THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. ‘Tis the season of giving so here’s my best grill giveaway of the year: the Breville Die-Cast Indoor BBQ & Grill! Why is it the best? Because this is Breville’s top-of-the-line grill! It sells for $199.99 at Amazon, but one lucky reader will receive one for FREE. What really sets this one apart from Breville’s panini grills is its ability to expand into a 368 sq. inch indoor barbecue, featuring both ribbed and flat plates for cooking everything from eggs to steak. So you can enjoy grilled foods (including panini!) all year long.
How to enter the giveaway:
What was the most memorable holiday gift you’ve ever given or received? Leave your response in the comments and one lucky winner will be chosen at random (one entry per person please).
Get 5 more chances to win! Twitter about the giveaway and receive 5 additional entries. Just copy-paste the following into Twitter (you can modify it, but at least leave the @PaniniKathy part so I can find you):
RT @PaniniKathy Enter to win a Breville Indoor BBQ & Grill at Panini Happy! http://tinyurl.com/58pluu
Contest ends on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 12:00 PM PST. Apologies to my international readers, we can only ship the prize to U.S. addresses. THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.
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Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
My dad gave me a shotgun when I was 11 for Christmas. Mom was pretty much horrified…
And no, I never shot it.
The most memorable gift I have ever received was a kitten I got when I was 5. She was a little gray tabby with white paws, a pink nose, and a green bow that was even bigger than she was. I named her Tigger because Winnie to Pooh was my obsession at the time. I had Tigger until I was a freshman in college.
The most memorable gift I ever received was a new puppy when I was 6. My dog had been killed the month before.
The most memorable gift I ever received was a Western Flyer Bike when I was 10 or so! What a great day it was!
The most memorable gift I ever gave was a beautiful opal necklace that I gave to my Mom one Christmas. I had been on assignment for work in Australia for about 6 months and bought some nice opals while I was in Australia. When I came back to the US I had a necklace made for myself (boulder opal) and one for my Mom from a black opal. My mom and I were both in tears when I gave her that necklace.
My father gave me a watch when I was 21. It was very simple, nothing fancy. But it fit like a dream and kept great time. Elegant without being flashy. I still wear it. Thanks Dad!
Wow. What a great giveaway!
Hard to choose just one… but it would have to be last year. My mother’s bday coincides w/ Christmas, so for her 70th last year all of us kids showed up on her doorstep as a big surprise (we all had to fly in from far away). The entire extended family had spent the year putting together a scrapbook of favorite memories with my Mother. She was blown away and cried buckets.
I had two memorable Christmases, both giving and receiving, because we all gave each other the same gifts, just different varieties. One year was tools, and another year was jewelry. We didn’t plan with each other, it was pure coincidence, but we laughed at how we thought alike.
Anyway, my toolbox was red and shiny LOL, and filled with basic tools so I could do things around the house.
The year I got my She-Ra castle was pretty epic 😉
A good old friend of mine and I have been having an on-going fun rivalry in the realm of cooking… always trying to please and outdo each other over food. The best gift she gave me one year was at a staff Secret Santa exchange…. she brought in a large baking dish with her infamous lasagna. Best present ever! If I win this, I will make a sandwich that knocks her socks off.
Last year, I bought myself a very special necklace at Tiffany’s: The Tiffany Bean. I’m a dietitian and a cookbook author, so I love wearing something healthy! This year, I received an early holiday gift from a client: The Tiffany bean bracelet!
ummm…. most memorable gift I’ve given, well, my mom calls at least once a week to thank me for the membership to the gym I gave her last year, in hopes that I’ll renew this year. But the best gift I got last year was my enameled cast iron stew pot from the Martha Stewart line at Macy’s. I make the best stews and soups in it. Love to cook!
My most memorable Christmas gift was a few years ago. My husband bought me one carat diamond stud earrings, something I’ve always wanted.
I think my best Christmas present was one that was given to me and my family. My daughter was born on December 22 and that was the greatest gift i could have gotten right in time for Christmas.
The best gift I ever had recieved was from my father. He had a tree cutting business and one year a large tree didn’t fall the correct way and instead of falling away, landed right on him. It broke his leg and some ribs. It also put us on welfare right before the holidays. While on crutches, picking up food from a local church so we would have a holiday dinner, he overheard the pastor talking about a family that was worse off then ours. Without thinking, he whipped out his checkbook and wrote a check from our family savings account (megar though it was) to help that family out . It wasn’t much, but it taught me about kindness and perspective. That was his gift to me.
hi kathy! what an awesome thing to get to get away! 🙂
my most memorable gift i was ever given was a plane ticket so i wouldn’t have to spend another year alone on xmas! 🙂 (i got that gift again this year. tyler is awesome!)
My granddaughter, Kaitlyn, was my best Christmas gift ever. She was born on my birthday so now we share a holiday birthday together. No other presents will ever measure up to her!!!
When I was 10 years old, my parents gave me a gold necklace, which was my first real jewelley 🙂
I still have it!
My boyfriend (now husband) took me to Bed, Bath and Beyond and let me have a shopping spree in the kitchen section. I was and still ma deliriously happy!
Easy bake oven and snoopy snow cone machine in the same year!
When I was very young my parents built me my own pint-size kitchen set – complete with fridge, stove, and sink. Was the best gift until last year when they got me my Kitchen Aid mixer. 🙂
I received two tickets to go on a hot air balloon ride. It was so cool.
The best holiday gift I ever gave was 4 quarts of my special homemade chicken vegetable soup to my haircutter (who was pining for homemade food). He still talks about it 15 years later! He’s very successful and can buy his own soup…it’s just not the same!
My most memorable gift was when my mom gave me the diamond earrings that my dad had given her… equally memorable was when one of them fell out, never to be seen again. Sigh.
The best gift I ever received was a beautiful Canopy bed when I was 8. I didn’t understand why my parents were so tired Christmas morning, Santa and his helper build the bed, right?
first pair of diamond stud earrings from my husband
thanks for a chance to win such a wonderful grill
Have a Wonderful Holiday Season
wintkat
My KitchenAid Mixer. My boyfriend bought it for me for Christmas (I didn’t know then) and then we broke up a few weeks before Christmas and I moved out. He thought I had gone to my parents, so he drove out there, ended up talking to my mom all night to see if there was a chance it would all blow over (it didn’t), and left my Christmas gifts there – the KitchenAid and a large oval crockpot, both of which I still use often. So, not the most heart-warming story, but definitely memorable!
The best gift I received was the birth of my oldest daughter who turns 11 Dec 19th! That is the best gift hands down, nothing compares to the joy and happiness she brings me year round. Christmas was never as special before she was born. I love you baby girl!
Probably my most memorable Christmas gift was last year… My wife & I drove 5 hours to Alabama to get our first pet together, a Maine Coon wenamed Bucky… A year later, he’s nearing 15 PBS and still growing!
When I was 12, my parents got me a new stereo to replace my broken one, and their wrapping job consisted of covering it in a tablecloth and telling me it was our new coffee table.
Have a wonderful holiday!
I’ll try to make a long story short, my most memorable gift: one week before Christmas 5 years ago, we went to hear the Symphony in town and I was mesmerized by the most wonderful sounds of a flute solo and turned to my husband and said “awww, I have always wanted to play the flute…” Christmas morning comes and my husband hands me a present with a beaming smile, a velvet box in which is the shiniest flute I have ever seen….And I started crying, could not hold back the tears? Was that a joke? He said “but you said you’ve always wanted to play the flute”….I looked at him and started crying harder and said “I also say “I’ve always wanted a Jeep!”, so where are the keys?!!!”….I stared at the box and stared at it and finally said “not to mention I am tone deaf!”. He plays music so I know he was trying to help me fulfill my dreams. We traded the flute for a hiking trip to the mountains, just the 2 of us…another one of my dreams!!
Ice skates when I was 10. Unfortunately, my mother caught me snooping and said I wouldn’t be getting them! Damn, I felt so BAD.
Yeah, I got them anyway, but I learned my lesson too!
The most memorable gift was a handmade plaque my daughter made in 5th grade that declared me the #1 dad in the world.Still have it hanging proudly today wouldn’t take a million for it…priceless to me
Kathy, what a great giveaway!! My husband proposed on New Year’s Eve – definitely my favorite holiday memory & gift 🙂
On my 18th birthday my mom got me a kitchen aid. That was the last present that I got from her before she died. Your contest happens to end on my birthday. I hope I win!
Not romantic but last year I got an indoor smoker. I love it. I use it all the time!
The Christmas before I got married my dad gave me a heart necklace to remind me how much he loves me.
Mickey Mouse Watch …..
Best gift ever was my Kyocera ceramic knife from Hubby.
The most memorable gift I ever received was the diamond studs I received for receiving my doctorate.
My husband gave me a Kitchen Aid mixer – I always wanted one. The 16th is my birthday – what a great birthday present if I win!
The best Christmas was when my little brother and I came up with the idea to decorate an empty box for our parents. Inside the box we wrote the word “Love” and told them that the box was full of our love and that was all we could afford. Needless to say, they were speechless and teary-eyed!
I’ll have to go with the Le Creuset pot my husband got me last year. I never in a gazillion years would have spent that much on a cooking pot, but I use it so much and it’s incredible. I’ll have it for a lifetime and absolutely love it.
my now husband had a puppy-dog scamper into the house with an engagement ring around his collar, and proposed!
last year I got a new set of pots and pans. My very first set of GOOD pots and pans. I love them!!!
Best gift I ever got was an empty box with only a note in it from my then 6-year-old. The note read, “Mom…if ever you are sad, open this box. It’s full of love and hugs that will never run out.”
Last year I gave my daughter a photo album of photos from the day she was born to 21. She absolutely loved the trip down memory lane. Also before she went away to university I created a cookbook of all family favourite recipes. I gave it to each member of my family.
My favorite gift ever was the Christmas my sister gave me a huge box full of most of the books in my favorite series from childhood which she had painstakingly sought out from used book stores and on line.
My first Barbie
last year my mom asked that we not spend any money on her gift. She wanted us to perform an act of service then write it down and send her the details.
I met my husband around Christmas. 21 years later and he’s still my favorite gift.
When I was younger like most kids I had a special blanky hand made by my mother. I had it for years and completely wore it out leaving only a small piece that I could hold onto. Many years later when I was 16 the most memorable gift I have ever gotten was from my sister. I carefully opened her gift only to find my blanky fully restored right in front of me. She had found the exact material and remade it for me. Even now that I am 34 years old I still have that gift with me and I still on occasion use it. It is still today one of the best gifts that I have ever received.
My best gift ever was asking for my wife’s hand in marriage on Christmas Eve. 🙂
Hands down – my youngest son.
after much deliberation, i’ve decided that the best gift i’ve ever received is the cast-iron skillet used by my grandma’s mother, my grandma, and my mother. there’s a lot of history (and good cooking) there. 🙂
the most memorable gift i ever gave was to my father a few years back, i bought a snowflake frame from somewhere and found an old picture of him looking ridiculous at our old store, his shirt was showing his belly off and he was making a really weird face, i wish i had it now so i could show it to you and scan it and you can see it and understand, it is the epitome of what my dad is: a goof. oh the memories
It was the birth of our FIRST son…on December 17th..which will be 46 years ago next week!!! He weighed 10 1/2 pounds, and was so active in the hospital, that he come home with the skin rubbed off both his knees!!!
A trip to Hawaii…this year!!
Best gift: Cartier pearls…it was like…wow!
When I was six, my uncles managed to put a shiny, blue bicycle on the roof without my knowledge. A few hours later and after they shared a few beers they were able to convince 6 year old me that Santa had come and left it for me. I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Most memorable gift was a slinky when I was 6. I just LOVED it!!!!
My most memorable Christmas gift was the electric typewriter I received when I was 11 years old. My parents knew me well enough to know I would be awed and delighted to have my own professional writing tool!
a tiffany’s ring from my bf last christmas. 🙂
When I was younger, my most memorable gift was a tootsie roll machine. It that makes whistles from plastic molds that really work. Notice, I used the present tense because 40 years later I still have it and it still works!
My favorite gift was actually a gift my daughter asked for. She kept begging for a brother or sister and I told her she had to ask Santa for it. She asked Santa that year and her sister was born a year later.
The most memorable gift I ever received was a carved wooden bear given to me by a (now ex) boyfriend. It was a complete and total surprise, up until the minute I opened the “Adoption Papers”. Right now, that bear is on the front porch in his Santa hat and big red bow!
My Grandma gave me a Dyson vacuum last year and I have fallen in love with it! I swear it is the best vacuum EVER!! There have been many great gifts over the years but I use that Dyson every day and I will continue to use it for years to come so it gets the gold star. =)
Every year my wife finds some small, cheap, silly toy like mini nerf darts or silly string or the like to give to the kids and me. Really makes the holiday.
My mother-in-law sent me to a writing seminar one year. The gift was seriously incredible (and memorable) because I had NO IDEA she knew me that well!
The best gift I ever got was a huge tea set from My Aunt. My Mom had sent my brother and I to live with my grandparents and at Christmas we were sad because we had not seen or heard from my mom for about six months. Well that year my Aunt who had four of her own kids bought me a huge plastic tea set and the next morning was the first year I ever got a Christmas stocing, it had a small orange, apple, nuts a little candy from my grandparents, it was great, to this day I do stockings and they are the kids favorite as well.
Also almost 13 years ago I had a gift arive a little early and he got here five days before Christmas, my 5th child our son Jacob, he is such a joy to our family and what a nut.
By the way I really really really…did I say really would love to win this!
When I was very little, I wanted an Easy Bake Oven and I was so thrilled when I received it.
My mom wrote me a letter about how much she loved me and how proud she was of me. She then gave me a snowglobe with a mother and daughter to take to college to remember where I came from.
The most memorable gift must be the set of “good dishes” I got from my parents. It was quite a surprize!
My most memorable gift would be a couple years ago when my mom gave me and each of my siblings a bear that was made out of my dads clothing…he has been deceased for about 12 yrs now.
My most memorable gift was a certain black puppy with a big red bow on him back when I was 5.
I don’t have just one memorable gift. I have several and they were all made by my two sons when they were in school. Now, I am getting even more memorable gifts from my grand daughters. These homemade gifts are the best!
The most memorable gift I have ever received came 2 nights ago in the form of an unforgettable proposal and stunning engagement ring from my FIANCE!! 🙂
My most memorable was actually a homemade blanket that I got. Love it!
I think the tickets home to see my family in Seattle from my husband – it wasn’t “their turn” for Christmas this year.
Last year my husband served in the military overseas. He was gone for the majority of the year and was not expected to be home for Christmas. The best Christmas gift I ever received was that he made it home alive and well and in time for the holidays!
wow! what a great giveaway! Thanks for sharing this!
The most memorable gift I ever received was a photograph of my family all together. We don’t get all together often, so having a photograph to remember the day was special.
Last year my brothers and I bought each other T-shirts with logos from our favorite 90’s TV shows. Since we are all in college now in three different cities, it was fun to discuss and laugh over our childhood memories.
My husband (then boyfriend) gave me an acoustic guitar & learning accessories. He plays guitar & I had asked him to teach me since I’d always wanted to learn. I still can’t play, but he tried and it’s still my favorite gift ever.
My most memorable Christmas gift arrived a day late – my daughter Danielle was born Dec. 26th 1985.
a hideous orange & blue plaid trunk – received the year my brothers got skis – what were my parents thinking???
My most memorable gift was when the hubby got me a pair of Emu Boots….just because he picked out something I loved that I didn’t even have to hint about.
The best gift I ever received was a surprise from my husband while he was serving in Iraq. It was a simple heart pendant made with my birthstone in the middle. The opal represented me, and the heart around it was “his heart”.
My most memorable gift is memorable because I thought it was so pitiful and it made me angry. How’s that for holiday spirit?!
When I was 14, I woke to Christmas morning feeling optimistic and then quickly became disappointed.
My gift from my brother was a bottle of shampoo/conditioner from the drugstore put in a shoe box that wasn’t even wrapped!!
I raised a bit of hell and it took a few years, but now my brother’s gifts are very thoughtful and always wrapped nicely.
My most memorable was one I gave – a tiny decorated and lighted Christmas Tree that I sent to our older daughter the first Christmas she had to be away from us. 12 Years later, she still puts it out every year!
A Marklin train set when I was 12 (and my brother was 9) … the best trains ever!
Bikini underwear, each one with a day of the week on the front. I was seven years old and thrilled to finally have bikini underwear like the older girls wore. : )
Probably the best gift is the one I get every year – my mother’s amazing latkes. Best comfort food ever!
Best gift I ever got was $10,000 from my MIL.
My most memorable gift was a toy truck when i was little. I was a tom boy and I was thrilled with it.
The best Christmas present I have received is being able to come home for Christmas – all of my family live on the opposite side of the country and I’m just excited to spend time with them.
When I was 13 I got a dirtbike from my parents. It definitely was the best gift
I’d have to put the little 4 inch AM radio as the most thrilling gift. It was my own little personal radio and I could listen to ANY station “I” wanted to…very cool!
I think my best present was the bike christmas – a little purple one with a white seat and training wheels. I never did learn how to ride it, but seeing it downstairs when I woke up was incredibly exciting 🙂
I am actually giving my most memorable gift this year- my aunt is very sick, so I sat with her for countless hours writing down all of her recipes, and then I made a cookbook dedicated to her, full of family photos, to hand out to all of my family members this year. I can’t wait to give it to everyone. 🙂
(If anyone is interested, I did this with a website called heritagecookbook.com!)
Oops, I just noticed the contest is closed. No matter, everyone should still make a family cookbook anyway!! Happy Holidays!