What were some of the best presents you received as a kid?

I loved the baby dolls that I received for Christmas.  My two favorites were a Madame Alexander Baby Doll that Mom named Carolyn and a small baby doll that I named Chocolate Anne.  I think I have both of them in storage still.  Chocolate Anne was the last baby doll I received that I played with.  I had another tiny baby Madame Alexander doll (6 inches) that I loved but about 6 weeks after I received her as a gift, Mom had me give her away - always with the promise that she would be replaced.  They never made her again.  The sad part of our gifts is that they didn't want things - they wanted money.  I was not supposed to hear that part of the exchange but my room was next to Mom and Dad's.  I don't think Mom had ever had anything blow up in her face like that before.

The Christmas that I received my first Barbie was pretty incredible.  Thereafter that is pretty much the only doll I ever got again.  Dad thought we should have a doll at Christmas - no matter how old we were. It became kind of a joke after I was married.  My most favorite Barbie ever was one that had wigs and you could change her hair into basically 4 different styles.  I loved that doll and I loved Midge - Barbie's best friend.  Dad had built us a dollhouse when we lived in Texas and Barbie fit in it - just barely.  When we were in Washington DC and things would become too overwhelming - I would go into the basement and rearrange the furniture in the Barbie house and dress the dolls.  I could get lost doing that for hours.

When I had my appendix out, Grandpa George Brugger bought me a magnetic puppet stage.  The figures were about 1 1/2 inches long and it told 4 or 5 stories.  My two favorites were The Emperor's New Clothes and Swan Lake.  The Emperor was done in China.  At first I was a bit put off by that and then fell in love with the exotic and beauty of the pieces.  I had always liked the story so I played with that one a lot.  The Swans were actually ballet pieces.  Dad played me the ballet and told me the story - using the pieces.  I think that is why that one was special.  Mom was so afraid that I would lose the pieces that she would only let me play with it occasionally.  When we moved to Germany - quite a few of my toys did not make it over as well as some of my clothes and this was in that box.  (The Collie's moved the same time we did and they pressed charges.  Turned out one of guys would box things into private boxes and take them home or sell them.  After that Mom and Dad stood and watched the packers pack.)

When I was 16 for a combination birthday/Christmas present, Dad sent me from Korea a beautiful watch and an amethyst ring.  I thought they were the most beautiful gifts I had ever received.  (I don't think Marianne and I received dolls that year - come to think of it.  Marianne might have but I didn't.)  These are the gifts that stand out in my mind.  Marianne and I bought record albums for each other and I get misty eyed listening to that music on Pandora. 

 A funny gift from Grandpa George Brugger is that he bought Marianne and me both negligees.  I tell people that and it kind of creeps them out but he did it because we wanted them and he loved us.  We felt so beautiful in those.  I wore mine until it was shredded.  They were gowns and cover-ups.  One of my friends said all I needed was the tiara and I would have been set!  I am sure I was quite the sight in my beautiful blue gown and huge fuzzy pink slippers!