All the Jeters for Christmas

Christmas can be stressful. You want to find the perfect gift for your loved ones and see their excitement as they unwrap it. It REALLY is the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving.

For years, family members have bought me hobby-related items. My mother has gotten me items she has seen on QVC. Once, she saw a blaster box of the retail version of Upper Deck’s 2008 Yankee Stadium Legacy cards on the home-shopping channel and got it for me. It was a great gift (except I had already bought it for myself at Target and since the memorabilia cards were generic, I didn’t have a need for more than one).

Other people have gotten me random packs of cards from the retail aisle at Target or Wal-Mart, and since I hit up the same places, I can’t complain about that. I love the fact that they went out of their way to think to get something from my hobby.

More recently, the collecting gifts have gotten slightly better. That’s what happens when you share your hobby with your best friends. Marie has gotten me Derek Jeter autograph cards (I know, right?) a couple of times – and none for herself – while the hubby has gotten me a couple of great looking Jeter cards.

That leads me to this year’s Christmas. Santa Claus (also my hubby) was good to me this year. I had two small packages among my gift and felt it could only be baseball cards. And, I was right. I added four new Jeter cards.

I found it interesting he wrapped them by brand.

The Upper Deck package included a 1996 Upper Deck Blue Chips Prospects and a 1998 UD3 The Establishment die-cut.

The Topps package contained two 1997 Stadium Club Instavision cards, one of which was a Members Only parallel.

Sunday Question

Christmas is just a week away and I am kind of excited. I was thinking about past Christmases (is that a word? or is it Christmas'? actually I don't care, no one is paying me to write this), and all the cool toys and things I used to get as a kid and even as a teenager.

So here it is: What was the coolest thing you got for Christmas as a kid? (16 and younger)

There are very few things I remember opening as a kid and being so surprised that I didn't know which way to go first. In my house the gifts for Christmas usually end up being one big gift and a couple of little things. The earliest thing I can remember opening as a kid was a giant refrigerator sized box (I was maybe like 6 years old) and inside was a ginormous Woody Woodpecker stuffed animal. I loved him as a kid. I also got an adult like 10 piece drum set one year, too. That was cool.

All I want for Christmas...

I can't believe Christmas is next week already. This year has gone by so fast that I can hardly believe it. I love this time of year for so many reasons, one being that Elf is on all the time and when it's not I can watch it on DVD.

Here's a clip of Buddy going to New York. Keep an eye out around 7:00 in when he goes into the department store. Hilarious.



Then there is all the yummy food... Perhaps subconsciously I have been working out extra hard the last 2 months so that I can inhale holiday food. I love Christmas cakes, cookies, and all of that good stuff. Ohh and mashed sweet potatoes that I will only share with Sooz on Christmas night.

But my top favorite part of Christmas aside from spending it with family (even if they are crazy sometimes...) is giving presents. I like seeing peoples' faces when they open their presents and are genuinely happy with what I picked out for them.

Since it's Friday and no one wants to be at work, let's have a little fun today. I know most of us don't get cards for Christmas from our families so if you could pick one product to get this year, what would it be? The other question is- If you could pick one thing (anything) to get me and Sooz what would it be?

I'll start it off. I would like a 2003 Heritage Cano RC AU. If I could buy Sooz anything (well, I bought her something it just isn't this) I would get her a 55" Samsung LED 1080p TV. It would be stupendous for watching sports.

What Santa Marie got me for Christmas

I usually have to rely on Marie to get something fun for Christmas.

Last year wasn't as rough as sheets, thankfully.

However, all that really matters is what Marie got me. I did get other cards (hobby boxes I bought so people knew what to get me), but this is pretty much the one I am going to remember from this Christmas.

She got me two Kouzmanoff Ticket to Stardom cards, but that's not as fun as this one either.

Here is the fun:

It's Official...

The holidays have finally sucked the rest of the life, and money right out of me. I have had it. I can't tell you the amount of people in the mall here the past 2 days, especially people with kids whining about needing ridiculous crap that they don't need. I watched one lady buy a kid, no more than maybe 12 a box of Topps Sterling after him saying he would love her forever. Really? Christmas was not even 24 hours ago at the time. $320 hobby box for a pack, for a kid who "Santa" just visited... I wouldn't even buy myself such a thing, much less have the nerve to ask for it. I feel weird asking for something more than $100 max from a relative of any sort.

OK, and while I am on this topic, there is no recession or lack of people interested in this hobby. Yesterday I watched a guy spend well over $1,000 on boxes of cards, mainly baseball and including 4 Sweet Spot boxes, 1 Triple Threads, Tri-Star Signa, Masterpieces, Legends, and some others I am forgetting. Today, another guy bought a bunch of stuff as well. Cards and memorabilia have been flying off the shelves, and yes they have all been on sale, but I hardly consider $400 for an auto'd helmet a steal. It really has been an interesting time to work in this industry, and see what people are actually interesting in and spending not online.

While I do like to waste money on things I know I shouldn't be buying, I could never see myself dropping $320 on a pack when that could pay health insurance or a car payment. A blaster here and there, and the occasional hobby box, sure. Splitting a case with Sooz for eBay, of course- anytime because I am waiting for us to pull a sweet looking Pujols auto (which will be in the pack Sooz opens, of course).

Sorry for the rant, but I thought some people may find that the local retail shops selling cards are not suffering which may be in part to the fact that there are really no local card shops left around here, and partly because it's Christmas-time. The hobby of card collecting is far from being in a recession, but I don't think it is recession proof as we both know from running a store of cards online.

Anyone else see anything interesting in the stores? Or know of any stories? Let me know, I will be with relatives all day tomorrow bored and checking the blog and internet all day from my phone.

What Santa Sooz Brought To Me

Hooray!!! It was another smashing present from Sooz, even though she didn't deliver Pujols himself, it was close enough. She got me a Cardinals Pujols t-shirt, which I will wear almost daily, the 25th Anniversary Edition of 'A Christmas Story', which is pretty much one of 3 favorites, a Spongebob making muscles like I do, and BASEBALL CARDS! Really, what kind of gifts would we be exchanging if there wasn't at least one card somewhere in the mix? Here are the cards I got:

- 2003 Donruss Studio Albert Pujols Big League Challenge GU Jersey



- 2007 Topps Russ Martin All Star Game Stitches GU Jersey



She was also kind enough to bring me some YSL's, a Pujols Die Cut UDx to get me one card away from completing that set, a Pujols SP Authentic- Authentic Achievements, and a few Russ Martin's, and a Cano Stadium Club First Day Issue (which do not exist in Beckett unless they are serial numbered).

Perhaps you will soon read of what Sooz left here with, and whether or not her boyfriend is still speaking to me. Thanks Sooz for all the great stuff, and for spending some time here today.

A Cardboard Christmas

Happy Holidays to everyone, I hope you all had a great day today and got some sort of baseball cards to make the season bright. I am lucky that my family doesn't bother trying to think of other things to buy me and will just buy cards for me. I took a picture of most of my heist, minus some other cards I will reveal later since they were singles and not boxes or packs.



I had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and I got to see Sooz and we exchanged presents as well which was very fun indeed. Everyone is gone, and I am trying to deflate (which isn't going well), and play with cards. I got a bunch of cool presents, but the only thing I will mention other than cards is a new Yankees jacket which I have wanted for a few seasons now.

What I broke this morning after opening presents were the 2 packs of UD SPx that were in my stocking. $14 per pack from DAC, and definitely not worth it. Here is what I got:

Pack 1:

- Travis Hafner


- Josh Beckett Winning Materials 30/99


- Curtis Granderson


Pack 2:

- Mark Teixiera


- Adrian Beltre Winning Materials 103/150


- Ken Griffey Jr. KG77 433/725


I think the price and the cards I got tell you how crappy that was.

Sooz and I broke a box of UD Timeline after dessert, but I will post that break tomorrow. I have a few other tricks to show off as well.

Happy Holidays

I haven't made my baseball card Christmas stop yet. My family apparently doesn't know that I love baseball cards and never gets me them.

However, I know there are great gifts out there that everyone got this year.

Let us know what special present you have gotten. It doesn't have to be baseball cards or anything sports related.

One thing I got this year was a chance to spend time with my family. I know this sounds awfully Hallmark, but while I normally go crazy spending time with my family, this year I got a wake up call, unfortunately at the expense of someone else.

I came up to visit my parents and while hanging out we realized there was a fire nearby. My father and I went to check it out saw a family was losing their house on Christmas Eve.

Most of the time I wish I was rich to buy the coolest cards.

Today, I wish I was rich to help this family out.

So my coolest gift was seeing my neices and nephew having fun yesterday and, for once, my mom not going crazy. Everyone had a great time yesterday.

Later it's on to my second present - hanging out with my best friend, who I don't get to see as often as I would like.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Oh, I also got an iced tea maker from my boyfriend and enough tea to last me a year. I really wanted it.