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People Reveal The Best Present They've Ever Received From Someone

Buying gifts for others can be hard.

So we can be forgiving when others' presents aren't quite what we wanted.

Sometimes, though, they get it exactly right and you get a present that you will cherish for the rest of your life.


Reddit user FaceplantStu asked:

"What's the best present you ever received?"

When I was really young, I thought I might want to be a scientist. My grandmother didn't really understand what scientists do and gave me a stethoscope.

Some clinical scientists use stethoscopes but for the most part, not really useful. I pretended to like it and the stethoscope sat in my closet for years.

I'm graduating from med school now and have used the same stethoscope across all these years. It's my good luck charm.

-manlikerealities

A cookbook that my mom made. She handwritten out each recipe of my favorite dishes growing up. The day that I moved out of the house, she gifted this to me.

-HeAintGonnaEmailU

A jar of Nutella.

I had quit a job I was going nowhere in, applying and interviewing like crazy while supporting my then-gf while she was getting through college. I had burned through most of my savings...

I was throwing parties every weekend so I could take the empty beer bottles that friends left at home to the grocery store (there's refundable fees where I live) and buy food with the little amount I would get...

I would barely eat breakfast, then feign interest in dinner so my gf could eat and succeed at school.

One night, we went to the restaurant with my parents and one of their friends, who thought I had lost some weight...

My dad slipped me some money before leaving, and when I called later that week, to borrow some more money for rent, he asked me if I was ok. I told him that things were tight, but that we managed. He told me "I don't want you to sell your guitar..."

I didn't answer.

Parents called back a few days later, saying that they would stop by, since they would be in town. I was in for a surprise.

When I got the door, my mom was standing there with a box filled with groceries...

"Go help your dad, " she said, "there's more..."

They had brought us three big boxes full of food, including homemade meals...

While we were unpacking and putting stuff away, my mom took out a jar of Nutella from one of the boxes.

"Sometimes, all you need is a little bit more than the bare minimum," she said.

My eyes were wet... dad made me promise to never put my health in danger by being proud...

-Bassman1976

A woman I met through work, actually my boss at the time, is one of the most caring and compassionate people I've ever met. Through work we grew a great friendship and to this day, though she isn't my boss anymore, she's my best friend.

Growing up, I've adored the game "The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask". I've always wanted it on N64 but being a kid I only ever owned a PlayStation and played Nintendo consoles at my family friends house.

Well fast forward and me and that particular girl are chatting about my on going mental health issues (I wasn't in a very good place).

She was always a great supporter of mine and would often pep me up about continuing on through my issues. One day, out of nowhere she comes up to me, and hands me something.

It was a game. It was Majora's Mask for the N64!

She knew I loved that game, and she actually loved it too. She herself has a tattoo of majora and loves everything and anything zelda. She gave me her childhood copy.

It was a sign of the relationship we had built, and it was to show me how much I meant to her, and that if I went anywhere, she'd never be the same.

I recently got an N64 to play it and it's one of, if not my most prized possession. I keep her beaten file on it and never plan on deleting it :) it means the world to me!

-Kyle_Truman

The wife and I built a little lake house a few years back. Did it all ourselves. She was a real trooper during the whole project and I was able to teach her a lot about construction.

The Christmas after we got it done, she used all the progress pictures to make a book through that online thing Wal-Mart has. It was a really special present because of all of the commentary she put with the pictures.

There are a lot of inside jokes and happy memories in that little book.

-snazzytaint

When I was about 12, a steamer trunk full of equipment from a professional magician. It'd probably been sealed up since the mid 40s. Beautiful stuff.

-m3Guitarist

My dog. Husband gave him to me for Christmas the year after we got married. He was a couple years old when we had our daughter.

They grew up together and he was absolutely the best dog I could have hoped for. We lost him a couple years back but the wonderful memories will last a lifetime.

-anitabelle

During my high school graduation party, my mother invited a few family friends I hadn't seen in years. One of whom was my deceased father's best friend, who I had taken to calling 'Uncle' when I was really young.

As a present, he gave me one of my father's old drawings of the astronaut from MTV. Something he drew over thirty years ago and I never knew it existed. It was a real shocker for everybody.

-JoyGirl7

When I turned 16, my first boyfriend stiched a pair of pants for me. He used colored thread to stitch a candle, a heart, a sun, the year, and more.

Pretty darn cool embroidery.

When you turned the jeans inside out, He had written love notes all over the inner fabric. Made me melt.

-bkind2ppl

I had major surgery my second year in college. I was hooked up with the nicest suite in the hospital due to my best friend's dad being a major figure there when all I really wanted was him to make sure I had a private room if one was available.

My best friend was at school out of state and sent flowers, making sure that the florist didn't use anything pink (because I hated pink). Someone sent me a basket of my favorite snacks.

My brother's boss, someone I had never met, stopped by with another coworker of his (another stranger) and gave me a plant. All of these were so thoughtful, but the absolute best gift came from the "funny guy" in our group of friends.

He knew that I would not be able to eat real food, so he made me jello.

A two gallon Tupperware tub of jello with a (sanitized by boiling and new) squeaking dog toy in the middle because it "looked too boring" otherwise and he was still trying to make up for accidentally scaring my dog the year before.

The level of thought he put into that blew me away. The dog never got the toy, I kept it and still have it more than 15 years later.

-knowingburns

Gifts don't have to be expensive to touch our hearts.

People Break Down The Times They Had To Sober Up Real Fast

Reddit user Known_Challenge_7150 explained: 'What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?'

Shocked woman covering her mouth
vaitheeswaran Nataraj/Unsplash

When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.

But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.

Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.

It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.

Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:

"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"

These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.

Bleeding Out

"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."

"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."

– DongLaiCha

Tragic News

"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."

– accountnameredacted

Bottom Of The Barrel

"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."

– Crotch-Monster

A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.

Like Father, Like Son

"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."

– psycospaz

Busted

"Flashing blue lights."

– FiddleOfGold

"This sobered me up just thinking about it."

– redmaple_syrup

Losing Sight

"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."

– MissHibernia

Quitting The Bottle

"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."

– omgtater

These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.

Unplanned House Guests

"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."

– Oneinsevenbillion75

Serious Health Warning

"Elevated liver enzymes."

"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."

"So I opted for recovery, instead."

"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."

– Far_Meal8674

The Joyride

"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."

– foxfood9116

The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?

How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.

But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.

Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.

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