I usually don't wait until my birthday or someone else's birthday, because sometimes the deals or freebies come up before those dates.
Recently I bought myself an old South Bend lathe. I'm not even sure how old it is.....but it's still a decent unit.
Over the last few years I've given my dad several shop/tool items. Some stuff I get free from work, stuff that would otherwise be thrown out, like pipeline skids or welding rods. Stuff like that is always handy around the farm.