What is the weirdest or worst Holiday gift you ever received?

[DeniseM]

When I was in college, my finance's mother gave me 4 sweater hangers for Christmas. They were nicely wrapped in a box, and she made a big deal about having me open them in front of her. Although I thanked her sweetly, I was really perplexed, and my fiance was mortified. This lady was not elderly, or senile, or low-income. It was definitely odd.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Defunct Gas Dryer.

What is the weirdest or worst Holiday gift you ever received?

As a gag gift 1 Xmas, a friend wheeled in a non-working gas dryer.

Everybody laughed, including me.

After Christmas, I did fixa-fixa-fixa on the deadster dryer & sold it via Craig's List.

So who's the idiot now ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Passepartout]

A little background. DW and I met online many years ago- before it was considered 'normal' to do these things. One thing that caused both of us to pass on profiles of people we rejected were those who seemed to want a 'work-out buddy'.

Last year she gave me a certificate for a session with a private trainer at Golds. I think it's still on my dresser.

DW tells of an Ex who gave her a wheelbarrow for Christmas. Maybe has something to do with why he's an ex.

Jim

 

[vacationhopeful]

My brother's wife gave me an EMPTY hair dryer box. Said she needed one, opened my gift to use and didn't want to give me a used blow dryer. So she gave me the empty box as a promise. Same SIL and Xmas where my brother agreed to go in on a group gift to our parents, I paid for it and she after Xmas dinner as I was collecting, said that gift exceeded their gift allowance for each person (hence, no money).

Never got the "hot air machine" as she left my brother the following month right after our grandfather's will was read and my brother was not listed in it.

And since you are not supposed to say evil/mean things about the dead, I ended up paying for my parents' gift twice and had no hair blow dryer. And that was the LAST bit of time I ever had to spend with her.

 

[rickandcindy23]

When I was in college, my finance's mother gave me 4 sweater hangers for Christmas. They were nicely wrapped in a box, and she made a big deal about having me open them in front of her. Although I thanked her sweetly, I was really perplexed, and my fiance was mortified. This lady was not elderly, or senile, or low-income. It was definitely odd.

Is this your current mother-in-law?

I was impressed when my mom actually made homemade padded hangers one year for me. She made around 30 of them, but it wasn't my only gift. That was when the hangers were rare. My mom was always a wonderful seamstress, as was her mom before her.

My strangest Christmas gift was a motion-activated trash can from my clueless 28-year-old son. I still use the thing, and I guess I commented on his, so he thought it would be a perfect gift.

Another odd gift is Christmas ornaments. Why would someone give you ornaments for Christmas?

 

[DeniseM]

Is this your current mother-in-law?

No - we ended up not getting married. Fortunately!

But I have not faired well with mother in-laws. My husband's mother (now deceased) showed up for our church wedding in in a warm up suit. She said, "I thought it was going to be 'casual'?" :rofl:

I do not believe she understood the difference between "formal weddings" and "casual weddings." So in our wedding pictures, there she is in her warm up suit!

She was pretty much a witch. One Christmas Eve she came over for dinner and took one look at the elaborate dinner I had prepared, and the table set with china and crystal and said, "I hope you didn't go to any trouble, we stopped at McDonalds and had a hamburger on the way over."

 

[pjrose]

DD once got a hideous present - just in case the giver reads TUG (unlikely) I won't say more than that it was a fashion-type-thing that the giver actually thought was attractive. Maybe it is on some planets. It was probably expensive.

It was sooooo hideous that we couldn't stop laughing, still laugh at the thought of it. So the present was good in entertainment value, even though there's not a chance she'd ever actually wear or use it for its intended purpose, except perhaps on Halloween or for a hideous-outfit competition.

:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

 

[scrapngen]

...

Another odd gift is Christmas ornaments. Why would someone give you ornaments for Christmas?

Ummmm....me?? In our family, the Christmas ornaments have a lot of meaning and we treasure each of them with the memories that accompany the time they were acquired...So handmade ornaments children made, to a "special" ornament that hung on great-Grandma's tree and is now on ours,
cheap ornaments purchased in Italy to make a holiday away from home while in the military seem more homey, glass ornament bought in honor of a leukemia patient to raise money for Children's Hospital...etc. All the stories are told while decorating the tree, or sometimes when people visit and admire a certain ornament. I never understood the idea of having a perfectly "matching" Christmas tree where everything was white, or gold because our trees always had so much meaning packed into those odd, assorted ornaments. Over the years, some are lost, or purposely retired, LOL!!, and I do appreciate a designer tree now and again, but decorating the tree and looking at the ornaments is a big part of Christmas for me. (I promise I'll never give you an ornament, Cindy! )




As far as the oddest Christmas gift...my Mom had the wierdest ability to either give the perfect gift or the worst. Nothing in between. Same with her style. She was either impeccably dressed, or had the most embarassing combination on in strange colors.. Anyway, one year I received these horrible crocheted place mats (I think that was what they were supposed to be) in yellow and white yarn. They were thick and octagonal shaped, and I can't imagine how anyone could use them on a table. Turns out she gave my sister ORANGE and white rectangular ones!!
As a child the worst gift was also from her...I wanted to be a ballerina and would dance around the room. She gave me this ugly, dingy pink second hand tutu with a huge tube attached. I couldn't figure out how that was supposed to go, and the color was horrible - not a pretty pink, but more of a tan tinged with a pink shade?
And what was the point when there were no lessons with it...

 

[pjrose]

Another odd gift is Christmas ornaments. Why would someone give you ornaments for Christmas?

Ummmm....me?? In our family, the Christmas ornaments have a lot of meaning and we treasure each of them with the memories that accompany the time they were acquired......

I agree - me too!

 

[scrapngen]

My brother's wife gave me an EMPTY hair dryer box. Said she needed one, opened my gift to use and didn't want to give me a used blow dryer. So she gave me the empty box as a promise. Same SIL and Xmas where my brother agreed to go in on a group gift to our parents, I paid for it and she after Xmas dinner as I was collecting, said that gift exceeded their gift allowance for each person (hence, no money).

Never got the "hot air machine" as she left my brother the following month right after our grandfather's will was read and my brother was not listed in it.

And since you are not supposed to say evil/mean things about the dead, I ended up paying for my parents' gift twice and had no hair blow dryer. And that was the LAST bit of time I ever had to spend with her.

Cool!! You got one of the five best toys of all time!! (A friend recently posted this on Facebook, and your empty box reminded me of that...)

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/all/1

 

[rickandcindy23]

I think you all took this out of context, so some background is necessary. I am not an ungrateful giver or receiver.

The ornaments were not handmade, nor were they sentimental in any way. They weren't even pretty. She probably bought them the year before for 75% off.

I always spent a great deal of time and consideration for gifts to her and her family for Christmas. Now instead of inviting them to dinner, so she would feel obligated to give me whatever she can find around her house, I send a decorative evergreen centerpiece for her own holiday dinner with her weird family.

She re-gifts, and that is annoying, too, because she cannot remember who she got this gift from and who was there when she opened said gift. I have a plaque on my wall that she received from one of her friends for a wedding gift. I was there when she opened it, and to save her friend's feelings, when that mutual friend comes over to my house, I take the plaque down. That is how sensitive I am about this sort of thing.

 

[scrapngen]

I think you all took this out of context, so some background is necessary. I am not an ungrateful giver or receiver.

The ornaments were not handmade, nor were they sentimental in any way. They weren't even pretty. She probably bought them the year before for 75% off.

I always spent a great deal of time and consideration for gifts to her and her family for Christmas. Now instead of inviting them to dinner, so she would feel obligated to give me whatever she can find around her house, I send a decorative evergreen centerpiece for her own holiday dinner with her weird family.

She re-gifts, and that is annoying, too, because she cannot remember who she got this gift from and who was there when she opened said gift. I have a plaque on my wall that she received from one of her friends for a wedding gift. I was there when she opened it, and to save her friend's feelings, when that mutual friend comes over to my house, I take the plaque down. That is how sensitive I am about this sort of thing.

I never thought you were ungrateful - you just sounded confused as to why someone would choose this..
thought I'd contribute why I might give an ornament (usually found while traveling over Christmas and brought back to a friend, neighbor, etc or made in some way, or if to grandparents having some representation of the grandchildren)
With your further commentary, I can totally understand that getting a "token" ornament that is some generic one you can find in any store or found lying around the house would be hard to appreciate, at best. I'd probably use the story about this person and her gift giving for entertainment value as I hung said ornament on my tree - at the back - where it wouldn't be readily seen but fills in a hole...

 

[glypnirsgirl]

This is one of the funniest threads ever!

My first husband was a TERRIBLE gift-giver. Some of the gifts were just not anything that I would like - a pair of hard (not soft or cuddly) stuffed dogs that were hugging each other. Hmmm.... I have NO stuffed animals, why did he think that I would start liking them all of a sudden.

Once while we were Christmas shopping, I stopped to look at a dress that I thought would be perfect for his mother. She was very short and has an olive complexion and black hair. The dress was red and long waisted. It was on the rack that you could tell was for a more mature woman.

At that time, I was 26 and very slender. I am tall and blonde.

He bought the dress for ME. I looked like Olive Oyl in the dress! I never even took the tags off of it. He did manage to get it in my size.

I don't know if he was only half listening to me when I said, "this dress would look great on your mom."

 

[DeniseM]

My DH forgets what he got me the previous year, and will get me the same gift 2 years in a row.

Two years in a row I got: a set of black cookware, nearly identical pave rings, and nearly identical black coats.

The last two years, he gave me nearly identical heart necklaces.

He is not aware that he has bought the same thing twice, so I just thank him sweetly, exchange the new one, and continue using the old one.

 

[scrapngen]

My DH forgets what he got me the previous year, and will get me the same gift 2 years in a row.

Two years in a row I got: a set of black cookware, nearly identical pave rings, and nearly identical black coats.

The last two years, he gave me nearly identical heart necklaces.

He is not aware that he has bought the same thing twice, so I just thank him sweetly, exchange the new one, and continue using the old one.

Maybe you're a twin and you just don't know it:hysterical:

 

[AwayWeGo]

Holiday Gift-Giving Coding System.

This discussion topic reminds me -- it's time to bring out once more the famous seasonal gift coding system, ready for use again this holiday season.

To the gift codes listed, members of my extended family suggest adding . . .

Code H = hand-made item
Code Z = I got Zippity-Doodah for you but I love you anyway. Merry Christmas.​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[pianodinosaur]

We have a close friend who absolutely loves Christmas. He hangs his Christmas tree upside down because it is easier to hang and to see the ornaments. He loves Star Trek and trains. We have given him ornaments with train and Star Trek themes. He loves them.

So, I guess one person's idea of a strange present may be treasured by another.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

My DH forgets what he got me the previous year, and will get me the same gift 2 years in a row.

Two years in a row I got: a set of black cookware, nearly identical pave rings, and nearly identical black coats.

The last two years, he gave me nearly identical heart necklaces.

He is not aware that he has bought the same thing twice, so I just thank him sweetly, exchange the new one, and continue using the old one.

I wonder if he has a list of ideas and does not know where he is on his own list??? And as I started reflecting on this, I wondered, "how does he not know that there is black cookware in your kitchen already?"

I prefer nothing that adds to the too much stuff that we already have.
Ian does not remember what I like so I have a saved template of things that I will always like (facials and massages) and I update it with one or two things that I am interested in at that time. Ian doesn't remember from year to year what he has bought me, and the list of ideas is helpful to him.

Because of already having too much stuff, I try to buy experiences, usually tickets to some special event that I know that he will like. But the best gift that I got for him was free. He is a big fan of WEB Griffin and a few years ago, he was doing book signings in Dallas on Ian's birthday. The bookstore is in the same shopping center where there are restaurants that he enjoys. So, I had him meet me in the parking lot. He thought that I was taking him to dinner at one of the restaurants and was surprised that we went into the bookstore. Ian loved that book signing. (Part of the reason that he loved it is that I made him get in the car before I would give him the address so that he could not google it --- he thought it was funny that I knew him well enough to know to not tell him in advance. (I couldn't get away with that now because of his navigation system/Iphone combination).

 

[MomoD]

Garlic

A few years ago for Christmas we received a large rectangle box in the post from my step daughter, she asked that we open the gift when it arrived as it would be useful over the Christmas period. Excited we unwrapped the box to find a garland (I think that's what you call it) and attached to this garland was at least oh 8 or 9 bulbs of fresh garlic. What the !!!!!!. We still chuckle at the gift. Not quite sure what the message was :hysterical:

This thread has been a real chuckle

 

[Talent312]

From one of my brothers:
A bag of compressed potting soil.

 

[SueDonJ]

The worst gift I ever gave was completely terrible - I tried to make candy for my sisters. How hard could it be?! You melt the little chocolate patties and fill the molds, using paintbrushes and bags to get the right colors into each crevice. Refrigerate the filled molds, wrap in cello bags and voila! Beautiful candies made with love! Good lord those things were a mess, looked like I'd mixed up all the colors and was trying for some 60's psychedelic effect. The only reason I even gave them their gifts was to show them that I hadn't forgotten them!

The worst gift I ever got was from my father-in-law - a gaudy ugly terribly-made ceramic tea set that crackled the first time I used it but still sits in my china cabinet because my mother-in-law loves to see it there. She's wonderful and still with us ... he's not. (I'd say more but you get the idea.)

 

[ronparise]

Years ago I had a big, bushy, black beard like this

I was given a "message gift" an electric razor and some after shave


The worst gift I ever gave someone was 385000 wyndhan points

 

[DeniseM]

I wonder if he has a list of ideas and does not know where he is on his own list??? And as I started reflecting on this, I wondered, "how does he not know that there is black cookware in your kitchen already?"

Exactly - but how do you ask that question graciously?

 

[pkyorkbeach]

Great posts...I really enjoyed reading. One year I received a wallet from my mom's friend, inside the wallet was a note Lois hope you enjoy...My name is not Lois.

Thought it was weird I was young, Mom explained..regift.

 

[tlwmkw]

We got a strange gift that came with a card that said "I have one of these and knew you would love it too". We opened the package and found a set of cheap silver plate candlesticks in the original box. Once we opened the box there were the candle sticks and also a bottle of cheap perfume labeled "To Karen" (karen gave us the gift) and an ugly polyester scarf in a plastic wrapper. The giver (Karen) must have packed all the re-gifts together and forgotten they were in there. The funny thing was her comment that she had one and knew we would like it- there is no sign of any similar ugly candle sticks in her house so it was very odd- why even comment on it like that? We gave the lot of it to the good will.

tlwmkw