So What'd You Get Volume II (with throne picture)

  Not too much has changed in the year since I wrote this post but I believe it still rings true.  At our house Instagram truly meant instantly reliving their friends' Christmas gift exchanges.  I'm a bit of a Grinch as there were no phones out around our tree. And you'll never guess what I got!!     Remember being a kid and running to your friends in the neighborhood the day after Christmas?  All anyone could talk about was what they got.  Of course at the bottom of the list and actually very rarely talked about was the obligatory socks and heaven forbid underwear.

     Boy have times changed.  Between Facebook and Instagram there's no waiting for sharing.  The minute wrapping is ripped off kids are posting pictures of their recently discovered gift.  Of course unlike days of old we all rushed to the tree without stopping by a mirror first to be sure we were "picture posting perfect". Granted we all have those pictures with mussed hair and for us girls NO make-up.  But we didn't care, no one made copies of those family pics anyway, we were creating memories not "PPP" images.  I miss those days.  I enjoyed the cocoon we lived in for the day enjoying our new toys and family.  While we were excited to see what others got it was OK if we didn't know for a day or even until we got together again after Christmas Vacation.  Admittedly it did change when we got to high school and had to call our BFF's or simply our friends as we called them back in the day.  AND we actually waited until an appropriate time.  I would never think of calling Lisa in the morning, that was family and possibly church time.  No it would be late afternoon before the lines back in Bay Shore were heating up.
     I think the other difference was that everyone basically got similar items.  I truly can't remember any of my friends who had parents that went "over-board" on Christmas.  Many families had Christmas Savings Clubs and very few were maxing out credit cards.  Chances were everyone in your immediate neighborhood were very close on the economic scale as well so there wasn't that feeling of the haves and have nots.
    I do have to say in all honesty that I have a better feeling of the true meaning of Christmas today then when I did growing up.  Despite all of the religious wars and the political correctness of saying Merry Christmas I think over all we embrace the true heart of Christmas more openly now.  I know I never heard of anyone making a birthday cake for Jesus back on Long Island.
     So whether you got an iPhone 5 or a fruitcake chances are the world already knows and if you didn't like it you're at the store exchanging it out.  By the way if you got a really tacky sweater hang on to it for next year's Tacky Sweater Party.
     2013 Update:
     Hubby and I didn't do very much for each other as we want/need things around the house. HOWEVER I did find a piece of furniture I've been searching quite a while for.  It will eventually reside in my room but for now is in our converted front room.  As it takes up so much space and is mine we've nicknamed it The Throne. I LOVE IT!!

So tell me what did you get this year?
My lucky friend Tina's hubby is taking her to Paris for New Year's.