Great Gifts

I don’t like surprises. They make me nervous, no matter how sweet and well-intentioned the gift. But thinking back, here are a few of my most memorable gifts.

1. A J Peterman black linen dress.
2. To have absolutely nothing else to do on a pre-Christmas snowy afternoon so that I can watch the black and white version of The Bishop’s Wife.
3. The flowers my husband sends on my son’s birthdays. He remembers how much each one of those days is really an internal birthday of my own.
4. The essential oil blend of pure rose, lavender, clary sage and grapefruit, which I mixed into a jar of sea salt and olive oil. I scrubbed this onto my body every morning before my shower, and slowly nursed myself back from a bout of post-partum depression.
5. The “Create your own bottle of wine” gift from my brother. It’s awesome, because we’re making it an a group — him, his wife, his son and wife and us.
6. The Williams Sonoma Gift Card my Dad faithfully gives me every year. No matter what day I use that card, whether it is New Years Eve Day, or a dreary blistery day in March, the minute I pull open the doors of that delicious store of tools, it always feels like Christmas.
7. And of course, my personal shopping excursion with my fashion consultant.