Presents You'd Rather NOT Receive?!

chirpychick

We all put so much effort into saving our hard earned money and hours trawling shops and internet, hunting for bargains to buy the "perfect" present.

A few weeks ago my MIL who is in her mid 70's gave me a carrier bag of unused sealed in their box "smellies" I can assume these were brought in the boots 3 for 2 offer by her friends and are clearly worth between £10-£15 full price.
However, my MIL can only use a shower and likes bodyshop but prefers Avon, anything else gets put in the cupboard and re gifted or given to me to re gift.
So clearly although very grateful her friends have gone to the effort and taken the time to buy her a lovely gift, this is the kind of thing that she would rather not receive.
( And I have a mental note from about 8 years ago no never buy her this kind of thing lol).

SO I wondered if people would share what gifts they would rather not receive? Maybe share your age range and gender to see if there is a pattern? Perhaps offer up what you would prefer as a safe alternative?

Obviously, especially in this current climate we should all be grateful someone has thought about us enough to buy us a gift and I am not suggesting for one second people are ungrateful but I find it very interesting.

So
For me I am just shy of 28 and I would rather not receive "nik naks" anything that needs to have a home on a shelf such as ornaments or figures because we don't have space and I am not a fan of clutter

Safe alternative/Can't go wrong with: Lush (as long as it doesn't contain Lavender as I am allergic, but 99% of friends and family know this)

My hubby who is 47 who I have just asked said he also doesn't like the "boots gift sets" things that contain after shave and balms for his face as he doesn't use them, he is also allergic to things like Lynx.

Safe alternative/Can't go wrong with: Argos voucher or socks!

So... Over to you

Side Note: We have both said just in our chat that anything homemade is always so well received by us because we appreciate so much the effort that someone has gone to and the time they have given up and the thought they have put in.

mrcow

As soon as I saw the title of your thread my immediate thought was just things that I'm allergic to.

I love Lush, but like you, I'm allergic to a couple of the ingredients so have to select it carefully.

I'm also allergic to Dove - they put something really harsh in all of their products. And also Avon is too harsh for me on the whole. I get these things at Christmas regularly and just have to give them away to members of my family. The thing is that most people know how bad i can react, but they buy them anyway!

But generally I'm easy to please. I don't like anything that smells "Christmassy" e.g. cinnamon or pine flavoured, and probably wouldn't use it.

Tiglath

Girly toiletries stuff - I just don't use it. I'm mid-forties and the basics like shampoo and shower gel and the odd pot of cheap moisturiser do me fine.

marmitepotato

No, to ornaments.

No, to unknown brand boxed smellies sets from Boots, Tescos, or any other outlet.

No, to cookery books unless I have specifically asked for one.



No, hats, gloves, scarves.


Yes, to chocolate (but not cheap unknown stuff)!


Yes, to jewellery!


This is my 'pie in the sky' list. In the main, no matter what I receive, I know that someone has thought of me and budgeted for me. As they say 'Its the thought that counts'.


I am in my ...ahem...early fifties!

jakes-mum

Early 30's

Please can I not get any more scarves? I now have 6 of them!
And no to bath stuff (I only use the shower) and deodorants (cant use any but simple which I stock pile :rotfl:)

Re: Lush, my sister has the same problem with allergies and we have a VERY strict list of what we can buy for her, she would much rather recieve one bubble bar she can actually use than one of their over priced gift sets that 90% have to be given away. Ive stuck religiously to it again this year

daisiegg

I have sat here racking my brains and I honestly can't think of anything! I love presents...

I suppose it would be things I already own, although I wouldn't expect everyone to necessarily know all my possessions. I have about four recipe binders that I have been given as gifts, and they are the PERFECT present for me as I love cooking and I always cut recipes out of magazines, so the people who got them for me were really thoughtful and getting me a fab present....if I didn't already have one.

Address books...they get recycled. I have a lovely old aunty who has bought me a few of these in my time. I just would never use them.

Hand cream. I love hand cream but at the moment they all seem to include either nut oils or milk protein and I am severely allergic to nuts and dairy, so often get horrible hives on my hands before I get a magnifying glass to read the tiny ingredients and see 'almond oil' or whatever.

Anything too practical. I know that makes me a spoilt brat... My grandparents once got me a pink washing up rack, and I love it and I use it every day and it looks great, but I still slightly resented getting a washing up rack for Christmas! I'm a terrible person...

Hmm, I said I couldn't think of anything but apparently I could! I am 24 (for another month) btw.

laurel7172

Have also suffered horribly from knick-knack gifting. Jewellery is another no-no.

Safe buys: coffee, dried mushrooms, single estate olive oil...that sort of thing. Anything from the Good Gifts catalogue-would far rather see the gift doing direct good than being smuggled to the charity shop in January.

(Female, 44)

MrsTinks

Hmmm early 30s

No to:
Boxed gift sets, niknaks, chocolates and boxed cookies... I don't buy them the rest of the year so why buy them for me?

yes to:
Anything made... pictures, photos, food, clothes etc... alcohol (bottle of wine always goes down well and frankly I'd rather someone spent £5 on a bottle of wine than £10 on a boots gift set!)
Lush is about the only smelly I'd actually like to receive unless someone had made it.

Lilyplonk

Tiglath - I know exactly where you're coming from! I am so fed up with Dove / Nivea gift sets - they're stashed in a huge cardboard box and will be getting passed on to the cs this week!

I use Mr A's own label Anti-Dandruff Shampoo; own brand Shower Gels with matching Bodysprays; own brand moisturisers too.

I'm also rather fond of Avon and Bodyshop - so why the heck did my mother give me 'Elizabeth Arden' last Christmas ................. probably cos one of my sisters suggested that I might like it and it was on offer in the TJ's Closing Down Sale lol!

Now if somebody were to give me the equivalent cost of Dove/Nivea in Mr A Vouchers - I'd be 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree' with joy ................ Just imagine how many bottles of 'own range' I could get for £10 - they'd last me 12mths and save me having to put them in the trolley each month!

I also keep getting given slippers size 7/8 which are useless to me. They all know that I've got big feet - but I wear a size 9!!!!!


When I say anything, I get told that I'm awkward to buy for . I don't think I'm awkward at all - I don't expect expensive gifts. I prefer people not to waste their money on luxurious gifts when I just don't appreciate them. I prefer what I'm used to and WILL use.

Forget fancy packaging with bows/gift tags/streamers on - a Mr A Voucher that I can spend on what I want or put towards an outfit from the George Moda Range of clothes would make me an extremely Happy Bunny .

oooooooh I don't appreciate dust-collecing nik-naks either .

Another thing I don't appreciate either is 'cut flowers'. I own the one vase - 'just in case'. I love flowers - but prefer to see them growing in a garden to enjoy for weeks instead of a couple of days in a vase indoors .............. now a hanging basket / bag of bulbs / packet of seed / tray of bedding plants would be MUCH better :T.

When it comes to Mother's Day, I do a spread sheet of 'Mummy's To-Do List' and blue-tack it to the Fridge/Freezer. I make a list of any diy jobs that I can't do myself and leave a space for each of them to fill in with their name as a commitment to do that job for me for Mother's Day. I buy things in advance so that as soon as somebody says 'YES, I'll do that for you.' they can get stuck into the job. Last year I left space for 'little jobs' for grandkids to volunteer for - right down to some seed planting for troughs of herbs that dgd2 (age4) managed to do.

For the record, I'm 61 - but still a 60's teen at heart

rosalie-lavender

Tweed perfume, I can't bear it. The up to the waist granny knickers that my mil buys me that she thinks are skimpy.:rotfl:American tan tights, another thing received quite regularly from mil.

As far as toiletries go, I am not that fussy but get dermatitis if I use anything anti bacterial. I also hate the smell of pine scented things. My Grandmother had a love for pine scented vim and used copious quantities of it. The smell nearly overpowered you she used so much:eek:

I agree with the no ornaments that someone else said too.

Safe things are floral toiletries, lily flame candles, sewing and needlecraft books or equipment. Plain chocolate, nuts and dried fruit.

My favourite present is always the smile and excitement of the children in the after school club I work in when they give me a present. I don't care what the present is, their happiness makes my day.

I am early 50's.

Lilyplonk

rosalie-lavender wrote: »

........ American tan tights, another thing received quite regularly from mil.............

PLEASE don't tell me that they STILL make that darn colour!


My favourite present is always the smile and excitement of the children in the after school club I work in when they give me a present. I don't care what the present is, their happiness makes my day...............

I make an exception where gifts from children are concerned - I appreciate absolutely everything, no matter what it is - EVEN flowers!

I am early 50's.

I once said that I love candles - and I've now got a life-time supply !!!!!!