Gifts That Changed My Life

[@vlogbrothers]

The world is still on the turtle. -John

[@MKPiatkowski]

I love that turtle island has been made into a physical thing.

[@alliefiscus9222]

Turtles all the way down then?

[@Twosocks42]

Weighted blankets are great! I work in mental health and we use them with,many patients, especially in trying to ease anxiety. I am not at all surprised you took to one so well.

[@Tinderchaff]

I wonder if the world turtle is a distant cousin to the Great A'Tuin?

[@ThousandTimesBefore]

Why do I feel like this is a hint of some kind? xD

[@benjaminazmon]

“It’s ok the world is still on the turtle” is my new favorite way to say things aren’t as bad as they seem

[@vlogbrothers]

The world is still on the turtle! -John

[@Dreamfounder]

It's the new "Everything is fine nothing is ruined"

[@JDog39617]

Everything turned out better than expected

[@oneofmanyjames-es1643]

Likewise! I now have a very confused friend.

[@elzilchoco]

+

[@RockismyAir]

I misread the title as gifs that changed my life and now I wanna see Hank do video about that.

[@ampz1466]

++++ A thousand times yes! If I could I'd give this all my likes for the rest of the week.

[@Has-wx2do]

This needs to be the top comment

[@aviasegel]

+ yesyesyes

[@sobeitalways]

I also thought that and was slightly disappointed it was not about gifs. I need some good gifs in my life.

[@celticgirl389]

++++

[@austinmcconnell]

Has there ever been a more Aunt Name than Agatha?

[@basicallycroft946]

Yoooo Austin McConnell.. i honestly shouldnt be surprised to see you here

[@ilahjarvis]

PG Wodehouse agreed with this sentiment.

[@MetalMarauder]

Becky

[@jordanm7132]

It was auntie Agatha all along

[@mineola_]

John not wanting a branddeal for the weighted blanket is the purest love I have ever seen.

[@szeth14]

The door is still wide open, however, for the Diet Dr. Pepper endorsement

[@beckylang91]

That being said, I’ve been looking for a weighted blanket for years and would love to know which one John loves so much. They’re expensive and I worry about buying one that I hate.

[@barbienewk]

@@beckylang91 I can recommend my blanket! I got a fifteen lbs one two years ago and it's my favorite thing ever. Keep in mind that they recommend no more than 10-15% of your weight for the blanket. www.amazon.com/dp/B075F9ST7G/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apap_2PsRfO7I6xS55

[@WenzelSays]

You can also look on Etsy and get one made by people with disabilities. Start lighter and work your way up. Too heavy makes you feel like you're suffocating

[@annieismakingvideosonyt]

@@beckylang91 I actually happen to have the same one as John! (or at least one that looks the same) I bought it here: www.ynmhome.com . Highly recommend.

[@TheFed1914]

Me: Spends over a year debating on whether of not I should get a weighted blanket. John Green: blanket good Me: Gets in car, drives to Target and buys a weighted blanket.

[@ladyofcuriousvirtue]

Mary 🤖 B L A N K E T G O O D

[@rebekahcreates]

Blanket great

[@enibel8141]

So, whats your opinion regarding weighted blankets?

[@SylviaRustyFae]

Best purchase ever, no?

[@daveprice5911]

I've been deliberating over this for years and years, back when I started wanting one you could only get them by dropping a couple hundred on a commissioned one. Then a month or two ago I saw one at aldi for 50€, perfect weight for my body and I bought it immediately. I love my blanket so much

[@isaiahcampbell370]

I felt that "Everything's fine mom" more than anything I've seen on KZbin in months. Also, weighted blankets are the greatest invention in a really long time. My son has autism and it has changed his sleeping time for the better like crazy. My daughter has anxiety, my wife has OCD, and the weighted blanket has taken its place as their favorite piece of easy therapy as well.

[@estrellacasias]

My little sister has a lot of sensory issues and she has two one for moms house and one for dads theyrr brilliant. And I have a heated blanket I wish I could make weighted

[@Bl4dz]

@@estrellacasias EDIT: DON'T do this, it's dangerous! I just leave my original comment so the thread makes sense: here's an idea: doesn't the weight work through the heated blanket? lay down, heated blanket on top of you, weighted blanket on top of heated blanket, problem solved ;) EDIT: i repeat: DON'T do this, it's a fire hazard

[@estrellacasias]

@@Bl4dz I think you're not suppose to layer so nothing sets on fire lol 😥😓😭

[@emmibobable]

Estrella Casias a solution could potentially be a heated under blanket (which goes below your bed sheet) then a weighted blanket ontop. You’re getting the heat and the weight then 😊

[@MsWaif]

My son has ADHD and anxiety. I got him a weighted blanket and ever since then the dreaded nightly ordeal that was bedtime has transformed into a peaceful, pleasant routine. Those blankets are miraculous.

[@Chilukar]

"The world is still on the turtle" Strangely NOT a Terry Pratchett quote.

[@EcceJack]

Hahaha :D almost, but not quite! Well, I suppose it's on the backs of the elephants, first

[@RainaRamsay]

Who said it: John Green vs Terry Pratchett edition

[@joellea-b.5519]

+

[@wordzmyth]

I know, any moment is good where we pause and appreciate that we had Terry and he gave us so much. I miss our comic Shakespeare.

[@adrianapereira5500]

Only because it's firstly on the elephants

[@tmntallthewaydw]

Sometimes I forget that Nerdfighters came from John misreading something and then I remember "Aero Fighters"

[@DaviddeKloet]

I hear about "Aero Fighters" for the first time. My life is shattered!

[@tmntallthewaydw]

@@DaviddeKloet Yeah its definitely a life shattering story

[@WintaAssefa]

Wait. I need the whole story now

[@tmntallthewaydw]

@@WintaAssefa Brotherhood 2.0 February 1, 2007 (you can look up the video) John just read it wrong and it just became the thing

[@DaviddeKloet]

@@WintaAssefa "Nerd Fighters" are named after this arcade computer game called "Nerd Fighters". At some point Hank gave this "Nerd Fighters" arcade machine to John for his birthday. But now apparently it turns out that it was never called "Nerd Fighters" but "Areo Fighters" and that John misread that as "Nerd Fighters"? I don't think that part was ever mentioned in a vlogbrothers video though.

[@estrellacasias]

"THE WORLD IS STILL ON THE TURTLE" SEE ANOTHER THING I WANT ON A SHIRT

[@beckyharris2621]

+

[@rebeccaweir6362]

+

[@tatianatub]

+1

[@saragrit6166]

+

[@RainaRamsay]

+

[@jessicablauwkamp472]

My grandma gave me a Sterling silver pencil that she used as a school kid in the Netherlands in 1943. This was shortly before she moved to the United States. I'm a teacher, and I love the symbolism of this pencil.

[@Lauren-cc6rm]

"Because 23 years ago we mentioned to Aunt Agatha, in passing, that we liked a bloomin' onion."

[@SylviaRustyFae]

Honestly Id be fine with that tho cuz even 23 yrs later id still be enjoying them just as much heh. Tho i wud find it odd that soem random thing I said when I was 7 had this much impact on my life xD

[@krissymillard1823]

I was on the fence about getting a weighted blanket and now I am on the “soon-to-be-owner of a weighted blanket” side of that fence. Thanks, John!

[@marcusmatousek33]

Same for me. Also quick tip from google. You want a weighted blanket around 10% of your body weight +1 or 2 pounds.

[@krissymillard1823]

Marcus Matousek I was not aware of this! Thank you! I also just had it brought to my attention that buying one from Etsy might support the disability community, as the handmade ones are often made by disabled people or their caretakers. Learning so much today! Off to Etsy!

[@aduadu1996]

they're out of my budget rn but I am saving up for one! they sound like heaven

[@WenzelSays]

@@aduadu1996 there are some relatively cheapish ones on Amazon ($50-60 for a 20lb one) the color might not be your fave but it's better than paying $100+ for one I know $50-60 is still a decent AMT of money. But it's worth it. Treat it as medication. Especially if you have anxiety, ad(h)d, autism, PTSD, or find yourself kicking blankets off in your sleep. And in the summer it's great cuz you feel secure w/o overheating.

[@storiesinthedust]

woooo! welcome to the best side! i recommend also ordering a cover for it (sort of like a duvet cover) so its easy to clean! trying to wash the whole blanket is v difficult! Cover makes it easy!

[@vanessapierson4913]

“the blanket is easing my travel thru this veil of tears.” i hear that loud and clear john. i go to bed early so i can get up before all the people so i can have quiet before everything else, and if someone told me i was doing it wrong i’d say “don’t say it because quiet mornings are easing my travels thru this veil of tears.” i see you.

[@soulcstudios]

+1

[@N3rdfightermom]

+ I do the same thing. Keep your coffee, quiet time in the morning is what is best at waking me up.

[@PrachiSingh-et3kz]

This is the smartest way to keep ur center. Based on lots of spiritual guidance I've heard, the world is quieter on the energy channel when ppl are asleep. Best recommended to start ur day early and spend it with yourself when there is less energy clutter/noise out there drawing on your attention. Def a gift you give yourself daily.

[@jaredconrad-bradshaw1413]

Interestingly, the traditional term is not “veil of tears” but rather “vale of tears” (vale being a somewhat archaic term for valley-I learned it from the Lord of the Rings). The term comes from Christian theology and emphasizes how tears and suffering characterize this world as opposed to, they hope, the next. It ultimately comes from Psalm 84:6, which is references a real valley. Though most modern translations do not change Hebrew “Baca/Baka” in the “Valley of Baka” (bakha can be translated as weeping or mourning or lamentation) into “tears”, the Latin Vulgate did and, from there, the phrase vale (or valley) of tears was incorporated into several hymns, giving it a wider purchase in Western society. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vale_of_tears

[@thehorriblebright]

I do the same except opposite. I stay up way too late. Especially the weeks when I have my kids. The quiet of night with people I love sleeping near me is so highly conducive to my creativity and ability to recharge that I have serious sleep issues because of it. Melatonin helps though.

[@rainliketheweather4086]

Me- *pauses yesterday's episode of Dear Hank and John* Me- *presses play on today's Vlogbrothers episode*

[@imaginationlord]

I go to a gathering where we have things called 'secret friends', which is essentially large-scale secret Santa for the week where you give small gifts and do nice things for eachother. A few years ago I was having a rough time due to mental health, and my secret friend copied out a poem and decorated it, and the poem was about strength and overcoming difficulty. No gift has ever resonated with me so much, and the person didn't actually know me very well but saw suffering and did what she knew helped her. Gifts are important when they are thoughtful, and not just for the sake of giving a gift.

[@sarahrau1441]

Can I just say, THIS is WHY I frequently give cash. I’ll do something sentimental, but I’ll also give some cash and write something personal about how cash-in-hand represents an opportunity for stress relief. Whether you use it to pay a bill and loosen your budget that month or you buy groceries or you just go get McDonalds. Take it and do something you couldn’t have done otherwise. Especially if I know the person has a very tight or stressful budget. Because I don’t. So take the damn stress relief, geez.

[@GotWrackspurts]

Do you know the name of the poem?

[@narflet]

Is this a Quaker event? Secret Friends were a great joy of mine on events, I always enjoyed the process of giving more than what I got.

[@ThousandTimesBefore]

There's a Scishow Psych episode on weighted blankets! They don't seem to have a downside, except that nobody knows how they work and that they don't work for everybody. So keep on enjoying your blanket hugs, John! :)

[@tangent7078]

my roommate got me a deck of tarot cards that had illustrations of mushrooms instead of the original ones and i have never felt so seen by another human being

[@arillusine]

Would you be willing to point me in the direction of this deck of tarot cards? I have a friend who loves tarot and I think this would make a great gift! Or at least make her laugh 😂

[@arillusine]

ryan thanks!!

[@carolynnewberger38]

A friend of my sister’s came to stay with my family over Christmas and became one of the crew. Christmas Eve she asked my sister where we kept our staples because she wanted to preload my stapler and my sister swallowed her desire to be like “Are you sure that’s a good gift???” Cut to perfect gift reaction. She gave me a pink flamingo stapler. The whole body of the stapler is shaped like flamingo. I have no predilection to flamingoes and KZbin doesn’t let me comment photos but it is the happiest little stapler. I’d been sharing a stapler with someone else and it was driving me nuts, I also like my life to be filled with useful pretty - I felt so seen. I feel like a child with stickers, I want to staple everything!

[@ellamcdonald-lee2186]

“Don’t worry mom! The world is still on the turtle.”

[@ellamcdonald-lee2186]

Thank you!

[@dorissaclaire]

I love how respectful Nerdfighteria is...like John said “don’t ruin this innocent relationship for me” and we were all just like “yeah man ”

[@tophersouth3980]

I IMMEDIATELY wrote "People who cannot move the blanket cannot use the blanket" down on a Post-It note and put it on my office wall. Woof, I need to hear that, probably frequently.

[@MarkThePage]

"People who cannot move the blanket cannot use the blanket" has the same energy as "You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone".

[@tianamatson]

Yaaaasssss

[@PaulONeillTSO]

What episode was this? I've been looking for it ever since I heard it! So perfect!

[@AmyFerguson]

Awwww man!

[@ro9402]

@@PaulONeillTSO I don't know if it's referenced in a vlogbrothers video, but the phrase originates from an episode of Sesame Street. You can find it on KZbin, "Sesame Street: Ernie Puts Down the Duckie".

[@OmNomNomTurtle33]

@@PaulONeillTSO it's from an old Sesame Street special called Sing Yourself Silly! I owned it on VHS and I watched it so much I wore the tape out

[@blamesocietyfilms]

Yes! Weighted blankets are amazing. One might say they help you deal with the unbearable lightness of being...

[@Blue_Grass_Girl]

Your comment made my day (three years after it was written). Thank you.

[@heatherwanderer777]

I did the secret santa on reddit this year as well, I got an amazing lady who was so kind and thoughtful with her gifts. I normally am ambivalent at best for the holidays due to all my family being deceased, but I am actually really really looking forward to next christmas. I want to blow the mind of whomever I end up paired with, I want to get them something so amazing and awesome that it turns a cold and dreary winter season to a time of unbridled joy. I feel like I'm training for the Olympics of holiday cheer as I'm already planning on acquiring quirky awesome wrapping paper and other ways I can make it personal and hopefully amazing for my next christmas secret santa. I feel like my secret santa's gift this year was more then just the items and the notes, it was also that she made me want to pay it forward. Here's to the next holiday season!!!!

[@kerriohs]

One year, me and my four brothers all opened our gifts simultaneously to find that we had all each a GameBoy Color with a corresponding version of Pokemon or another game. It was the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! We didn't have much growing up, and in the many years since, my aunts keep telling the stories of them waiting in line for hours on Black Friday, making sure they had enough people to get enough for all the kids because there was a limit of 2 per person. It remains my favorite gift of my life, not only because Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow stood the test of time, but also because I look back at that memory and just remember how incredibly loved I felt in that moment.

[@WenzelSays]

That's one of the sweetest things I've read. ❤️❤️

[@UndyingShadow83]

"the blanket is easing my travel through this veil of tears" is almost poetic.

[@lorenabpv]

An unexpected gift that changed me: my mom gave me Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events when I was like 7 (this was like 2000/2001) probably because she was busy having my little brother and thought her nerdy, lonely, bookworm daughter would need some book company. What she didn't know, however, was that these books were revolutionary to me because they didn't have fairytale endings. In fact, our heroes there were anxious and worried and had a lot of distrust of adults and the world and this was exactly what I needed to be validated when I was a tiny little lonely scared girl, trying to be brave through my own daily life

[@megsmeltzer-miller3230]

That's a really lovely way of putting it. My grandma gave me Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone for my 8th birthday in 2000 and here I am today, still re-reading them and finding new lenses through which to see the world.

[@Leovivoel]

I first misread that as "Harry Potter and a Series of Unfortunate Events" and thought: Yeah, sounds plausible. That said, I completely understand, it's great to have heroes in stories who have these human facets that make them more relatable.

[@km1dash6]

The fact that your aunt Agatha remember you saying, in passing, several years ago that you like a blooming onion is amazing. If anything, the gift is a tradition that shows people in your life, hear you, pay attention to the little things, and want you to have the things you want even if they seem silly or unimportant.

[@kiwithekiki234]

I got a weighted blanket for Christmas this year since I kept stealing my little brother's and didn't have one at college. I love it so much and is one of my favorite presents ever.

[@pgoeds7420]

That's awesome time travel unless you got it for Christmas last year.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

@@pgoeds7420 Dont be a pedantic dickweed

[@EditingAnneka]

I've been sitting here for a while after this video remembering a lot of the gifts I've been given over my life and just basking in how loved and seen I actually feel. So many of them are catered to me and my interests and someone looked at a jaws mug or an overwatch funko pop or a cuckoo clock magnet and thought of me. I have cards and handwritten notes and drawings all done by friends for me. Time, thought and effort given so freely its insane. It's hard to stop and remember to look around but this video really made me do that and really made me feel very loved despite some of the hardships I've been going through recently. Thank you John! I hope you feel seen and appreciated (loved is too far, we're strangers on the internet)

[@kktypescript2137]

My dad got me and my fiance a weighted blanket for Christmas and due to my anxiety, the weighted blanket is now just part of my existance. They don't help everyone but if they help you it's a game changer

[@Quixotic1018]

This is the most athletic I've seen John: Lifting children's blankets enthusiastically.

[@elaineshiffer6929]

You must watch September 1. 2010--Fitness for Nerds! It will change your life!! (or at least make you laugh)

[@Lauryn-Woods]

i really liked this video. i am having a hard day and somehow john got me a gift i didn’t know i needed: a really wholesome and grateful video :)

[@vlogbrothers]

Thanks, Lauryn. Hope your day gets better. -John

[@anilatarannum]

My brother gave me bluetooth headphones as a gift (ages ago, when they were the newest thing), and knowing I would've never bought a pair for myself, they definitely changed my life.

[@lonestarr1490]

I can't use in-ear headphones or earbuds. It just hurts in is extremely irritating.

[@GabrielPettier]

My friends offered me a bose quiet comfort headset, knowing i would never get around buying something like this, and they are a life changer, even when not listening to music, just, the silence… I don't know if it's the best noise cancelling headset, or the most cost effective, i know that it's a lot better than the cheap things i went for before.

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

I appreciate getting gifts but honestly I appreciate giving gifts tenfold.

[@AlliyahPerry]

@Maddie 99 That's a beautiful quote that I remember thinking how much of me that is. I thought about it in years thank you 😍

[@thinkwhatsyourlife5908]

Maddie 99 it is my favorite book of all times

[@isabelsong21]

But John, if you wait until Hank's birthday in May, he will lose out on several months of the kind of bliss your weighted blanket has brought you!

[@anymouse8221]

Eh. He lives in Montana. Plenty of blanket weather left.

[@NewScotlandBaker]

My thoughts exactly! haha

[@barbienewk]

Honestly, most mass produced weighted blankets I've found are made of a really good cotton polyester blend that does temperature magic. It's warm enough in the winter and cool enough to use in the summer.

[@biancar5763]

My boyfriend got me a signed book of my favorite poet who died about 15 years ago. I don't know how he managed to get it but I love nothing more than this book.

[@tomacalin86]

"Where the perpetually grey sky is extremely close to the ground" is probably one of the best lines I have heard in a long while. Mind if I use it?

[@breakingintodawn]

When my friend from Australia went through their naturalization ceremony to become an American citizen I gave them a gift card to Outback Steakhouse with the line "in case you miss your native lands food" xD

[@vlogbrothers]

Really good use of a gift card. -John

[@RainaRamsay]

[@OriginalPiMan]

That would certainly make me miss Australian food more.

[@breakingintodawn]

@@vlogbrothers I've been watching y'alls videos since 2008 and it's been awesome watching you grow and me growing up with yall. This response made my day :)

[@arklowrockz]

"The perpetually grey sky which is extremely close to the ground" Welcome to the Irish winter John, just add rain and blustery damp wind every day to that description!! Still mus'nt grumble!!!

[@WintaAssefa]

The Body in Pain is something you mentioned many videos ago. I should probably get around reading it. Will it, in internet terms, dunk me in the 'big sad' though? Will it, John? And yay to the weighted blanket! I encourage this behavior. Lord, bless this guy.

[@vlogbrothers]

I don't think so. It's not that kind of book. It's most literary analysis of why physical pain is not the subject for much English-language literature. But there is also lots in there helpful to people living with any kind of chronic pain, I think. For me anyway it was a book that made me feel seen and helped me to understand my own experience (and those of others living with chronic pain). -John

[@WintaAssefa]

@@vlogbrothers Aaand this goes right into my reading list

[@rohmahassan3014]

Also, a friend once gifted me a journal because she knew I liked writing. It took a year of barely touching it but it eventually became a gratitude journal that's helped improve my life so much

[@picturexoperfect]

I came back to this video because KZbin suggested i watched it and now the algorithm is such that you see your comment on top first. And i left a length comment about how i decided to buy cooling sheets to solve a sweating problem and then randomly decided to get the weighted blanket which seemed like an odd combo…. A year later and outside of some occasional days where i really need something floofy like a comforter (I’m talking like 1 month out of the whole year i had that craving), the ONLY way i can sleep is those cooling sheets and the weighted blanket. It’s the combo of the 2 that really saves the day. Go team! Thanks again for being awesome.

[@lfior]

I don't know why I still love gift giving so much even though I realise how often it goes unsuccessfully, but I spend A LOT of brain power to be the weighted - blanket gift giver. Thank you for everything John ❤️

[@BrianFields]

"Where the perpetually grey sky is extremely close to the ground." should be the State motto. That's one thing I don't miss.

[@rohmahassan3014]

I've literally spent the last week trying to figure out if it was a good idea to get my mom a weighted blanket for her birthday and tonight is the night I was planning to make my final decision and JOHN THANK YOU I'M SUCH A BAD DECISION MAKER AND YOU JUST SOLD ME ON THE BLANKETS.

[@emilysmith2965]

“The perpetually gray sky is extremely close to the ground” is a truly inspired way to describe Midwest winter.

[@hypergraphic]

"I don't even want a brand deal because it would sully the relationship we have". That is classic!

[@mouseluva]

"The blanket is easing my travel through this veil of tears" describes the relationships I have with my favourite blankets and I thank you for putting it into such dramatic but hilarious words. I have one blanket that I crocheted myself and is fairly weighty and quite warm and has lots of textures to fiddle with, and one that is incredibly soft and feather light and stays draped over me and is quite forgiving to movement and friction against chairs and things. If it is below 20ºC and I am at home, you can find me with one or both blankets at all times. My other blankets came free with my cot and I have had them all my life and they are an instant anti-anxiety medication.They ease my travel through this veil of tears.

[@nealleffler4267]

"...where the perpetually grey sky is extremely close to the ground. " I find this to be an exceptionally beautiful turn of phrase

[@icygubler]

I'm autistic and have anxiety and insomnia. Last year, my mom got me a weighted blanket, and it's been so helpful. Weighted blankets are just great! Also, this video has such great timing for me. I'm unemployed, and my sister just gave me a Starbucks gift card so that I have the means to get out and get a treat. The gift card means fun time outside of my home.

[@curiositykilledthekat]

my favorite thing ever is giving gifts. thinking about what a person wants, needs, or don't even know they want and need. especially when you're doing a secret santa on a budget and a person you don't know that well and you have to think and get creative. that's why i've been organising it at my college for two years now and it's the BEST. also, now i want a weighted blanket....

[@EcceJack]

Meanwhile, that same thing is my very worst nightmare 😅 I'm absolutely *terrible* at gifting to people close to me (like, really, really, horrendously bad), and even worse for Secret Santa! I get a good idea for a gift about once every two or three years. In total, not per person 😅 I'd really like to get better at this, but I don't know how!

[@curiositykilledthekat]

@@EcceJack My advice is that you can never go wrong with a book, a mug, pajamas or a nice pair of socks! Also, for birthdays, I often tend to just ask if there's something they want/need. 🤗

[@ashm8914]

Always love a new Vlogbrothers video and this one has such great timing because I'm a girl guide (girl scout) leader and we were just talking about gifts because one of the parents was apologising tonight for not getting any of us gifts this year for Christmas. And honestly we were taken aback because for years I have also been a leader in another town and we don't get gifts from parents. It just not expected, its not why we do it. It's just not a thing. But since starting this new unit in a new town the parents are so involved and appreciative that things like getting the kids to write us thank you cards and giving us Christmas gifts are just a given. They are so appreciative it's shocks me. I'm not saying in my home town the parents don't appreciate us, because they do and they say it often are always so thankful for what we do. But sometimes it helps to get a physical reminder, like at the end of my first year in the new town our youngest ladybird gave each of us some chocolates and a card thanking us for "helping her grow". It was so touching and sweet and I've kept it with me. I still don't expect gifts and we reassured the parent that she really doesn't need to get us anything, that it is not the reason we do what we do. And it really isn't, I volunteer because I enjoy it, because kids are a invaluable well of happiness and to help them grow helps me grow. They make me smile. But those small gifts and little cards mean a hell of a lot to me because they didn't have to do that, no one told them to but they still wanted to and it make me feel so appreciated.

[@MKPiatkowski]

Sometimes all that is needed is a brief note letting you know you are appreciated. I have been meaning for a while to implement one thank you card a day to someone who has touched my life but I've been sporadic in doing so. Thanks for the reminder to get back to it.

[@alecwinner]

As soon as i saw the title i was immidiatly reminded of the best gift i had ever gotten, which was, incredibly, also a weighted blanket!! And the sleep and mental rest it provides.

[@travelingnome87]

My favorite type of gift giving is to find the thing you didn't know you wanted or needed. The look on their face when you can say without words, I know you is an amazing feeling.

[@odysseas_kratsas]

"Everything's fine mum! The world is still on the turtle" may be one of the most resonant and funny phrases I have ever heard. Thanks John! :)

[@Oli.V]

It’s been a year and a half since this video came out and I still think about it every time I use my weighted blanket

[@Ddonaldson9]

Can Hank's video on friday be "Gifs that changed my life?"

[@abbym.7046]

Freshman year of college last year was hard for me mentally and loneliest I’ve ever felt. But that winter, my friends gave me a copy of The Cat in the Hat. It was a strange thing to give to an eighteen-year-old who didn’t have much of a connection to Dr. Seuss. Only on the inside, all of my friends bonded together and wrote down encouragements and kind words, reminding me that while I roped them into childish antics, I was a constant source of light. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve received to this day.

[@MikeDeng]

that turtle gift is amazing.

[@MeganEGee]

I got gifted a weighted blanket this Christmas by my boyfriend and it has absolutely changed my life for the better. Weighted blankets are like a hug you didn't know you needed.

[@SageThyme23]

"the world is still on the turtle " & "people who cannot move the blanket cannot use the blanket " are incredible quotes

[@msemilymix]

I'm generally not a gift person but I felt so deeply the sentiment that one really good gift makes all those lackluster gifts worth it.

[@raelonewolf]

"It's okay -- the world is still on the turtle." That might have to go on the next Pizzamas shirt.

[@swingloveEKL]

I am in love with the phrase "blessed Day of the Blanket"

[@juliareste]

I use every opportunity to talk about my love for turtles all the way down I thought my intrusive thoughts were strange, and wrong. I thought ocd was something completely different than it actually is. my obsessive skin picking and my inability to shut out the scary voices made no sense. it all makes sense now! thanks John, you saved me from myself in a way

[@MKPiatkowski]

Who the heck wants to end gifts? I love the challenge of finding the right gift for someone, or in lieu of an item, giving them an experience they will enjoy. And I love the heck out of receiving them too. It's such a simple way to give joy.

[@NotWinter]

John all that you give is a gift that has changed my life!

[@TheAlphabetPony011]

I recently anonymously gave an acquaintance a heated blanket this christmas on a particularly cold midwestern night after he mentioned that he lives in a punk house without heating. A week or so later, I happened to run into him and he gave me a hug that felt so genuinely tender. There's no way he could have consciously known it was me who gave him the blanket, but through the mysterious workings of our universe- the great sentient force that connects us all as human beings, knew it. This experience reminded me that our level of connectedness with each other runs so much deeper than it may seem.♡

[@きりりん-z4f]

Can we buy weighted blankets that have John's review of weighted blankets printed on them from DFTBA.com pleeeeeaaase?

[@kpancost]

I want a weighted blanket with a picture of the turtle and the quote "The world is still on the turtle." Perfection.

[@christineticknor5336]

Maybe a Pizza John weighted blanket!

[@きりりん-z4f]

@Kaumudi H solid million dollar idea right😂

[@hopkinsIE]

@@christineticknor5336 this is what I was thinking too.

[@morganpruitt8016]

One of my favorite things to do is give gifts. I love listening to people over a specific period of time and finding out what they like and surprising them with something they didn’t know they wanted or needed. I never expect a gift in return (and would prefer not to receive one) because I just enjoy giving.

[@ladybug2267]

"The world is still on the turtle." :)

[@katiekelly6200]

the way you speak of weighted blankets is amazing" easing my sorrows trough this veil of tears just.... *chef's kiss"

[@rekagaal]

"Everything's fine, Mom. The world is still on the turtle." This phrase resonates with me somehow. I hope John won't mind if I start using it in my daily life.

[@waywardwillard]

I like to think of myself as a great gift giver, mostly because the joy of giving a great gift usually surpasses any joy I feel upon receiving a gift. It’s a lovely, lovely feeling, and it’s great to see how these amazing gift-givers affected your life.

[@Supermanohman]

John. I'm a professional flower photographer (yeah, weird thing to pro in) and I'd love to send you a 8x12 print. I've been told it's a phenomenal photo. I want you to have it. The photo means a lot because I have bipolar disorder and I was having a hard time that May when I took it. And it came out perfectly, unedited. And I just sat and looked at it when I was done.

[@tmntallthewaydw]

I think he has a P.O. box, he posted the address it on reddit right before he left the social internet, you might be able to find it

[@JoinTheMadVender]

His PO box is listed in the Contact section on his website, I think.

[@m.w.kaplan447]

+

[@EssentiallyEC]

There are a lot of beautiful phrases in this video, but for some reason, "the blanket is easing my travel through this veil of tears" really struck me.

[@WintaAssefa]

"The world is still on the turtle" _-JG, 2020_ (Caught that, John!)

[@Shrooblord]

For some reason I have never thought of John as "J.G." and now suddenly in my mind he has jumped to J.R.R. levels of "cool people with cool initials". And of course H.G. would always remind me of War of the Worlds, which I consider a good thing.

[@WintaAssefa]

@@Shrooblord :)

[@saoirsevicteoiria2759]

The immediate cries out to G-d and Mom for help and then (exculpatory) assurance are so pure and child-like.

[@RainbowSprnklz]

The Anthropocene Reviewed is my favorite nerdfighter creation i think just so you know so i guess its a gift o.0

[@lou2850]

I absolutely love how much you love that weighted blanket

[@valnerei9067]

Thought it said girls that changed my life, was looking forward to it... but this is passable

[@krissymillard1823]

Valnerei I thought the same thing! I like this better. XD

[@valnerei9067]

Krissy M I would too, but it’s 3 days till my birthday and now it’s too late to wish for a weighted blanket :(

[@krissymillard1823]

Valnerei oh no! And you’ve got 12 months and 3 days until the next! Happy birthday though! I hope you have wonderful year that somehow includes the acquisition of a weighted blanket

[@valnerei9067]

Krissy M Thank you :) will definitely go on a quest to find one

[@WintaAssefa]

Happy birthday, boo. It's my birthday in 3 days too

[@smidey655]

"...where the perpetually grey sky is incredibly close to the ground" is one of my all time favorite descriptions. After living in Pittsburgh for a decade, I feel that sentence in my bones.

[@chloegoulding9039]

The funny thing is I just had the pleasure of reading and finishing Turtles All The Way Down today. (It sent me into a spiral) (no, literally) The book prepared me for my fears and the worst to come. After watching this video, my spiral is sending me into questions. Like what happens if the turtles are knocked down? The earth still stays. The turtles float into the universe. What does each turtle support and stand for? A turtle is a turtle, but all turtles turtle.

[@meredithblack8360]

Laying under my weighted blanket right now! It makes me so happy and it has completely changed my life. I sleep so much better and I lay under it when I'm having an anxiety attack to feel like I'm getting hugged. Welcome to the cult of weighted blanket enthusiasts John!!

[@miacoss9809]

I thought someone getting Bill Gates was hitting the Reddit Secret Santa Jackpot and now I find out you do it? Crossing my fingers for next year!

[@hambonefakenamington69]

I rewatched this and it sort of pains me that my family doesn't quite believe in the tradition of gifting on an occasion. But I like to think that the gifts I get otherwise, on days that I wouldn't have thought to be apt for a gift, are some of my best days. And I really mean it. I don't remember every gift I've gotten as a surprise but I do remember how it felt to get them. A few weeks before the pandemic, my mother came home with a bunch of stationary and it was so colourful I almost cried with joy. The wood in the pencils was coloured and the pack was so pretty and she got me red and green board- markers with ink bottles for each of them and all of it made me so happy. I remember a few times she came home with amazing t-shirts for me. And I remember this one time when she brought pants I didn't like and I wasn't very grateful. Thank you so much for this video John. I haven't thought about the gifts my mother gave me so many times. Times when I could've been more expressive and kind to her, and I will be for sure. Because I guess, occasion or not, gifts matter a lot. Even when they're not picked out so thoughtfully. A friend of mine who I'm not close to was celebrating her birthday and everyone had gotten chocolates for her (since we're not close and we don't quite know what she'd like or want). I also bought a regular chocolate but I'd just stuck a post-it note wishing her a happy birthday with a smiley emoticon and she subtly pointed out that that note made her particularly happy. And that made ME so happy.

[@TowerJunkie]

“Look at the turtle 🐢 of enormous girth, On its shell he hold the earth 🌏 “ - the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

[@rizzyreads]

My friend is a server and every night when shes done with her shift she takes a percentage of her tips and puts it in a special jar which she calls the gift jar. And she only ever uses that money to get her friends gifts that they really want but might not be able to afford. It doesnt matter how much she made that night or what finical things are going on in her life, she always puts a little in the jar and I've always admired her for spreading joy that way.

[@thecomment9092]

“Everything is fine mom! The world is still on the turtle.”

[@MsDefectiveToaster]

As long as the person understands why you would choose this particular thing for them, it's an acceptable gift. It's not whether I like the bread maker, it's the fact that my brother remembered how much I like baking bread.

[@truehope2344]

My friend recently got me a bracelet she designed, with the words: "there is always hope" written on it💜💜💜💜💜

[@lonestarr1490]

Wait, is Hope your given name? That would make a great two-fold meaning.

[@truehope2344]

Lone Starr no unfortunatly, just one of my favorite words💜💜💜

[@PacheGayd]

That’s the best description of winter in Indy I’ve ever heard. SO CLOSE TO THE GROUND. Maybe I should get a weighted blanket. I need something to make it through this winter, for sure. So far, I’ve been muddling along with the occasional 4 minute burst of thoughtfulness and positivity from a vlogbrothers video.

[@charliewenzday]

This makes me think about the Auld Lang Sine episode where you talked about the Mugging Money clip

[@sharonfieldstone]

I feel such affection for this video. It's just the right amount of warm and just the right amount of heavy

[@estrellacasias]

This interrupted my listening to Dear Hank & John lol so proud of who I've become🤙🤠

[@CoriLeigh]

My weighted blanket has changed my life. I have gotten more and more restful sleep in the past year of weighted blanket life then any other year of my life. I’m glad you are finding the same comfort John.

[@johnlewis8934]

"The world is still on the turtle" - John Green