Archerfire Decants - Christmas Presents!

[Archerfire]

In appreciation of B&B and all it's wonderful members who have contributed to my success as a vendor, Archerfire Decants is giving away five Christmas presents!

I've been thinking about and preparing this since before Thanksgiving and now I even have the perfect place to post it! Kudos to the mods for providing this spot. I hope everyone enjoys this!

This will CLOSE on Dec. 24th at 11:59 pm CST.

Who Can Enter?
Anyone and everyone who is a member of B&B, of course!

How Do You Enter?
Simply post a memorable Christmas experience. It doesn't have to be long. Keep it as simple as you wish. If you've already posted something elsewhere, post here too!

Will it help you win? Nah, I'm not going to try to judge who had the 'best Christmas experience'. How is that possible?! I just think it would be cool and uplifting for me and other members to read! A wee bit of effort for some (what I think is) cool juice isn't too much to ask... I hope. C'mon, share with us!

How Do You Win?
I'll be using a random number generator utilizing your thread post. Winners will be selected and notified on Christmas Day. I'm not going to tell you what you won. It IS a Christmas present, after all! You'll just have to open it and find out when you get it!

The Presents!

Present #1
Amouage Dia - 2ml decant
Amouage Silver - 2ml decant
Brioni - 4ml decant
Montale Taj - 2ml decant

Present #2
Creed Green Valley - 2ml decant
Creed Orange Spice - 4ml decant
Creed Original Santal - 4ml decant

Present #3
Maitre Parfum et Gantier Eau Des Iles - 4ml decant
MPG Pour la Jeune Homme - 4ml decant
MPG Racine - 2ml decant

Present #4
Penhaligon's Endymion - 2ml decant
Pen's Racquets - 4ml decant
Pen's Sartorial - 4ml decant

Present #5
Vintage Guerlain Vetiver - 4ml decant
Vintage and Discontinued Knize Twenty EDC - 4ml decant. Yeah.. that's right... Knize TWENTY!
Polo travel spray w/ box - approx. 20ml of a 30ml bottle
Grey Flannel w/ box - approx. 45ml of a 60ml bottle

[maxzoran]

Very nice PIF! Thanks for the opportunity!

One of my most favorite Christmas experiences is when my wife and I went to visit family in Ashland, WI. We all bundled up wearing Santa hats and went for a horse-drawn sleigh ride. All seven of us piled into the sleigh and off we went. Everything was going fine until the sleigh went over a hidden ditch. Bam! The yoke broke. No one was injured, but we had to wait for the driver to go back to the barn, load up some parts, and come back and fix it. So, it turned into a big snow angel making, snowball fight marathon out in the woods. It was so much fun and a memory I will never forget!

[KarlMaldensNose]

Yeah, great PIF! Nice to reminisce about some good ol' times. Here's a different one for ya...

When I was 11 years-old or so, at my grandparents' annual Christmas Eve family gathering, I decided I'd brave one of my grandpa's famous jarred vodka-brandy plums. No more than one minute after fighting the flaming fruit down my throat, I puked that badboy right back up. I was sick for the next three days. The next Christmas at the party, I tried a raw oyster, which was followed by a few more days of retching and misery. Foolish child that I was, at the party the very next year, I got my Anthony Boudain on and stood up to a ghastly cracker topped with jellied moose nose. Yup, back to the toilet for a couple more days.

My grandparents are no longer with us, but I like to honour their memory every year at Christmas by bringing an odd and daring food contribution to whatever culinary scene I happen to be toasting my eggnog at. Christmas just isn't the same unless I'm spending it in the company of some cold, hard porcelain.

Happy Holidays!

[Geordon]

My most memorable Christmas morning was when I was maybe 8. My brothers and I (4 and 3 at that time) tore down the stairs to see what Santa had left. When we got to the living room, there was practically no room to walk because the floor was covered two feet high with wrapped boxes, to what seemed like 10 feet from the base of the tree.

I dont remember what we got, lo those many years ago, but I remember the scene upon which I gazed with wide-eyed amazement.

[rickboone1]

Great offer, archerfire!

[dmachine]

Back when I was in first grade and still believed in Santa, I hatched a plan to meet the jolly old elf. After my parents went upstairs to sleep, I created a hiding spot in living room where the Christmas tree was in between the sofa and the wall. There I was determined to stay awake through the night and catch Santa in the act. Needless to say, I soon fell asleep and when I awoke early the next morning, there were the presents under the tree. I don't remember what I got, but it remains one of my favorite memories of Christmas.

[JeffJ]

My daughter walked for the first time on Christmas eve. We were at a cabin in Lake Tahoe with family from the east coast. A cousin two months older showed her the way.

[vitaman]

Thank you for the opportunity.

I remember when I was six yrs old. I got up Christmas morning and looked down stairs to see a minibike standing next to the tree. I ran back up a jumped into bed in hopes of waking up from my dream to go back down stairs to find a minibike next to the tree. I went back down and...........it was there!!

[xXClockwork]

Very nice PIF!

It is hard to pick a particular Christmas that stands out in my mind. My family (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) all get together on Christmas morning to have breakfast. We then proceed to the living room to open gifts. We open them one at a time, going in order from youngest to oldest. When i say one at a time, i mean 1 person opens 1 present, then on to the next. Then it comes back around. It usually takes 6 or 7 hours to complete, with a light dinner in between the last hour or two. It can be a bit tiring, but it is really cool to get to spend time with family, chatting and appreciating the gifts that we are getting. I enjoy the Christmas' with my family very much. They live in Cincinnati, and I live in Fort Worth. My mother, stepfather, sister, wife and I will be taking the trip up this year. it will be my wife's first time visiting. Very exciting!

Anyway, thanks again for the generous offer.

[TheVez2]

Thanks for the Generous PIF.

It has been quite some timesince I've been home with the whole extended family at Christmas. We did the same thing every year at Christmas and I miss that routine. I would always open my stocking first. Then after my parents woke up we'd eat a light breakfast and open the rest of our presents. After that we'd pack up and head to Grandma's house. There I was met by my Aunts, Uncles and my 12 Cousins. We had a big brunch there, and then had another gift exchange. Afte that some of them would leave to go to their third christmas with the other side of the family, but about half of us stayed and we'd play games, and run around for the rest of the day. Good times.

[Hammertime1]

Saweet that is awesome of you to do and thank you. When one of the neighbors whose annual tradition is for Santa to have breakfast at their house. One of them dressing as Santa, started the tradition of afterwards Santa comes to our house for a few minutes. The look on my kids face is priceless.

[Hidesuru]

Excellent PIF, thanks.

My memories of Christmas as a child aren't generally too specific, but more about the general routine that we followed most years. My brother and I would wake up early (as kids are wont to do) and find our stockings outside our doors. That was our parents' "peace offering" I think to let them sleep in a bit after wrapping all the presents the night before. We'd each go through and see what we got, then get together and show each other. Usually start snacking on some sort of candy or another.

Down at the end of the hallway was usually a trunk or something else. Not something we couldn't get over if we really wanted to of course, but just a 'gentle reminder' that the living room was off limits until my parents got up (which always seemed to take FOREVER! ). They'd get up and make breakfast while we sat and eagerly watched the pile of presents, smaller some years than others but always there. Finally we'd get down to the important part as far as we were concerned. One person would put on the santa hat and retrieve presents for everyone until all the gifts were open. Christmas was always a fun time for the family to spend together. Haven't been able to spend too many Christmases together in recent years, but I'm moving to the same town in AZ where my folks live between this Christmas and new years, so I'm hoping for some good ones in the future. Now to convince my brother to come up for the holidays.

I do remember one specific Christmas where we got together at a rented house with extended family. There was this plastic model of a 'working' engine that I really wanted. I believe it was powered by an electric motor or something like that. That was going to be my big gift that year, but my parents left it at home by mistake. Well apparently my dad drove all the way back home (several hours each way) just to get it so that I could open it on Christmas day. Sadly, while I did build most of it, I lost a few pieces along the way and never finished it. Ahh the regrets of life.

[Ray Guy]

Nice PIF
My most memorable Christmas was in 1964 when I was 14, I found a Garlatti Italian road bike and a J-4 Slim under the tree. I still ride that bike and still shave with that slim.

[p.m.a.]

What a great opportunity! Thanks very much, Archerfire!
Here's my Charlie Brown story: A few years ago I had been unemployed for some time and, come Christmas, we had very little money. We were able to scrounge some presents for my son, but could not afford a tree to put them under. I went out to the woods near our home and chose a nice sized pine branch. We put on it our lights, a few decorations and topped it with a little star. I was so proud of our "tree" and it really didn't look half bad. We were certainly grateful for the little things, and especially for the most important things that year, like family and health.
Good luck to everyone, and have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

[obaid]

well there is one particular memory regarding christmas. there is a church right next to my house.i remember i was around 8-9 yrs and had heard a lot about santa,and was pretty much excited.So i hung up my socks and grabbed a chair ,and sat at the window.it was midnight,and the vigil for santa started.I could see the people coming for the mass,but i just use to glance at them ,and again start staring at the night sky,hoping to catch the bearded man.Well time passed slowly and i could see the people coming out of the church since the mass ended,but again i dare not at them for more then a sec,i had my eyes and heart waiting for a very important visitor .My neck started paining,since i was staring at the sky in that same posture for so long,but `noway i would let even that pain stop me from the all important task at hand.Then i started get impatient,everyone in my house was fast asleep with me the only person awake,cuddled up in the blanket ,staring at the sky for almost close to 3hrs now. Well then i just lost my patience,got bit angry with santa taking so long.It was as if he had missed my house in the delivery schedule and that only got me more irritated.Went and woke my mother,she was surprised that i was awake so late and she consoled me that dont worry maybe santa must be late or busy,so i should just go to sleep and surely next morning my gift should be there.Well i had no choice and went to bed,sad and disheartened woke up next morning and the first thing that came in my mind was santa,rushed to check if any gift was there.And i saw a brand new toygun that i had been wanting for such a long time,kept near my study table .All the pain,misery of the night's vigil vanished and all i could think was that santa atleast came,yea he was late but still he made it. hope i never bored you guys with this ,but this memory has been so special for me all these years

please dont consider me as a entry,since if i win (i know i wont ) ,shipping etc will be problem.just wanted to share my experience

[global_dev]

Ah... memories of my first Christmas that i can recall... it was so quiet around, streets were dead silent, nothing truly was stirring.. not even a person walking a dog down my parents street like usual... it was too quiet. where was everyone? almost nothing was open but the movies and a chinese food takeout, none of my friends were around, they were all busy... what freaking boring day, if you don't celebrate X-mas. i sent out celebratory Kwanzaa cards, after i got back from living in Nairobi for a while, i got were chuckles and smiles which truly were enough for spirit.

over the years later i would come to celebrate with some friends family, but christmas for a non-christmas celebrating person... not so excitinga as a kid.. everyone is getting presents but you.. thanks for the reminder!! as if i don't get it enough every year and this year my 6 year old pointed out how early christmas decorations started..

ahhh, the sadness of growing up Rasta

[FonGu]

Great PIF! I've had two most memorable Christmas moments. It was the time each of my children were just old enough to a able to sit and enjoy what was going on around them at Christmas. I still can remember them as laughing little babies wearing footie pajamas, ripping open paper, getting tape and bows stuck in their hair, etc. These were moments of pure bliss for my wife and me.

[kroberts]

From the time I was about 7 or 8 until I was 17 or so, every year on Christmas Eve, my mother would allow us to open one gift. My younger brothers and I would go absolutely nutters waiting until 7pm or so when my mother would do us this huge blessing.

Sadly we didn't realize until our teen/pre-teen years how simply devious my mother was...because every year, every single year, our "early" gifts would be a sweatshirt/sweatpants set. In fact, in our teens year we began to notice her forked tail switching back in forth in delight as she began to ask us when we would like to open our "early" gifts.

My brothers and I still talk about this yearly Christmas Eve event to this day, and every time we do so around my mother, she cackles like the very face of evil itself...knowing in some small way she has tainted our pure and innocent souls forever.

I know there is a contest for telling these stories, but honestly it feels good to finally get this horrible memory off my chest and hopefully find some small bit of empathy from my fellow shavers.

[N2theBreech]

Thanks for the PIF.

I have a lot of Christmases to sort through. I think one of the most memorable happened when our children were 7 and 5. We never pushed them to believe in Santa, but we didn't spoil their fun either. We just didn't want them to wonder if we were fooling them about anything else. At this time, they were beginning to suspect that Santa might be just a myth for the holidays.

That Christmas morning, after the festivities were over, they went out in the yard and found... a ribbon... with sleigh bells on it! In our yard! You know where those bells must have come from—Santa's sleigh, of course! They came racing back into the house, eyes all sparkly, cheeks flushed, bouncing in all directions at once! Their words were tumbling so fast, and over top one another, that it took us a few minutes to sort out what happened. And Santa was very real for at least another year!

[Snargle]

Nice contest! Thanks for the opportunity to participate.

My most vivid Christmas memory was a Christmas Eve when I was 6 or 7 years old. I had gone to bed, but a couple of hours later, I quietly got up to get a drink of water. I looked into the living room and saw my Dad arranging "Santa's presents" under the tree. He tried to cover up by telling me that Santa was running late due to bad weather at the North Pole and had contacted parents and asked them to help him out. He never was able to explain how the presents managed to got here but Santa was stuck! It was about that time that I got some serious doubts about things like Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. I managed to "fake it" for another couple of years...mostly because I thought if I let my parents know that I was on to the scam, the presents would stop coming!