The 10-piece set in the little green box is still Gay's go-to tool whenever a nut needs tightening."It's still in use," he said. "Every time I change the oil in the car, I use it."Gay liked the practicality of the gift so much that he started giving a multitool — with pliers, screwdrivers and other attachments — to all of his relatives graduating from high school."We've got six grandkids and another on the way, so they'll all get a multitool," he said.Seven or eight years ago, Jane Moore of Delaware decided she was tired of asking her husband, Jimmie, to dig out the wobbly and heavy 8-foot wooden ladder for everyday chores.He responded by giving her a 6-foot aluminum ladder one Christmas — delivered with a big red bow.
The ladder turned out to be just the ticket."It's lightweight and easy to handle," said Moore, while acknowledging that not every gift from her husband was such a hit."Years ago, he bought me an electric broom, like a teeny vacuum," she said. "It was a pain in the neck and wasn't very romantic. It's long gone.When Pat and Terry McLaughlin married 46 years ago, Pat's mother gave them an unusual wedding gift: a basket of kitchen items including a small brass hammer with a set of screwdrivers hidden in the handle.Even more unusual was Pat's reaction."I was thrilled because she always had a hammer,HP Vertica adds analytics tool for semi-structur
screwdriver and pair of pliers in her kitchen drawer, and I saw how useful they were," the Westerville resident said.
McLaughlin's new hammer ended up in her kitchen drawer — a quick tool for everyday chores."My family has always used them and knew that they had better put them back where they found them or the wrath of Mom would come down on them," McLaughlin said. "I always think of her when I use them."And when the McLaughlins' own two daughters got married, Pat McLaughlin gave them brass hammers.Keith Johnson of Delaware didn't know what to think when he opened what looked like a trash can lid from his wife during Christmas 2007.It turned out to be the lid of a compost bin, which Tina Johnson had hidden in a shower stall in the basement.Keith set up the composter when the weather warmed, and he has come to love it."Does it work? You bet! During the growing season, I get at least three batches of 'vege-manure,'??" he said.