PaperStreet Holiday Memories: Our Favorite Gifts
By Nancy Rapp on December 5, 2023 in PaperStreet
The holiday season puts everyone in a festive mood, and a highlight of the season is giving and receiving gifts. Our PaperStreet Team took a trip down memory lane and recalled our favorite gifts over the years. We hope you enjoy reading our memories and that it encourages you to take a moment and recall your own childhood joy.
Happy Holidays!
Our Memories
The best gift I ever received at the holidays was the original Super Nintendo. I had no idea what video games were like at the time – aside from the arcade games at Chuck E. Cheese or Pizza Hut. I quickly learned to love all of the Super Mario games and played for hours with my father. When MarioKart came along, I even played the games with my grandparents! – Nancy, Client Relations Manager
The best gift I received was a swing set / slide / monkey bars / gym. This is the old school style that was all silver steel / aluminum ones. It burned your butt in the summer on the slide. The swing could break chains if too many kids were on. It would cause injuries if you were not careful. It was awesome! Somehow my parents completely installed it without me knowing and I awoke to find it on Christmas morning ready to go. – Pete, Founder & CEO
The best holiday gift I’ve ever received was a Louis Vuitton handbag that I got from my parents while I was in high school. I’ve always loved handbags, even as a kid, but I never cared about whose name was on it. To get something on that level as a teen was unimaginable…but I was a good kid, so I guess I deserved it, huh? And 36 years later, I still have that bag, and it looks fabulous! – Adrienne, Monthly Content Manager
The best and most expensive gift I’ve ever received was my son. Originally, his birth was slated for the New Year, yet he decided to show up early. He was born on Christmas Day at 6pm. It’s double gifts on Christmas day: mornings are all dedicated to Santa and Christmas celebrations and dinner (his choice) and all birthday celebrations begin around the time he was born. It was always was one of my favorite days of the year and now it will always be the best day ever – Alex, Internet Marketing Director
The best gift I received was my first bike. I was only about 5 years old, so it wasn’t anything too special but ever since then, I’ve been hooked. There were no training wheels, so I had quite a few falls, but I always thought that was part of the fun. Thanks to that first bike, I’ve been passionate about mountain biking ever since. – Caleb, SEO Associate
The best and most expensive gift I received was a car. Yes, it was used, but who cares?! I was a senior in high school, and I had just passed my road test and received my license. Not only that, I also just landed myself on the Honor Roll! So, my wonderful parents went out and bought me a car as a special gift. You couldn’t tell me anything – I thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. A 17 year old with a nice and shiny new car riding into the school parking lot (I was one of the first to have a car)- epic! – Nedjy, SEO Content Associate
The best gift I ever received was a Playstation 1. This was beyond epic to get back in 1995. I would say gifts that got me the most excited during the holidays were video game systems in the 1990s for Christmas or Birthdays. I don’t think anything could beat that as an adult. Unless, of course, anyone wants to surprise me with a new gaming PC. – Andrew Olesko, Web Director
I had just started a job in college that was a big deal. I wasn’t sure I would be successful – experiencing a case of “imposter syndrome.” A few weeks later at Christmas, my Aunt gifted me a pen with a special engraving. It was the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. It meant so much to me, and it still sits on my bookshelf to this day. – Allison, Legal Content Director
The first exciting gift memory that comes to mind is the Alice in Wonderland dress I got when I was a little girl. We were staying in the Contemporary Hotel at Disney and I remember begging for this particular dress in the gift shop. My parents said it was too expensive – as is everything in Disney – and we walked away. I continued to beg for it and, whether I eventually broke them down or they were planning on surprising me, I got the dress after the trip as a present! I was so thankful since I wasn’t expecting it that I wore that dress as much as humanly possible. Looking back, I think that piece of Alice in Wonderland represented the day-dreamer in me and my love for all things creative. – Elyssa, Creative Director
The best gift I have received is that my family members and loved ones are happy & healthy. This is something that I used to take for granted as a child. Growing up has taught me that good health is not always a given and that you really need to be grateful for each day that you are alive, healthy and surrounded by loved ones that care about you. -David, SEO Manager
The most memorable gift I received was years ago when I really wanted a particular hat. I let my partner so and they promised to get it for me but when it was getting close to Christmas, they let me know they weren’t able to find it anywhere. I shrugged it off and didn’t think anything of it, they always do something great each year. When Christmas finally came around and I opened my gift from them it ended up being the hat! They were laughing so hard while I was catching up with what happened XD – Robert, Junior Developer
Since my brother moved, he always managed to drive down to make it for the holidays. But one year, a few days before he was to make his trip, someone hit his parked car, making it unsafe for him to drive down. Having never celebrated without him, our family was very upset that he wouldn’t be able to join us, but tried to keep our spirits up. Much to our surprise, on Christmas Eve, my brother managed to secure a quick repair on his car and drive down to visit us, just in time for Christmas! The best gift for us was having our family unit complete. – Jen, Designer
I have always gotten more joy from giving presents during the holidays than receiving. It is such a great feeling to see the smile on a loved one’s face because of something I did. My favorite gift I have ever given was a hand painted scene of a shark underwater in a coral reef. Shopping can be difficult and time consuming, and in my opinion, will never have the same sentimental value as something created by hand. It also helps that the whole process is very fun! – Clinton, Link Building Associate
The best gift I ever received was my first pair of rollerblades! My mom told me, “I did not know you knew how to skate.” To her surprise, I had no idea how to skate in them but knew I would learn. I ran outside that day to practice and did indeed learn. – Lakeita, SEO Content Associate
The best I have received was a Lego castle set when I was about 4-5 years old. It was wrapped in my room after we were finished eating / opening gifts, and I was totally surprised when I opened it. I used the thing for years. – Kyle, Technical Director
The best gift I ever received was a real leather jacket. I was probably 15 or 16 and I had seen one at the mall that I really wanted. Obviously I was told that it was too expensive and that I couldn’t have it. I was probably a snotty brat that Christmas and made my parents really mad…so I almost didn’t receive it. My dad brought it downstairs after all the presents had been opened and I bawled my eyes out. I still have that jacket in my closet now. I don’t wear it as often in Florida but I made great use out of it in MD. – Kat, PPC Associate
While no particular gift stands out, my favorite gift is watching my kids’ expressions and reactions on Christmas morning – the true magic of Christmas. This, to me, is my most cherished and beloved gift that I will carry with me forever. They bring joy to opening gifts, small to large – the giggles, the smiles, and lasting memories.—I treasure the gift of giving them the joy they feel that day and the gift they give me of experiencing it. – Autumn, Content Manager
