Share Your Loot - Christmas 2007

- A box of Newports
- Puma Sweats

Cha-Ching!!!

I got:

- Tons of gift cards (Best Buy will be seeing me this weekend)
- 'Blade Runner' briefcase boxed set
- $2500 cash from the in-laws (for my wife and myself)
- A new job starting January with about 15K more a year

I like 2008 already!

Have a great Christmas/Holiday, everyone!

Talk about mixed signals.

Let's See:

- A Nintendo DS with New Super Mario Bros. and Dr. Kawashima
- £60 to get Super Mario Galaxy and Phantom Hourglass
- Memories of Murder on DVD
- The Fountain OST
- Mirrored by Battles
- Through the Looking Glass by Siouxsie and the Banshees
- The Twilight Sad album
- A cool book on Samurai film
- 2 bottles of Irish Whiskey, 3 bottles of single malt scotch
- Too much chocolate

Uncharted PS3
Silent Hill Origins PSP
Army and Navy Waffle and works shirts
Transformers and Super bad DVD's
Turtles
Lingerie, technically not mine, but it was her gift FOR me so... My mom is a wonderful girl.

Most bestest - the Twin Peaks box. I think my wife is more excited about it than I am.

My dad made it pretty clear I wasn't going to be getting a lot of stuff this Christmas, which was cool, and I also got a pass on buying presents for people (aside from a few friends), so that allowed me to spend money on myself.

From my family I got:

--A region free DVD player (which I'm currently figuring out how to convert from NSTC to PAL and back)
--A pair of good shoes, as my last ones had paint on them
--"The Guerrilla Filmmaker's Handbook" and a hundred bucks
--A check for 300 dollars in completion funds for my film

For myself, I got:
--The West Wing Complete Series
--Arcade Fire's Neon Bible
--Okkervil River's The Stage Names
--The Emperor's Children, a book about rich fucks in NYC
--The Kings of New York, a book about high school chess
--Tree of Smoke, about 'Nam
--Then We Came to the End
--A "Don't Be Ellis" mug to replace my beloved "Big Block of Cheese Day" mug that broke a month ago
--A Back to the Future "Say Hi To Your Mom For Me" shirt
--An ongoing Netflix 8 at a time unlimited membership
--A large bottle of Jack Daniels'

I already got a pair of headphones and a cable to link my digital camera to my computer for my birthday, so I didn't ask for anything for Christmas. I ended up getting two of those Woody Allen boxed sets (which included: Annie Hall, Manhattan, Sleeper, Bananas, Interiors, Stardust Memories, Love and Death, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask, Shadows and Fog, September, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Another Woman, and Alice).

Nice.

Altogether I've gotten The Bigs, PGR4 and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for 360; Ocean's Thirteen, Ratatouille, BSG: Razor and Transformers on DVD; some random t-shirts and boxers, which I always welcome; gift cards to Circuit City, Publix and two different movie theaters; $60 cash.

It's a pretty awesome haul I must say.

Noise-canceling headphones (bought for myself)
Sirius Stiletto 10 (bought for myself)
Peter Griffin's Guide to the Holidays
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate & Caramel Squares
Pajamas
Socks
Little fiber optic Xmas tree (from my 6 year old son)

Oh yeah, and a 47" Philips LCD television. That was considered my overall gift for some reason (I told my wife not to get me anything for Xmas, actually).

In addition to getting
- Ringers: Lord of the Fans
- Motown Classics 2 CD set
- To Kill A Mockingbird audiobook
From Thelasi (yay gift exchange!)

I got:
- a bluetooth headset (works with my crackberry and my mac for voip)
- the last 2 seasons of Gilmore Girls
- New Balance shoes
- gift certificate to REI
- AmEx gift card
- a set of new pots and pans (yay! pretty, matching, and they are non-stick!)
and an assortment of weird little knick knacks and christmas ornaments.

This is my last Christmas at home with the family and they did pretty well shopping for me. I'm not picky and I already bought all the big shit I needed before school started (flat screen TV, home theater system). Plus they got me a record player and a laptop around that time too. For parents of four who don't make that much a year, I'm impressed. Plus, how do you top those gifts? That said, they outdid themselves:

- A lot of clothes that I needed. But this is CHUD, so I won't bore you...
- The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
- Our Dumb World by the Onion
- The first season of 30 Rock
- Once
- A vintage Rat Pack poster
- A bunch of tools, a couple saws, a drill, etc. (I recently rediscovered the joy of building shit. So yeah, those help)
- Annual Hallmark ornaments (family tradition)
- A check for $200, which I'll probably use to get a new suit this weekend
- A gym membership (I think my folks are trying to say something too, Dickson)
- Toblerone

The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
Blade Runner 4 disc
4 Cases of my favorite Red wine :-)
Dallas Clark jersey (he plays for the Colts)
3 new pads of drawing paper
new set of prismacolor makers and colored pencils.
and just a bunch of clothes...

My gf is getting an engagement ring

Good luck with that.

thanks! i already know she'll say yes, (she picked out the ring..ha), but still nervous as all hell.

My Christmas included...The Indiana Jones Trilogy, Rocky Saga, A coffee table book on The NFL, 2 Dolphin shirts, and gift cards for which I already ordered Ryuhei Kitamura's Versus Directors cut, Appleseed Ex Machina and Justice League: New Frontier Special Edition.

Weeeeeell then. I think I know who to pop over the river to see about a loan don't I?

I got a laurel and a hardy handshake

But really I did get a Homicide: Season 4 box set from a friend of mine. Had no idea so I definitely plan on returning the favor on his birthday next month.

That's a lot of fuckin MacGyver right there!

Shame he has to get so... Close to you. Servants are quite disgusting creatures, what what?

My brother bought me motherfucking Shrek the Third. I took it to Wal-Mart and exchanged it for Ratatouille.

I got some new yoga tapes, a purple fuzzy robe, Six Feet Under season 1, A book on Elliott Smith full of photos and interviews with people who knew him, some drugs, and a shiny new black acoustic guitar.

It is a fine Christmas, indeed.

Can I take you out for dinner? Like right now?

I don't think it will be that easy to weasel your way into her stash... of drugs, I mean.

Then I'll try harder.

Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box edition, Stanley Kubrick Collection, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, a new mircrowave, lots of new clothes, cologne, and some cash. All in all a pretty good day.

Some highlights:

- The Ultimate Matrix Collection on HD-DVD (sue me, I'm a Matrix apologist)
- Blade Runner on HD-DVD (bought this for myself, thanks me!)
- A sweet grey cordoroy blazer
- Guitar Hero III
- "The Black Dossier" graphic novel
- A couple of Richard Morgan novels

Congrats on the engagement, Venkman!

My wife and I just moved to a house, so that kinda was our present to each other. I deliberately had the builders install an electrical outlet above our kitchen cabinets (not usually a standard thing) that will be the home to her prized Christmas village. From her parents I received 7 pieces of a new Halloween village of my own, which I've now demanded shall remain displayed the other 10 1/2 months of the year.

Oh, and season 1 of Battlestar Galactica, courtesy of Tieman and the Chewer exchange!

Did pretty well:

The Onion's Our Dumb World
Michael Palin's Diaries: The Python Years
Arrested Development Season 2 DVD
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up memoirs
And a shitload of giftcards! Huzzah!

We always say we are going to have a small Christmas and then we go wy overboard for each other.

Some of my stuff:
- Kubrick Collection
- Steve McQueen Collection
- Young Indiana Jones Vol 1
- 3rd Rock from the Sun, First Season (Person who gave it to me liked the series)
- New boxers
- Guinnes Beer Mugs
- Regular Beer Mugs with a six pack of dark beers
- A real Cajun cookbook
- Screenwriting for Dummies (My family's way of saying I need to sell one)
- Ocean's 13
- The last Pirates of the Caribbean
- A Leatherman

Got some other stuff. Coolest present though was something my mom did for me; sort of a combination birthday/anniversary/Christmas present since they are all in December: she got the poster from the first movie I worked on when we came to Louisiana framed. Poster was done by Drew Struzan. You can see it at the IMDB site: http://imdb.com/title/tt0756673/

A very good Christmas as always. Now we are all broke.

Dude, that's sweet!

But, if I am not mistaken, haven't you gotten several new TVs in the last few years (not specifically at Christmas)?

How many rooms in your house have TVs now?

Why is that any of your business, Molarino? How many Dukes of Hazzard collectibles do you own?

You just get used to the interface of your phone. Believe me, I started on the cell phone hate as well. Then my friends got me a pay-as-you-go phone because it was hard to get in touch with me.

Then I moved up to a free Sony Ericsson.

Then I wasted 200 bucks on a black Razr when it first came out. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I got caught up in that shit.

Over the years, you just get really good at it (if you have friends that text you constantly about trivial things). I can even kinda do it on the road while not looking. And I never use shorthand texts like 'lol' and 'i c' and all that crap. My only sin is that I don't capitalize.

My loot was a sweat shirt, new shoes, new pants, Simpsons Uno and 8-ball, and...

EVERY DRAGONBALL COMIC!!!! (in Korean)

A huge nostalgia trip for me as I first read these things in Korean back to back. My mom went to Korea for a wedding and I asked her offhand to look for these comics. Little did I realize that these (even the limited edition reprints) were out of print and that my family pretty much made a country-wide search for these things. 10 years worth of comics in 34 volumes. The only one they couldn't find was volume 33. Oh well. I'm in heaven.

It's Molinaro and I don't collect Dukes memorabilia as much as you'd like to think I do. Most of the stuff I have is left over from childhood.

Way to deflect.

Mom:

• 2 sets of really soft bath towels in a pretty slate color
• A small vacuum for quick cleanups
  Who Moved My Cheese? - an inspirational book for people making work/life changes (I've been thinking lately of changing careers or going to grad school)
• The Princess Bride: 20th Anniversary DVD (already watched the special features and Sony/MGM could've done a lot better job considering this was the 4th time they've released this movie on DVD in about 6 years)
• The Muppet Show: Season 2 DVD box set
• 30 Rock: Season 1 DVD box set
• Some really awesome limited edition "Kermit the Frog" Adidas sneakers (see here)

Sister:

• My sister's a big-time knitter and over the last several years, she has knitted me a couple pairs of homemade socks, a scarf, a BNL "If I Had a $1,000,000" beanie and a fall colors sweater vest, so today I got a sock monkey (from a knit kit) with my initials stitched on the elongated torso
• Lots of different types of foreign chocolate (as she just returned from 6 months in Scotland)
• An "instant" kilt beach towel (see here)

Extended Family:

• Checks from a couple of aunts and uncle on my late father's side

Godfather:

• 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book

Godmother:

• $50 check - actually given as a late birthday gift as she admits to forgetting it every year.
• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language "Word-a-Day" 2008 calendar

Did it come packaged with Richard Dean Anderson... or at least some waterproof matches, some band-aids and a thimble?

Ironic.

thanks all! I'll need it haha

-Tickets home and back!
-The only three Die Hard movies that exist
-The 13th Warrior
-The Usual Suspects
-A potato peeler
-A box of pop tarts

A good year!

Yep, good luck from my end, too!

I would have to concur with the Die Hard comment. Watched #1 the other night while packing... still just as enjoyable every time I watch it.

We didn't have much of a Christmas this year since my parents were away in Scotland for the past two weeks.

However.... I did get a full blown kilt outfit. The socks, fake dagger, kilt, pouch thing, belt & buckle, dress shirt, tie and penchant. It's pretty cool.

And then a Jeff Gordon desktop calender that I really didn't need nor want (oh mom! I'm not 12 anymore!) plus a $30 Best Buy gift card. I guess my brother forgot I worked there and the employee discount is pretty rad.

Either way, I was happy. I didn't really need anything or want anything in particular. And probably for the first time in years my dad and brother only had one fight at the dinner table.

I'd say my favorite gift was spending time with loved ones who are thankfully in good health and good spirits.

Now to the material possessions:

-Undisclosed amount of U.S. currency via check and cash
-Gift cards in various amounts to Best Buy, Fry's, Chili's, and Shell gas stations
-2 Pair of Khaki pants
-2 Long-sleeved shirts
-1 2008 Simpsons calendar
-1 Umbrella
-10 California State Lottery Scratchers
-4 Blank VHS tapes
-1 DVD of THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
-1 4-disc DVD set of BLADE RUNNER
-1 Orange
-1 Framed photo of my niece and nephew's 2007 visit with Santa Clause
-1 Brent Musberger figure from ROCKY II (Awesome!)

Plus, while talking to my Dad it was discovered that he had the book "Nothing Lasts Forever" in hard cover. It's the book that served as the basis for DIE HARD. It was given as a Christmas present from my Mother to my Father back in 1979. It's not mine but I've borrowed it and so far it's a fun read.

My wife got me The Complete Far Side

I'm so happy right now I can hardly contain myself.

I was given the following items:
1) The Complete Works of J.S. Bach (155 CDs).
2) Guinness Pajamas
3) The most recent edition of Days of Heaven
4) An electric blanket.

What I got for others:

1) The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection. (Mom)
2) Live in Dublin, The McCartney Years, and The Simpsons Movie (Dad)
3) Cal t-shirts (brother).
4) Candles (sister-in-law).
5) Stuffed Oski the Bear (youngest niece).
6) Children's book concerning the history and traditions of UC Berkeley (oldest niece).

from father-in-law: Movie Magic Scheduling Software
from mother-in-law: Dining Room table and chairs + an electric skillet

from brother: Resistance: Fall of Men for the PS3 and Dark Tower grraphic novel
from sister: Best Buy gift card
from brother-in-law: Hastings gift card

from wife:
All 10 seasons of South Park
The Godzilla 7 movie collection
Bladerunner 5 Disc Briefcase
Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto
Entourage: Season 3.1
Dexter: Season 1
The Original Christmas Classics DVD Set
A Magellen GPS System for my car

I got my wife a a tool box with new tools (she likes that kind of shit). Her big gift was a new laptop (she has never owned one).

Spider-Man 3 DVD (Target version) - yeah, disappointing movie, but the wife knows I am a geek for Spidey stuff, so...
Target gift card
Borders gift card
Clothes - some pullover shirts, charcoal sweatshirt, new slippers
Money from the folks
and for my Mego collection - a MOC Bend n' Flex Spidey - SCORE!

Kind of a light year for this gent, but it was a nice holiday for the small one.

Maybe I should just implore the Chewers to send PWESENTS.

Pots and pans from the folks. And about four DVDs to replace the ones my kids have loaned out to friends that never returned. I've missed O Brother, Where Art Thou something fierce.

Eldest daughter got me some fruit confectionery candy in a box. The stuff isn't quite as addictive as chocolate wafer cookies (ie: crack), but it's damn good.

Son got me a candle.

Loving wife got me Blade Runner four disc set, and I got her the third season of Lost.

Jacob Singer got me the Criterion Ran and Seven Samourai sets.