Bad Gifts

[happyhoix]

My grandma gave me and my sister’s boys socks one year (we’re all girls). Mine were bright turquoise. My sister got maroon. 

Once, she mailed butter to my older sister, when she was in college. In the summer. 

She sent me Christmas cookies in March once, with a note that they were stale but I should dunk them in a glass of milk and they’ll be just fine. They were oatmeal raisin so I didn’t have a problem throwing them out. 

She wasn’t poor, she just didn’t get out of the house much and didn’t think about gifts much, I think. 

[susana1954]

This was a birthday present, not Christmas, but my now-ex gave me a grill for my birthday.  I didn't even know how to use a grill.

And then he asked for the grill during the divorce, forgetting that it was a "gift" to me.  Yes, I let him keep it.

[bookkeeper]

DH and I are not buying each other gifts this year.  We need a new stove at the AZ house, so we have been shopping together for that purchase.  We like to buy travel instead of stuff we need to dust.

I have been the recipient of many bad gifts.  One of my favorites was a new set of tires for Mother's Day. Last Christmas I got a bottle of White Diamonds perfume.  It was so strong, when I sprayed a little on my wrist I started to cough and choke.  Had to open the front door to let some air in.  That stuff is seriously harsh.

I do like to send Christmas Cards.  I try to send something with a picture.  This year's card is going to be a photo of our new twin grandsons.  I need to get going on that project.  This is my year to be a bragging grandma!

[empress of self-improvement]

Oh where to start. The universe used to give me the flu for Christmas every year. Then for my 18th year, it gave me pictures of my presents cut out from the LL Bean catalog. They were all on back order. Then it decided to up the ante and gave me appendicitis for a present as well. I spent Christmas night in the emergency room before being admitted. That was a fabulous year.

For DH and my first year, we had started dating the month before, when I was 21. He gave me paper towels, napkins and a bottle of Pamprin. It took a few days for the mark on his forehead, where I threw it, to go down.

[finnime]

I've gotten my fair share of bad gifts and some wonderful ones, but the best one I've ever known of wasn't mine, but given by my DD to her grandfather. He had announced he would be retiring as a VP of a large insurance company, so from the mahogany suite. DD, then 5, saw in a hardware store some door hangers and was delighted with one for her grandfather. It depicted a bald convict in prison stripes and said, Warning, Occupant is a lifer with nothing left to lose. Her grandfather was delighted.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 3, 2021 23:52:34 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

My grandma gave me and my sister’s boys socks one year (we’re all girls). Mine were bright turquoise. My sister got maroon. 

Once, she mailed butter to my older sister, when she was in college. In the summer. 

She sent me Christmas cookies in March once, with a note that they were stale but I should dunk them in a glass of milk and they’ll be just fine. They were oatmeal raisin so I didn’t have a problem throwing them out. 

She wasn’t poor, she just didn’t get out of the house much and didn’t think about gifts much, I think. 

[stillmovingforward]

My birthday is right after Christmas. As a child, I got a Christmas sweater for my birthday from my parents. At that time, I hated sweaters. And who wears a Christmas sweater after Christmas?

[Deleted]

bookkeeper's perfume story reminded me- in HS I was dating a guy who was a science geek.  We both were.  He asked for a silicon photovoltaic cell from the Edmund Scientific catalogue.  (It uses solar energy to produce an electrical current- familiar technology now.)  So, I did, pleased that I could get him something that unusual and interesting.

He got me- a gift set of Arpege perfume- the eau de toilette, a small vial of the pure prefume, scented soap, etc.   Like... how much thought did that take?  It was probably the first thing he saw on a display table when he walked into the department store.  Their ad slogan at the time was "Promise her anything... but give her Arpege".

Yeah, that was him.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Dec 4, 2021 12:09:17 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

bookkeeper's perfume story reminded me- in HS I was dating a guy who was a science geek.  We both were.  He asked for a silicon photovoltaic cell from the Edmund Scientific catalogue.  (It uses solar energy to produce an electrical current- familiar technology now.)  So, I did, pleased that I could get him something that unusual and interesting.

He got me- a gift set of Arpege perfume- the eau de toilette, a small vial of the pure prefume, scented soap, etc.   Like... how much thought did that take?  It was probably the first thing he saw on a display table when he walked into the department store.  Their ad slogan at the time was "Promise her anything... but give her Arpege".

Yeah, that was him.

That is one of the most passive aggressive and hysterical ad I have ever seen.

[Artemis Windsong]

In childhood, Christmas was a nightmare. There were two or more years when I received nothing. Not even an orange in my stocking. One time I got coal.

I would get to try on the clothes in October which were the ones Santa brought.

The gift my brothers got was one of those noisy hockey games. That's about the only one I remember besides socks and underwear. We'd get an orange and some chocolate candies in our stockings.

I exchanged gifts with a little boy I was enamored with. He'd get me a gift also. He'd fallen off a loading dock as a 4 year old. I was so worried about him being badly injured. My parents tracked him down and that's when the gift exchanges started but we never saw each other. I got figurines. I'll leave out his miscreant acts after we became teens.

My gift giving seemed to be bad until my H. started helping pick things out. My late SIL told me the kids don't want the sh*t I buy. I then went to buying all the guys the same thing like magnetic pickers and bowls or flashlight, and all the girls the same thing like kitchen towels for each holiday. Now I send checks so they can get what they want since mailing them is easier.

For me now, I buy what I want through the year. Now I want a new bicycle, though. Comfort seat for older me. The one I want is out of stock at Walmart. There was one at a Walmart a week ago but my comments fell on deaf ears with H. It was gone when he decided to look.

I need to be more out spoken on what I want for gifts.

The best gifts I do have every day, all year is my family. What a joy they are.

[Artemis Windsong]

Dec 4, 2021 9:42:46 GMT -5 empress of self-improvement said:

Oh where to start. The universe used to give me the flu for Christmas every year. Then for my 18th year, it gave me pictures of my presents cut out from the LL Bean catalog. They were all on back order. Then it decided to up the ante and gave me appendicitis for a present as well. I spent Christmas night in the emergency room before being admitted. That was a fabulous year.

For DH and my first year, we had started dating the month before, when I was 21. He gave me paper towels, napkins and a bottle of Pamprin. It took a few days for the mark on his forehead, where I threw it, to go down.

The illnesses were what my DS got nearly every year.  Fortunately my babysitter had an houseful of kids who also got the stuff.  She'd still babysit.  If my late mom babysat that was a nightmare.  She lived across town a 30 minute drive.  I'd try to see my DD when she was sick.  I'd call.  Nope, she's asleep.  Mom would call at 10:00 p.m. saying she was awake now and I could come over. I was early to bed person.  Later, DM would remind me that I hadn't visited my sick daughter.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I remembered another one last night. This was more a gift I did not receive.

My grandmother used to do crafts. My parents had a wreath she made for as long as I can remember. I was about 17 when it finally fell apart.

All I wanted was for her to make me a new one. I would not shut up about it. There is no way she missed my intentions.

So we are out there and she pulls me into her craft room. She takes out two handmade wreaths and asks me which one I like best. I'm super excited and pick one.

She announces that's the one she'll charge more for at the craft fair. She just needed a second opinion and proceeded to put them away.

I cane out choking back tears. My parents were livid when they got out of me what happened. Grandma had no clue why my feelings were hurt.

My parents bought me a real wreath for my birthday so it worked out. They got how much having one meant to me.

A few years ago my mom made me one with all the ornaments I got for my first Christmas. It hangs on my door most of the year.