Back when I was about 15, I was invited to a Christmas Eve gathering by a friend of the family, who had a young kid, maybe 7 or 8, and I had a gift picked out for everyone but him. I spent a long time combing through gifts at the mall but I really didn’t know all that much about him. I settled on one of those 3D wooden puzzles, a roadster.

Come Christmas Eve, and I’m anxiously awaiting people opening my gifts hoping I’d chosen well. The kid gets to my gift and turns to his parents and says “Wow, you got it after all!” They were dumbfounded. Turns out he’d been asking for that exact kit but they had passed it up. I felt like a million bucks that night.

My sister got me a weighted blanket a few years ago. I love it and use it every night.

Best given was a laser distance measurement tool I got for my dad who works in construction. He uses it all the time and has for years.

I got a Commodore 64 in 1985. I know that’s not going to help anyone this year, but I can’t think of a gift any other year that had me more excited. My kids are getting a switch and I hope they’re as excited as I was.

Best I’ve given would be a Chromecast - it was $30 and my sister uses it daily, years later. I can’t think of a better return on dollar spent gift for usefulness.

Ooh! I’m totally looking into that laser thingy for my own dad! I’ve been trying to figure out what to get him.

In 1988, my wife cut her knee-length hair to pay for a chain for my heirloom pocket watch. I sold the pocket watch and bought some expensive ivory combs for her long hair. It was a disappointing Christmas until we realized the Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer’s table.