Unusual Gifts

My Mother-In-Law gave me a brick for my birthday this year.   I was also given quite a bit of dog and cat food for my birthday. 

Now let me explain why these very unusual gifts were a good thing and made me happy.  I asked for donations to the local no-kill shelter for my birthday instead of gifts for me.   This was the first year, ever, that we’ve done any kind of event for my birthday, but thirty seemed to merit doing something.  I wanted something low-key, and I wanted to do something “grown-up”, so we went with a small cookout and asked for donations in lieu of gifts. 

I wasn’t sure how friends and family would respond to this.  Would they think I was serious?  Would they participate?  I was overwhelmed by their generosity in giving to a cause that means so much to me.  They donated over 40 pounds of pet food/treats, a food dish, and nearly $200.00.  The brick was part of a donation made in my honor to the building fund; it included choosing something to engrave on the brick, which will be incorporated into the building.

So my birthday gifts this year were very unusual, but they meant so much to me.  And how many people can start off with “my Mother-In-Law gave me a brick for my birthday this year”?    

Of course in writing this I started thinking about some of the other unusual (but great) gifts I have received and here are some that came to mind:

Squeaky dog toys – these were from a co-worker for last year’s Secret Santa.  My dog LOVES squeaky toys, and I LOVE my dog, so they were great.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking and a Dutch Oven – these may not seem that unusual, but they were from my husband on our first anniversary.   This usually leads to gasps of horror, but I really wanted them, and now whenever I use them I think of our first anniversary.

A self defense key chain spiky thing – How’s that for a technical name?  My dad gave me this (with orders to carry it around) just before I started driving, along with lessons in how to use it.  Unusual, yes, but it was just my dad’s way of trying to keep me safe.  That’s a pretty amazing gift if you think about it.

I’d love to hear about your unusual gifts in the comments.