Now that the sign shop has taken over the garage and the dining room table it is time for another giveaway.
Who wants their choice of any sign from the shop?
Too bad. Because it isn't for you.
I want you to think of somebody.
Somebody who isn't on your normal Christmas list.
Somebody who deserves a treat.
Or, even somebody who doesn't deserve one. I find those are the kind of people who most need one.
Think hard. I want it to be from your heart. It is my hope that one of my silly signs could brighten somebody's day in an unexpected way.
You don't have to tell me who it is.
Just promise that if you win you will give it away to the person in your mind.
Just leave a comment telling me the best unexpected gift (from any time of the year) you have ever received.
I will choose a winner and share mine on Monday.
The day after my husband and I moved into our first house our neighbor (an older woman with grown children) brought over the nicest gift. It was a gift bag full of things like lightbulbs, papertowel, and other little things that are nice to have when you first move. She also included a couple of candy bars for me and my husband. So unexpected and so sweet!
ReplyDeleteI have a particularly challenging church member. I'd like to do something nice for her. I know she's going through a tough time.
ReplyDeleteGosh...we have really had some very unexpected gifts from two different people right after we moved into our house. One was a couple who we just met in the last year and they took pics of our house while it was being built and also gave me a rooster w/sunflowers in it. Then another couple gave us $400.00 as a housewarming gift. We were in shock! We have only known this couple for little over 6 months. He came into my office (law office) and wanted us to do a corporation for him fo his business. His business was a trucking company so I was telling him he ought to contact my hubby who is a route supervisor for a company who uses outside haulers and he did after a few months. This man was older man and got pretty close to my hubby. So when we were just about to move in he gave us an envelope and said we probably could use this and wish he could do more. So after he left we were just in awe over this. How generous he was. Really both couples were. Ok didn't mean to tell you a book. But my husband does the same for others all the time and as he says to me...Life is all about doing for others and not so much yourself. When you think of others good will come to you which is true.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago my husband unexpectedly lost his job. Money was SO tight and I was SO worried about giving my kids Christmas. One night we arrived home and sitting on our doorstep was a bag full of gifts for my boys. Each one was signed "from Santa". I still have no idea who the gifts were from.
ReplyDeleteDon't enter me in this one since I won the last one! I just wanted to say that this is a great idea!!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
What a sweet idea!!!! I love your signs, they are so darn CUTE! The most unxpected gift I ever got was my SON! :) He was a total surprise, but the best thing EVER obviously!!! Although, not a Christmas gift hehe, but still the most precious ever!! :) xo!
ReplyDeleteThe best unexpected gift I recieved was Chloe. At 18 I was told that I would be infertile. I still remained on birth control pills, but one day, I felt odd. Took a test and I was pregnant!
ReplyDeleteWould my hubby's injured ankle count as an unexpected gift? Not for him, but certainly for me (and the kids!) He's not able to work as much or be up and around, so he's on the couch with the kids, watching movies and reading to them. Love it!! (Shh... don't tell him I feel this way!) :)
ReplyDeleteWe got a huge basket for Thanksgiving from our church when we really needed food b/c we were going through a rough time. It was such a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI promise to give it away!
ReplyDeleteRecently our neighbors gave us their toddler carseat that their children had grown out of. We were blown away! It's in perfect condition and worth a couple hundred bucks! It was so unexpected and so helpful to us.
Well, it isn't actually here yet, but I got a random message the other day from an online friend who lives overseas and she is just sending me something that made me think of her! How sweet is THAT?!
ReplyDeleteI guess my second child was my most unexpected gift. I didn't find out I was pregnant until almost my second trimester. I took several pregnancy tests that all came out negative and yet I was pregnant the whole time. He is such a blessing. It took so much longer to get pregnant with my first child that we were definitely not expecting it to happen so soon with the second. Our kids are only 16 months apart. If I will I think I will give the gift to someone who is in need of a little pick me up and it just so happens she is moving and what a great way to welcome her to her new home.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got married my mom went through things in her house and gave them to me for my new home. Things that I loved. I didn't have much and it made my home REALLY feel like home. I'd give it to her.
ReplyDeleteMy husband tried to surprise me with a night away for our anniversary this year. We have been married almost 6 years and have spent only two nights away from our kids. This will be our third time. He tried to keep it a secret but I found out early and I am so excited. It is so unexpected because, like I said we never have had nights away. Now I am counting down the days til we get to go.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!!!
ReplyDeleteOk, my fave would be my great-grandmother's hope chest for my 18th birthday. My grandparents found it wasting away in my aunt's garage and re-finished it for me. They even put a plaque inside with her name and the dates that she used it. I was so suprised! It's still one of my favorite things!
My best unexpected gift has to be, without a doubt, a plunger! After a really horrible week at work I walked into my office the following Monday to find a plunger (decorated with tons of shiny little ribbons) sitting on my desk. There was also a note, from my oh-so-sweet supervisor, letting me know that no matter how much crap came my way, she would be there to help me plunge through! I kept that plunger sitting on my desk as a reminder of the value of friendships, the importance of support, and the unexpected beauty of challenges (and plungers)... just thinking about it makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteThe best unexpected gift I've ever been given is that I was chosen to be Godmother to my fiancee's nephew Ryan. It was such an awesome surprise and it was such a kind way of letting me know I was part of the family. Love your etsy shop re-make. It all looks great - AND I have my Thanksgiving sign from last year displayed proudly on my front door. I will put a pic up soon!
ReplyDeleteLast year we had an anonymous gift received of $5000. For two years prior it was an anonymous gift of $500! Last year I almost hit the floor when I heard that someone had dropped of a certified check to the church office for us. We were on the leadership team of our church.
ReplyDeleteI love all your ideas. The signs are very cute. My favorite unexpected gift was from my mom. After my son was born she came over and cleaned my house and wiped everything down. You know how you feel when you bring an infant home it better be clean. She also brought a warm dinner and all the things that we would need to make a few more dinners in the next week. I was so grateful that we could just focus on the baby.
ReplyDeleteA few days before our wedding, my husband took my engagement ring to be "cleaned". During our rehearsal dinner he pulled a little box out of his pocket. It was the most beautiful necklace with what I thought was a matching stone to my ring. Only to find out during the ceremony the next day he had replaced my original stone in my ring with something way too big! I can only imagine my face. I did not want my engagement ring replaced so he creatively kept the smaller diamond which I now wear around my neck. This was SO unexpected, and definitely beats the cologne I gave him. :)
ReplyDeleteA wonderful idea, Julie. I'm in.
ReplyDeleteThe unexpected gift wasn't a tangible object, but a kind gesture. A few years ago, I was having dinner with someone right around the holidays. When we asked for our check after finishing our meal, we were told it had been payed for by someone already and that he had tipped generously as well. We were caught off guard and so grateful. Neither of us had a lot of money, and so that person gave us such an unexpected treat for the evening. Not only that, but I think put our hearts and minds into a better place. I have always wished I could thank that person who payed for our dinner that night, and let them know, I remember their kind gesture quite often.
When I was 8 months pregnant, and on bed rest, I received the gift of my Mom!
ReplyDeleteShe flew in from Australia, for one week, to bless me, visit with me, and share the joy (difficult joy) of my pregnancy.
This gift had the added bonus of working both ways, it was a gift to me, but it was also a gift to her.
Actually it blessed, and was a gift to, far more people than I could have imagined, it did my Dad's (still in Australia)and husband's hearts good to know I was being taken care of, and so many people she met here in that short week were blessed to have met her.
The best unexpected gift I have ever recieved was my engagement ring...I know, typical, but not for me. I was conviced that my boyfriend at the time was never going to propose because all the "ring money" he saved up went to purchasing a used car... I was so bummed when I saw him pull up in that Jeep. Then his family took me with them on their summer vacation to PA. Long story short, He got down on one knee on top of the empire state building at 11:20 pm on June 14. He had purchased the ring before purchasing the car. I was tricked, and I loved it. I will alwasy ALWAYS charish that story and I love that I wear a reminder of His love for me on my hand. Awwww...sigh...I feel blessed to have that memory!
ReplyDeleteI am usually not surprised (I am the gift picker-outer in my family) so I was really moved when I received a quilt from my mom for Christmas a couple of years ago. My grandmother quilted, and she made a quilt for each of the grandchildren. Well, I am the youngest, and she had a stroke before she got to mine so I never got my quilt. She passed away when I was 18. My mom found some tops that my grandmother had started on (she had done all of the cutting, just had not pieced it on the backing) and had a family friend finish the quilt. I will cherish it forever!
ReplyDeleteI think the most unexpected gift I have ever received was when I was a child. My dad took my sister and I out to dinner (a rare treat) and ice cream sundaes arrived at our table when we were finished. My dad usually didn't let us have any sugar, so we knew this was a surprise. It turned out it was from a lovely older couple that asked the waitress to tell us we were such well behaved girls they wanted to give us something nice! I know my sister and I won't ever forget that special gift!
ReplyDeleteMy best gift was as a child. I had taken piano lessons for awhile and my grandparents bought me a real piano. I can remember crying and I was only 6 years old! If I win, I'm giving this gift to my pastor's wife. She's had a rough year and through you, I may be able to cheer her up a little. May God bless you today!
ReplyDeleteOK, I would to surprise my niece and her husband since they got married last month.
ReplyDeleteThe best unexpected gift would be the "First Christmas" ornament that I received from one of my patients with the WRONG year listed. I spent my first anniversary with them, had to work. His wife died a few days later, and he was dying of cancer himself, but he made his daughter stop and buy me a Christmas ornament. He gave it to me with the wish,"I hope that you will be as happy as my wife and I have been." I treasure it so much. I feel like he passed a legacy of love and hope to my husband and I. I want my niece and her husband to have that hope for their marriage.
OK, rambling!!!
The most unexpected and nice gift I've ever received was when I was working at my first job out of college and soemone I was working with at another compnay told me I was the nicest person they had ever met. That has stuck with me for 20 years. I should tell people nice things like that. It make my day. My year. Obviously, my 20 years. What a gift. Better thatn any material gift.
ReplyDeleteKim
a dear friend just found out this week that she has cancer in her uterus, bladder and lungs. She is 28 and has a 3 year old and a 4 month old. it has been a tough week, my heart has been heavy and i would love to do something to bless her!
ReplyDeleteps if i don't win that's okay i'll still do something nice for them :)
We moved from Idaho to North Carolina last year. My husband had gone ahead of us to NC and I was in Idaho packing, taking care of the children and getting ready for our 2300 mile journey. I had a yard sale the day before we left, and the last person to show up long after all the "good" stuff had been taken decided to buy the rest of my things. Then she asked, out of the blue, if she could pray for us. There we stood, in our garage, her and me and the kids, holding hands in a circle and she prayed for everything that, unbeknownst to her, had been heavy on my heart. This was the most wonderful gift, unexpected, powerful, and I still believe that day I met a real angel.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a giveaway! I think my best unexpected gift was/is my husband, a gift from God. God truly has plans that we do not even dream of for ourselves. I made a great friend in college and she was gone one weekend. So I was forced to hang out in the dorms which were a bit Closter phobic. So I hung out with my roommate for a change, who I didn’t have much in common with, and she introduced me to a very attractive, intelligent, loving man who later became my husband. My husband healed my broken heart from a past relationship that had me thinking that I would never love again; to me that is the best unexpected gift I have ever received.
ReplyDeleteHeidi Jo the Artist
http://swirlsofcreativity.etsy.com
http://swirlsofcreativity.blogspot.com
My most unexpected gift that I have ever received was a t-shirt quilt of all of my sorority shirts from college. I've always said to pretty much anyone that will listen that being in a sorority changed my life for the better. I had so many shirts from college that I didn't wear but also couldn't bear to get rid of. My husband managed to sneak all of my old shirts out of the house and ship them to his aunt. For my birthday last year, the two of them presented me with the most beautiful quilt made from my beloved shirts. It was so unexpected and thoughtful!
ReplyDelete