Roosters, scooters, frogs, and kittens are on the list of Alamedans’ favorite and not-so-favorite presents.

What’s the best or worst present you have received?

Jessica Delaney: My favorite gift would be the two-wheel scooter that I received when I was 9 or 10. My best friend in the neighborhood received one, too, so together we rode it for hours that day around the neighborhood. What makes the memory even sweeter is the knowing that my friend’s dad and my dad were up for hours the night before putting the scooters together.

Robert Lupo: My best gift ever was when my niece was born in December. Every year I am reminded of what a gift she is to our family and to everyone who knows her.

Tim Smith: One year for Christmas, I got a mug that looked like a rooster. It is a big inside joke in the family, and now every year we re-gift it. Getting the iPhone 5 was by far the best Christmas present I’ve received, which was a wonderful surprise and huge step up from the year of the rooster.

Letticia Ruiz: The best present I ever got was tickets to Cancun from my boyfriend. Staying in a nice hotel, parasailing, swimming with dolphins, and being on the beach in Mexico was way more meaningful than any wrapped gift.

Gabriela Sanchez: The best gift I ever received was a promise ring from my boyfriend. He cleverly hid the ring in Ugg boots that he gave me. The worst present I’ve ever gotten was a gift from my cousin, which was a broken toy piano. Since I was young, she thought I wouldn’t notice.

Alice Lewis: The first best/worst present that comes to mind was a gift from my mother-in-law: cleaning supplies and a gift certificate for a vacuum cleaner. Call me hypersensitive, but it was just after she visited us. Another best/worst was a rubber frog that my husband bought. When you squeezed it, its tongue rolled out. We took turns hiding it in random places. The gag escalated; one day I found 100 tiny plastic frogs in my underwear drawer and a pewter frog light switch plate installed on the bathroom wall. I wish the game had started with diamonds.

Jim Lewis: When I was grieving for a very smart, entertaining, and affectionate cat that had been my companion for 15 years, I thought I couldn’t ever go through that kind of pain for a pet again. A couple of friends surprised me with a kitten. She gave me almost instant relief, and I had her for another 14 years.