Mine is kind of odd. My Father died when I was 2, but he gave me a little pink lunchbox with my nickname "Pete" on it and inside was a necklace of rattlers from the six snakes that had bitten him on his fishing trips. Of course, at 2, I knew nothing other than they were "snaketails" and made a cool sound. I learned their story later on. The most surprising gift I got was when my son gave me $5,000 because he hit a big jackpot at the casino.

I remember anything I liked my older arsehole brother would break. I should have broken the cricket bat on his head.

When I was 10, my Dad gave me a huge quilted card with a puppy on it. It read "Just between you and me, you're as nice as can be". I had it until a recent move when it was misplaced.

getting a bike for my 10 year bithday

When I was 16 and transferring to the city with my job, My Mum & sister surprised my with some linen and blankets to take with me. I still have the tablecloth, it has really seen better days but I would never throw it away after 46 years and just looking at it warms my heart.

Hi Timtam (is that choc biscuits)? Yes! my first happy experience, was a gift of a pretty doll with long curly hair. She blinked her eyes as well. I was 6. This gift came from my parents' family friend. I loved this doll very much because I never had one before that?😀

My walking brides doll that Santa bought

A surprise gift from an uncle of a mini xylophone.

I take more pleasure in the messages written in birthday and Christmas cards from my family. I do like getting gifts, but I don’t need anything and prefer my sons spend money on there kids, University and 1starting High school.Edited 30-Oct-24 18:14pm

No such thing. Times were tough. We enjoyed experiences such as camping and fishing. No gifts.

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It was given just because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him should...have everlasting life on earth when Christ returns from heaven soon.

a western fort for my toy soldiers

So many wonderful and some not wonderful memories from people here. I don't recall ever getting a gift not related to a birthday or Christmas unless I bought it for myself.

Only thing I recall was a new car I bought just before Christmas

Anything home made as it comes with love interwind

anything cause it's the thought that count's.

No nothing comes to mind.

One summer when all my siblings had somewhere to go for the summer, and I didn't, my parents bought me a little black and white TV. They were poor, so it meant alot.

My grandmother bought my brother,sister and I a pair of roller skates each. We loved them so much. We wore them all the time,went to the skate rink as often as we could afford where we made life long friendships.

Presents in my younger days were always things like pajamas, singlets, etc. Xmas we might have received a stocking. Never thought much about it but I did notice when my kids came along I made sure they got toys so perhaps in the back of my mind I felt something. My mother was raised in an orphanage so she had no guide to look at.

A perfect peach in a small brown paper bag, was so gorgeous

I probably had lots of memories like this when I was a kid, though it's a bit hard to pull up which one was the best.

nope I did not get any.

A Yoyo so you can do drag the dog ,Michael

My grandfather gave me a girl's bike with back pedal brakes. I loved it well into my twenties and finally it went to the south coast for holidays at our holiday home until one of my cousins crashed it!

A SMILE from a hurting friend

We got minimal Christmas n bday gifts there was no money for just because gifts sadly

When my parents got me a rocking horse for my 5th birthday, so happy. Loved horses, in fact horse made, eventually ended up having my own horses from 12 years old onwards until more recently.

I don't recall having any gift in Christmas 🌲 until my mother brought a beautiful ndoll once .that the first and the last.over sea we celebrate by going to club and give party and invite all our friend.our boyfriend will do gift exchange with us

The gift of life from my parents

A camera recently because hubby said I needed a new one. He knows just how much I love taking photos of birds, the odd kangaroo and our pets. Still getting used to it though but having fun experimenting.

my sister and myself recieved a tall doll that was as tall as us,

I don't really have any memory of ever receiving a 'just because' gift.

My first job earnt enough money to buy my own TV

As a kid my mum's brother, my uncle who was my godfather, was rich and would get me the most advanced expensive toys for the time, the 80s! One year he got me this giant doll named cricket. She came with a cassette player in her back and cassettes of her reading stories plus her lips and eyes moved when she was on.. she creeped me out! I'd have nightmares her eyes were moving when she was turned off!

When i was around 10 i really wanted an aquarium. I had saved $15 and my Dad told me he had found a 4ft aquarium that cost exactly $15...I was so happy!

I was too old when Barbie came out - my younger sister got one, and I thought it was WEIRD!

A plastic white puppy dog toy with rosy cheeks. I still have it

I was ill and at Grandma's, my Dad came over and brought me a book 365 stories..he knew I liked reading and it must have cost him a fair bit. I still have the book.

Having extended family comes over and having holidays dinners with me and getting gifts from my parents in my childhood. To me that were the fondest memories in the good old days.

A postcard from my daughter

My parents

Never got gifts as a kid and refuse to take gifts as an adult. Majority of gifts are just destined for the landfill, I'd rather contribute to the planet than try and end itEdited 31-Oct-24 05:47am

Because we don't celebrate birthday's, Christmas, Easter or any other Pagen festival or ritual all of our gifts are "just because", but my very best just because gift was from my eldest son and it was a dwarf angora rabbit. It was the cutest little demon with red eyes and there was no way I could put it outside in a hutch so it lived inside. It was extremely clean observing the cats and joining them in the litter tray, but she would dig throwing litter everywhere so she had a tray of shredded paper. She got into everything chewing books, shoes, clothing, furniture and anything else she could reach. She fell in love with our Chinchilla cat and did everything with him, litter, bed and eat and of an afternoon they would sleep side by side in the sunshine coming through the study window. She was by far the best gift I have ever been given.

A chemistry set.

My grandfather used to bring me sweets in a little brown bag He put it under my pillow and said Doctor bettle brought it for me

My children and grandchildren give me surprise gifts. Not purchased but found like a beautiful rock or stone while they are out walking, or a piece of tree bark, or a feather. They all mean so much to me. They know how much I love nature.

One day my mother asked me if there was anything of hers that I would like to have before she passed away. At the time, I said, “No Mum, there is nothing I want.” A few months later, I remembered some things that reminded me of childhood. An old can of buttons that I played with, a lady’s shoe ornament that was on the windowsill for years and mum’s beaded rectangular pin cushion that was stuffed with straw. The shoe ornament is on my windowsill, the pin cushion and can of buttons are in my sewing room. Thank you for the fond memories mum! Edited 30-Oct-24 09:28am

When I was 10years old my Dad gave my a horse it wasnt my birthday or christmas but he new that I loved to ride and didnt have a horse of my own it was the best thing ever and I love my horse and riding was so much fun

can't say I have been a respondent of a just-because gift but I am a great believer in the process, just this morning I gave my grandaughter tickets to see Metallica, and last month my wife and I bought a backyard jumpy castle water slide thing for our 2 grandsons, the smile on their face was priceless when they walked out and this massive thing was in their backyard, I bought my mum a grandfather clock from an antique store to remind her of her pop who had not long passed, yes I am an impulse buyer for others I agree because I can go on, but I love giving things that people don't expect

I remember getting my tonsils out and my parents had a little piano for me waiting at home

It was going to the once a year village fair, if we lucky enough and being treated to a gingerbread man and a balloon.

My engagement ring from my second husband. After being on my own for 7 years. Got married, the best thing that ever happened to me. He is a man in a million!

The most cherished gift I have from my childhood is having my mum and dad as parents and 2 brothers and 4 sisters we had so much fun.

One of my aunts took me shopping with her to Bullocks and while we were there, she bought me a little red stuffed dog that I named Bingo. I still have it.

well done timtan

a toque for keeping headv warm

Been really sick and in bed, waking up during the night and seeing my Dad sleeping in a wicker chair with a blanket and pillow.

When I put oot milk and cookies fer Santa and I saw daddy eating cookies

My brother and sisters and me, saved our pocket money and bought a new pipe for our father. He treasured it for many years. (PS. It was a bubble pipe.)

My college roommate just gifted me with a concert experience that I cannot wait to share with her!

I don't remember much as a child. Seems I've blocked most of it out. But, I have a neighbor now that brings me her homemade peanut butter popcorn when she makes it, "just because". She knows I don't celebrate birthdays or holidays, so she just brings it "whenever". It's so Good! But, the greatest gift I've ever received in my life is the knowledge of God, found in His word, the Bible! Now I know why we're here, what will happen soon, and where we will live forever! (Psalm chapter 37) ;-D Edited 30-Oct-24 05:59am

I was chronically sick, been in bed for weeks and my father came home and gave me a banjo, strung like a ukulele. Many years on, it is my fondest memory of him.

My family doesn't believe in giving physical gifts. Have ever I still have a lot of very fond memories of my step-grandmother (I do not have any fond memories of my birth mom, biological father, stepfather, stepmom, stepsiblings, siblings, DNA relatives or non-DNA relatives except one) - when I think of my step-grandmother - she STILL brings a smile to my face and an ache in my heart - EVEN in the year 2024 - she was the only person in-my-so-called-family - HAHA - who ever care about me when I was a kid! My step-grandmother explained to me more than once - lol - YOU DO NOT GET TO PICK YOUR FAMILY, THEREFORE BE VERY PICKY WHEN IT COMES TO PICKING YOUR FRIENDS!Edited 30-Oct-24 08:33am

It's not about receiving presents that matter, as several people have mentioned on here, it's more about being with your family growing up. Those memories are irreplaceable and you can't get them back. They soon go and eventually you lose your parents to natural deaths. Of course, over time, some of those memories disappeared too, but some fortunately remain. Laughter and doing things together is something that was the best gift of all. 😽

I hate Barbie dolls! Always have! Only dumb kids get excited over Barbie's. Haha

Sometimes on cold days in Vic, our mum would tell us to meet her at the front of the primary school at lunchtime. She would bring us little parcel of a potatoe cake, 6 pence of chips and 2 slices of bread buttered. What a treat as a kid LOL When I moved to Qld as an adult, I would phone her, make a short statement and hang up. Things like...Thank you for driving us to tennis Love ya (3 girls, sat morning 3 different courts) OR Thank you for the chip parcels. She would always laugh and say I love you more. I know we would both laugh for the rest of the day even though we were 100s of miles apart. To this day the grand kids and great grand kids still answer 'Love you More' Just like and because she did.

We have had this daily discussion at least once before. Gee some people are stupid! If you have been using rewardia long enough then you should be aware of the old daily discussions we have had. I don't like rehashing old discussions and repeating myself.

lucky you people, you had gifts

Beautiful story Timtam! I never had a Barbie, but I had a friend who parents bought her lots of Barbie's and all the accessories, so I'd play at her house a lot! Not many other fond memories from childhood. Although I had a boyfriend who gifted me a beautiful treasured Pounamu that I still hold sacred and love so much

I was regifted a velvet heart shaped cushion I had given my young son ,,he used to bring it into my bed and sleep some nights . One night he whispered to me you can keep this . A special suprise as he loved all fluffy things in his bed, so I still have it! Edited 30-Oct-24 01:58am

The love and hugs I received as a child from my mom and dad

My fondest memories as a child is when my family and I would go to the beach in the summer on Sundays, when most of the services and stores were closed on that day, so my dad had this day off and could drive us there!

My stepfather was my greatest gift.

When my brother, sister-in-law and their 2 yo son were packing up their house to leave for Canberra, (interstate), Mum was helping them - mainly watching my nephew, (their son), as brother and his missus packed stuff away. My nephew and Mother were in the kitchen, she later told me she thought - at the time - that my nephew was going to start crying, probably as a consequence of all the ins- and outs, and occasional yelling going on, so Mum started singing his favorite songs and soon he was joining in, tears forgotten. They finished the song, and nephew started to, as Mum put it, kind of frantically look about. Having his "Eureka!" moment, he apparently found the searched for object, and dashed over to a near-by cupboard. He grabbed something small, and rather sheepishly crept back to his Granny's side. He then presented her with what he had taken from the cupboard: a small, blue salt- shaker. She laughed at that, and said "thankyou very much" and some other words of encouragement - what a big help he was to his parents, how he was going to have fun on the long, long, long drive to the new home, and he laughed and her daughter-in-law called for her son, and both he and his granny got up to meet her, and passing the cupboard, Mum put the salt shaker back in the cupboard. My nephew was watching her, and he dashed back past her, to the cupboard, and retrieved the said salt-shaker, brought it back to Mum's slightly open handbag, and placed it inside. That was 35 years ago. I found the shaker a few days ago, at Mum and Dad's house, while I was cleaning out the pantry. It was still filled with salt.

NO

A Godfather of my son went to Harrods and brought back "Harrod" the bear...my son wouldn't go anywhere without Harrod when he was little.. that was a major hit... Edited 30-Oct-24 00:24am

That takes me back to age 4 when I was a small lad. A red fox kit wandered into our backyard. He came from a nearby fox hunting club and I named him Teddy. He became my very first pet. What happened to him I never learned until years later when I was given a boxer dog (Pojo) whom I learned to love as much as I had Teddy. Teddy became homesick for his family and- the rest is too painful but someone even today has his tail on their car's antenna and his ears are in someone's bloody collection. A decade ago in this house- many years later- a small red fox kit came to my back door and I gave him some warm milk in a bowl and I dubbed him Teddy Jr. He was wild so I did not try to adopt him but he came eevry day for his warm milk until nature took its course and he went to find his mate and I have not seen him since. Now I have a pet kitty cat named Plummy and I love her very much. She is my sole compoanion and confidante.

My maternal aunt gave me a stuffed rabbit for an Easter present when I was 2 years old. I remember my Mother sewing an outfit which is still on the rabbit. Both my aunt and Mom died young from cancer so it is something that I cherish.

Never happened. There was not enough money for that sort of thing.

My fondest gift is the births of my 3 grandbabies.