With the Holiday season fast approaching, everyone is thinking about friends, family and giving thanks to the ones they love.  I was recently thinking about the best gift that I’ve given or received and I realized I was lucky enough to have both happen to me at once.

I was raised to appreciate great music, with one band emphasized in particular – The Eagles.  My father is a brilliant man, and there is no doubt that The Eagles are by far his favorite band, so therefore they’re also mine.

Years back, we were on vacation in Massachusetts, I remember standing out on the balcony, gazing at the mountains feeling a sense of peace.  My father was playing “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh and I looked at him and said that one day, we’d see The Eagles in concert.  His reply?  “When hell freezes over”.

The Eagles have always been a West Coast band, so my Dad just never got the chance to see them before they broke up.  There was a trend starting in the 90′s though, and bands were reuniting, bringing Classic Rock to the forefront once again.

Years after my Dad and I had that conversation, The Eagles were one of those bands.  They came together and created a fantastic new CD, still available online and in stores like Target.  Unfortunately, my father wasn’t feeling well so was in the hospital for a little while.

One day, when I was working my very first job at the cookie place in the mall, my then boyfriend Casey came for a visit (he loved free cookies).  I knew he and I had plans to see Pink Floyd, so when he showed up and handed me an envelope with tickets, I naturally assumed that’s what they were.

Opening the envelope to check out our seats, I saw they weren’t the tickets I expected.  Inside, there were two tickets to the recently announced Eagles Reunion Tour created to promote their CD.  I looked at him, looked back down in the envelope and fainted.  Passed right out.  Hit my head, in fact.

The best part about that gift was that there were two tickets inside.  One for me and one for my father.  Casey knew how much this would mean to us, and he wanted it to be something we enjoyed together.  I immediately went  to my father, who was still a bit out of it in the hospital and told him the news.  His reply? “When hell freezes over.”

Straight up until the day of the concert, he refused to believe it could be true.  It was being held at an amusement park and at one point on the Giant Ferris wheel, shortly before the concert was supposed to begin, he was convinced the wheel would come undone and crush the stage.

It wasn’t until the band actually started to play that it seemed to set in that we were there. The name of that tour?  “Hell Freezes Over”! It was glorious.  It was perfection.  During “Desperado”, I stood on the chair behind my daddy with my arms around his neck and we cried.  Of all the gifts I have ever been given, it was so nice to give to my father and enjoy it with him in return.

At the end of the show, Dad and I went running out into the crowd.  Spotting Casey waiting outside, both my dad and I about jumped into his arms in thanks.

Target and I are curious to hear about what’s the best gift is  that you’ve given or received?.   All who answer the question on the Happy Holiday Help on DivineCaroline will be entered for a chance to win a $500 Target Gift Card!

I, of course, will be reading your comments on DivineCaroline’s website to hear your stories, but I’d also like to give my wonderful readers the opportunity to win a $50 gift card from Target right here on my site!  To enter to win, leave a comment on this post telling me about what you give thanks for this Holiday season.  For more chances to enter and win, leave one comment for each action taken from the entry options below.  Each comment left counts as one entry and the winner will be chosen from a random comment left using Random.org.  Contest ends Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 9:30 PM EST.  Winner will be notified on this site and by email within 48 hours. For a full complete of rules, read this. Good luck!

Here Are Some Ways To Enter!

• Leave a comment on this post telling me about what you give thanks for this Holiday season.
• Blog about this wonderful contest, linking to this post (http://bit.ly/4517rj) and leave the link to your post in a comment on my site.
• Blog about the Happy Holiday Help question on DivineCaroline to give your readers the chance to win a $500 Target Gift Card, using THIS LINK (http://bit.ly/1V8TTK) and then leave a comment here with your link to your blog post.
• Tweet about my giveaway ((http://bit.ly/4517rj) on this site and let me know in a separate comment on this post.
• Tweet about the Happy Holiday Help question on DivineCaroline to give your readers the chance to win a $500 Target Gift Card, using THIS LINK (http://bit.ly/1V8TTK) and then leave a comment here.
• Post a Facebook update about my giveaway (http://bit.ly/4517rj) and let me know in a separate comment on this post.
• Tweet about the Happy Holiday Help question on DivineCaroline to give your readers the chance to win a $500 Target Gift Card, using THIS LINK (http://bit.ly/1V8TTK) and then leave a comment here to let me know you did.
• Subscribe to Momspective via Email or RSS (get an entry for each if left in two comments)
• Add or update your blogroll or button to reflect Momspective.com (if you haven’t changed it from CoolMomGuide.com yet, it’s been a while though lol)
• Follow @Momspective on Twitter!

I’ve added the shortened URL’s to the links I’d like you to refer to in your posts to make it a little easier on everyone, those are the URL’s I’ve linked to in each entry chance to win.  These are just ways for you to enter, they are by no means mandatory, I’m just giving everyone every extra chance to win!  Good luck!

This post is sponsored by Target. For lots of fun festive stuff – including a gift finder gizmo and the chance to win a $500 Target gift card – check out Happy Holiday Help on DivineCaroline.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED