Me, I got to wait another week for when we traditionally give
our gifts (although most of us break down and give on both days).
The good thing though is this way shopping is cheaper/faster. :-)
And one tradition quite particular to our family (although I’m
sure others do it secretly too) is that of the self-gift: each person
gets to buy (and wrap and place under the tree) a gift of his own
choosing (usually something small though) so that he gets at
least one thing he likes for sure. Mine is this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4494938.stm

The jacket is sweet.

hhp

Si,
I got the same Kern zip too! My best gift was from my daughter who gave me a T shirt she made with Leporello on it!

My wife spilled the beans early and she is getting me a digital camera for my birthday in a couple of weeks. Now I won’t be the only person at TypeCon without one :-)

ChrisL

Hrant,
Who knew the bible could be that racey :-)

ChrisL

My wife gave me the 1923 ATF Specimen Book & Catalogue! Yes!

I’ve wanted one of these for years, since I became aware of them (thanks to Typophile). At 1,100+ pages, my bedtime reading needs are taken care of for quite some time.

Letters of Credit by Walter Tracy
Anatomy of a Typeface by Alexander Lawson
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
Logo, Font, and Lettering Bible by Leslie Cabarga
Wordplay 2nd Edition by John Langdon

I’ve got a lot of reading to do! Oh and for those wondering I’ve found no errors in my US printed version of Langdon’s second edition release of Wordplay. I did find one page with a few random bold letters, but the reproduction quality of his work is spot on. I did recieve some other small gifts, but it was just good for the family to be together as I had no real material wants this year besides the books!

Vinyl:
Lee Hazlewood: Portrait of an almost lady
Lee Hazlewood: Poet, Fool or Bum
Billie Holiday: Songs for Distingue Lovers
The Stooges: Fun House

Plus, Guided by Voices: The electifying conclusion (actually a very good and long concert film)

Happy Ears

1912 American Specimen Book of Type Styles (ATF) and Barnhart Brothers & Spindler Catalog #9 (c 1905). Evidently, my wife thinks I’ve been VERY good this past year...

I also got a Veer Kern zip up, this camera and a nice green velvet jacket, some cool pajamas, and something that I probably shouldn’t mention here.

—-

jlt : http://www.hewnandhammered.com : rnrmf!

and PS, I totally want one of Hrant’s **** Jesus calendars.

—-

jlt : http://www.hewnandhammered.com : rnrmf!

Josh, I knew you’d like it. The thing is, you need to get a continental -and preferably Teutonic- friend to buy one and send it to you. Apparently some of the models are feared of possibly being considered underaged (consent-wise) in the US (which is -rightly- seen as overly puritanical) so they refuse to mail any over here, just in case. The true god of our age is Liability.

hhp

Veer kern zip up here too. I feel like such a geek for putting it at the top of my list. :)

I didn’t get any type-related stuff, unless you count the Chip Kidd book (which is really great, by the way). I have been doing like Hrant and getting something for myself the last couple years. This year it is an iSight. Not sure exactly what I’m going to use it for yet, but it is a little techie gem. Last year I got a deal on the complete Monty Python DVD set.

I’m turning 50 tomorrow and already know one thing I’m getting. :-)

Hey Mark, my father’s birthday also falls on Dec. 26. As kids, we routinely forgot about it and had to scramble at the last minute to find a card, much less a present.

Are you bitter from a lifetime of combined birthday/Xmas gifts? ;)

I gave myself the gift of seeing the Great Horned Owl for the 7th day in Central Park. You don’t think of Great Horned Owls and Manhattan in the same sentence but he/she is here.

> I’m turning 50 tomorrow

That can’t be right - you look younger than me!!
But of course: Happy Birthday!

hhp

Happy Birthday Mark! Have fun with your camera. :-)