete Series
When I was really little, one of my favorite shows to watch was Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter on the sci-fi channel. They always played reruns of the classic 70’s show, and ever since then, Wonder Woman has been my all time favorite superhero. I could write an entire post on all of my thoughts on Wonder Woman as a whole and what she means to me, but I think I’ll save that for another day! But all things aside, I grew up watching the show, and it never came on like what it used to and I hadn’t seen it in years. On this Christmas, my parents gifted me with one of the best presents ever. I got the complete Wonder Woman series. All those nostalgic feelings like what people are feeling now when Disney+ came out was exactly how I was feeling at that time. Those episodes that you vaguely remember, but as soon as you start watching it just all comes back to you!
#5 The 1975 Tickets
I love The 1975. Ever since my freshman year of college, they have been a band that I can never get sick of. I can listen to any of their albums over and over again and not get bored. I love them so much that they were my artist of the decade and artist of the year on my Spotify rewind! So when I opened my present from my brother last Christmas, I was in shock. He bought me tickets to actually see my favorite band perform. The concert was months away, right after my college graduation, but I was so excited I couldn’t believe it!! I couldn’t believe he did that for me. When May 18th in Atlanta finally rolled around, it was hard to control my eagerness and excitement. I couldn’t believe that the time was finally here! And let me just tell you. That concert was the best concert I’ve ever been to, and it will forever be one of my favorite Christmas presents from my brother. Even though that was just earlier this year, I’m still in awe that I got to see my favorite band in person, and they exceeded all of my expectations!
There are so many other presents that come to mind when I think of previous Christmases, but these are the top 5 that I think of the most when Christmas time comes back around. I’m so grateful for the people that gave me these presents, and for giving me such great memories to hold onto to this day. Writing this post just brings a smile to my face. It’s not just about the presents themselves, but all the memories attached to them that make them so special for me. And that concludes this post for today! Next time I write, Christmas will be over, but I hope that these next few days apart bring memories that we can all cherish forever! Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you have an AMAZING CHRISTMAS!