“Do I really have to narrow it down to one? My favorite gift from my mom: a handmade scrapbook with ALL my school report cards and pictures from childhood (and yes, as the report cards say, I still talk too much!) Favorite gift from my husband: jewelry! He’s a jeweler. Favorite gift from my kids: cards made in elementary school (words from their hearts).” – Laurie, Fenton

“... was a big shiny red fire truck my grandparents gave me one Christmas when I was about six or seven years old. This fire truck was a big one with a hook and ladder and working hoses. I couldn’t wait for summer to come so I could take it outside to play! It was a really cool gift for a little boy back in the 1960s. I still remember our pretty silver tree with the color wheel and shiny red and green ornaments. Those were the days, my friend!” – Ron, Arnold

“When I was about five or six, I got a Tinkerbell phone for Christmas. I could call Tinkerbell anytime I wanted. That was the best! I still like Tinkerbell!” – Nancy, Sunset Hills

“All my gifts have been great. But my husband really, really surprised me with a new diamond ring after we had been married 23 years. I had actually asked for one, but for our upcoming 25th anniversary, so it was like a surprise party, in one small box.” – Sandy, Fenton

“... was my Easy Bake Oven. I learned young that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So, armed with my mini-mixes, I started developing my skills for creating fabulous desserts. I had daydreams of making a complete dinner for our family of eight, an amazing feat coming from a plastic oven powered by two 60-watt bulbs. Can’t tell you the hours I spent peering through the one-inch, rectangle window watching cakes, cookies and brownies rise. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love the smell of warm chocolate brownies wafting through the house? Needless to say, I never threw my favorite gift away. Forty years later, when I decided my girls were old enough to acquire a taste for cake batter, I dug out the turquoise-colored dream machine. Even though they had received the modernized microwave version of an Easy Bake Oven, it couldn’t hold a candle to the original. My old standby was faster, hotter and still made melt-in-your-mouth cakes.
Some things you just can’t improve upon.” – Jeanne, St. Charles

“... would have to be the year I got my first Nintendo game. I think I played it for two years straight! – Amy, Soulard

“One of my favorite gifts I received for Christmas came the first year we were married. My husband gave me a set of German bridal ornaments. His family is German, and I was not only very touched at the time, but it continues to be a sweet reminder each year as we decorate the tree.” – Brenda, St. Louis

“That’s easy, the 42-inch LCD HDTV I gave myself. It was great, and everyone got to benefit from it.” – Scott, St. Louis

“... was a pair of pink slippers from my dear husband, Bob. It was our first Christmas after we married and I was homesick badly. I could not leave the U.S. to see my family in Toronto at the time because of my fiancée visa. I was feeling down. Bob surprised me with all the Christmas decorations in our living room when I came home one day. A pair of pink slippers was there under the Christmas tree. They warmed my feet and also warmed my heart.” – Angela, Alton

“... was the Talkboy tape recorder from the ‘Home Alone’ movies. I loved those movies and thought it was so cool to make my own mix tapes.” – Eric, Affton

“... was my wedding, which took place over Christmas.” – Rebecca, Wentzville