By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Sometimes the best holiday gifts are not fancy cars or diamond earrings. It seems most people enjoy giving and receiving gifts that have a true meaning behind them. Whether it's a simple homemade gift or something to show how much one is appreciated throughout the year, not just one day a year.
This week, we asked people what the best gift they have ever received or given was. The answers were very heart felt.
For Brooke Anderson, it's not about tearing open wrapping paper or piling up on gift cards.
"The best gift I could ever receive is just being with my family. I don't think there is anything better," she said.
Amanda Adkins said her best gift was her two guardian angels.
"My mom died when I was 7 and when I was 16, my brother got me a guardian angel with golden wings. There was a message on one of the wings that said it was from my mom and my brother. My brother told me that instead of one guardian angel, my mom, I now have two. That really meant a lot to me," Adkins explained.
Ashley Burke's grandmother recently found out she has breast cancer. To keep her spirits high, Burke wanted to give her something that would cheer her up.
"I bought her a small crystal angel. She has it hanging from her rearview mirror in her car. She told me that every time she looks at it, it reminds her of me. That's one of the best things I have done and it makes me feel good knowing how much I care about her and how much she cares about me," Burke said.
Janice Carpenter said she would never forget the Christmas her son surprised her after being overseas for two years.
"It was so hard not being able to see him for that long. We were always so close and never went a day without seeing each other," she said.
A few weeks before Christmas, Carpenter talked to her son, Jake, on the phone and he said he would not be coming home for another year.
"I cried for three days after that. A year? That was so long," she said.
But just one week after her conversation, Carpenter had a surprise.
"I returned home after a day of shopping with my mother. My husband and daughter were sitting on the couch and my daughter had the biggest smile on her face. It seemed weird because they were just sitting there in silence, no tv, no nothing," she continued.
"That's when I heard his voice from the kitchen. His first words weren't hey mom, or I'm home, it was 'you still take a long time to shop mom.' I dropped everything and gave him the biggest hug. That's the best gift I could have ever asked for."
Chantelle Brousseau said she has her husband to thank for the gift he surprised her with this year.
"We are leaving in 11 days to go to Disney World. I am so excited and who wouldn't be? It's the happiest place on earth," she said.
Brousseau is a fan of Mini Mouse, but was upset with the fact that she is one inch too tall to be the famous mouse.
"You have to be 5-foot or smaller. I'm 5-1. If I was 5-foot and wasn't teaching, I would be Mini Mouse," she said.
Justin Cooper said his favorite gift was his Yamaha dirt bike.
"I've always liked them (dirt bikes)," he said.
For Chad Wiemuth, his favorite gift was one his dad gave him when he was younger.
"I always wanted a bike and my dad got me one when I was little," he said.
Tory Jackson said her best gift was her daughter after going through a rough pregnancy.
"I had a lot of problems and at one point they weren't even sure if I would carry the baby full term. But I had faith and one day after Christmas she arrived, as healthy as can be," she said.