Friday, December 19, 2014

What's the Best Holiday Surprise You Ever Received? (Contest with Special Prize)

There have been several giveaways in the last month of the year here on Perfume Shrine, but this one is a bit different. Our sponsor, Tijon Fragrance Lab & Boutique and the lovely Jovan Van Drielle have a very special gift for a lucky reader: a gorgeous handbag in the shape of a classic perfume bottle; with a leather braided chain and beautiful black lacquer finish (depicted below).



All you have to do to enter is tell us WHAT IS THE BEST HOLIDAY SURPRISE YOU EVER RECEIVED in the comments below and you're eligible (anyone already having posted can add a story sharing their best surprise). Draw is open internationally till 24th December midnight and winner will be announced on Christmas Day, on the 25th. Best of luck to all!

And ms.Santa Claus (Jovan) even generously suggested she might have several runner prizes for the second best stories, as it is the season of giving, after all. So keep them coming please!!

32 comments:

  1. Anonymous18:56

    Beautiful gift and perfume related!!

    MariaA

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  2. that would make a great gift for my favorite girl!

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  3. Very unique! Thank you for the chance of winning it.

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  4. Cool idea! I hope this open to Danes...

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  5. VeniH09:13

    Beautiful handbag! And it´s my birthday today... :-)

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  6. Eva H.09:49

    So cool. If this is open for international readers, I'd like to be entered. Thanks!

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  7. Everyone already having posted, we decided with Jovan to have stories going on in the comments, reflecting the BEST holiday surprise you EVER received. If you want to share them and re-post a comment, that'd be absolutely great.
    For the rest of the comments I'm looking forward to reading your stories!!

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  8. I used to help an older lady do 'Art in the Park' when I was in college. During the event she would sell her beautiful handwoven scarves and shawls. When the weather got colder and the season ended she thanked me for my help, told me I was lovely and gave me a beautiful soft yellow shawl and a bright red scarf. I was touched, I still have them.

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  9. Carla Meiners13:36

    I don't know the best gift I ever received, but the best gift I ever gave was the first horse we gave our two kids. It involved a series of clues and a trip out to the stables where the horse was waiting with a big red bow on his stall. There were many horses to follow, but that was the most magical and memorable Christmas gift! Thanks for the drawing!

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  10. It was a special birthday; my husband made a surprise party for me and flew my parents up from Florida. I had no idea; he kept them hidden and when I saw them at the party I was overwhelmed with joy...and love for my husband who knew just what the perfect gift would be.

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  11. I still think the best Christmas gift each year is the wonderful time I get to spend with my family and the happiness it brings to all of us.
    Plus, we all really love exchanging gifts so it's an added bonus.
    That's what I remember of my Christmases, happiness and smiles. :)

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  12. The BEST holiday surprise I EVER received was a wonderful party planned by my husband. All my family and friends were there including a dear sister I had not seen for 30 years! The holiday was not Christmas, but my birthday (which I always consider to be a sort of holiday). I like to be the one who organizes (controls?) and was totally blown away that my dear husband was able to put this wonderful event together without my knowledge.

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  13. you are changing the rules mid stream?

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  14. Once I got a letter from Santa Claus saying that my husband told him I dont believe in Christmas. It was very romantic!

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  15. My best holiday gift/surprise was Christmas and New Year's in Paris. FAbulous trip!

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  16. Anonymous19:25

    Rob,

    more or less, yes. This is my fault, as Jovan had suggested we post stories from the start but I had several last minute emergencies and posted in a hurry. You're totally free to post again, more than once actually. :-)
    There's plenty of time for everyone till the 24th!

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  17. Above comment posted as anonymous, for some odd Blogger reason, but comes from the administrator.

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  18. Okay, mind that I'm still nose-deep in major depressive disorder, as they call depression nowadays, and that I haven't been much of Christmas lover anyway.

    The two following stories may explain why. Both happened last year.

    So, I go see my doc, pass by a jeweller's, see a wonderful antique necklace, go all grabby hands. I didn't have all the cash at hand so I asked my father if he could possibly give me the thing for Giftmas and, well, cover the bill. He agreed. I took my own money, bought said necklace, handed it over along with the receipt, cough cough. I need to admit that I don't have to wrap the gifts myself, father messes it up his own way. I never got the money.

    I also got a guitar. Not that I wouldn't mind one, it was just extremely unexpected. I just stared silently because OMGWTFBBQ. Mom got offended that I didn't show enough happiness.

    Yes, my parents have a pronounced jerk streak.

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  19. Adding that Jovan promised runner up prize(s) so keep the stories coming, please!

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  20. dineenclair06:46

    When I was pregnant with my first child my husband and his students left a beautiful rocking chair with a big red bow at our front door, rang the bell and ran and hid!
    I loved it!
    And the bag...genius Jovan!

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  21. Dineenclair06:57

    When I was living in GE I always wanted to suprize my parents for Christmas by hiding me, husband and our kids in a refrigerator box and ringing their doorbell.
    That idea was in 1981!
    Anyway, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!

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  22. I would like to participate on this contest but unfortunately so far I have not received any especially surprising X-mass gift. Yes, they were mostly beautiful but not that surprising. Very Merry X-mass to all!

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  23. Nathan07:48

    Thanks for all the prize draws, they are very generous.
    My holiday surprise: when I was 10 I got a beautiful bicycle for Christmas which was a big surprise because we couldn't afford such things. But my dad had been making it in his spare time from old parts, which he then painted by hand. It was amazing but a bit too big for me so he attached blocks of wood to the pedals so me feet could reach them! My dad was, and still is, a really cool guy, and that present was a great surprise.

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  24. Best Christmas surprises. On going surprises coming from Venice Italy every Christmas when I waited patiently to see if I would get the Italian marzipan shaped like fruit and vegetables in a Christmas package. If i close my eyes I can still smell the aroma. Memories!

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  25. Laura07:05

    A white Christmas is always the BEST Christmas surprise for me. That will not be happening this year but I can always hope for next.

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  26. My best Christmas surprise was when I was six and I got the Crissy doll that I had been wanting so very much. My mother had told me that I should not expect it at the store, so I really did not think I would get it. If you don't remember the Crissy doll, she was the one from the 70s that could have long or short hair.
    I ended up carrying her around everywhere and had many tea parties with her. She also would get perfumed with whatever inexpensive perfume my aunt would give me--because I felt then (as I do now) that everything is better with perfume!

    Thank you for all the lovely contests.

    Have a lovely holiday season.

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  27. My best Christmas surprise was when I was six years old and desperately wanted a Crissy doll. She was the doll whose hair could grow or shorten through a mechanical button in her abdomen and a dial on her back. :)

    She and I ended up having many tea parties together. Her arm skin got discolored from being in the sun so much, and she even got a bit of a tan. She also got perfumed frequently as I experimented with all the lovely scents my dear aunt would give me. These perfumes were simple fragrances in beautiful faux cut glass bottles.

    Even as a six year old girl I believed that everything is better with perfume!

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  28. My best Christmas surprise was when I was six years old and desperately wanted a Crissy doll. She was the doll whose hair could grow or shorten through a mechanical button in her abdomen and a dial on her back. :)

    She and I ended up having many tea parties together. Her arm skin got discolored from being in the sun so much, and she even got a bit of a tan. She also got perfumed frequently as I experimented with all the lovely scents my dear aunt would give me. These perfumes were simple fragrances in beautiful faux cut glass bottles.

    Even as a six year old girl I believed that everything is better with perfume!

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  29. My best Christmas surprise was during a very uncertain time of my life when I was young and pregnant and had left everything I had to be in a safer place and some friends invited me to their Christmas dinner knowing that I didn't have a real home of my own set up yet. I thought it was just a nice gesture, an afterthought to invite me, but when people started passing out gifts I was totally surprised that their were many gifts for me, for my baby that was on the way. The kindness makes me tear up even now when I think of it. The generosity of my friends is amazing and the way they made me feel included is something I will never forget.

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  30. Phoenix02:29

    The best holiday gift I ever received was a plane ticket that allowed me to finally visit my family overseas who I had not seen in years. The look on their faces when we met again was an emotionally stirring moment. No matter what I get in the future, that will be the most unforgettable gift that I ever got and will hold one of the most memorable and cherished parts of my life. Merry Christmas to all.

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  31. Draw is now closed and winners are announced on Home page.
    Anyone winning runner up prize who hasn't emailed me yet, please do so. ~Happy new year!

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